The Neresheim monastery on Ulrichsberg towers imposingly over the town. The Lordship trail begins at the train station, where the famous Härtsfeld Museum Railway departs for its final stop, Katzenstein Station, every first Sunday in summer. The trail leads past the Gallusmühle mill and through the Zwing nature reserve up to the golf course at Hochstatter Hof. Downhill, you come to Härtsfeld lake, where you can take a break. At the top of the mountain sits Katzenstein Castle, the next destination. The route back to Neresheim takes you along varied forest paths.
Wegbeschreibung
From the train station, we cross the street with the traffic island and large signpost (Gallusmühle Härtsfeldsee yellow ring), walk a few steps downhill past the tennis court to the Egau river, and follow it to Gallusmühle. Follow the yellow ring towards Härtsfeld lake through the Zwing nature reserve with its extensive juniper heaths. Then we walk uphill through the forest to the road that leads to the Hochstätter Hof golf course (restaurant).
We follow the road uphill for 150 m and then turn left onto a farm track, which we follow into the forest. After about 1 km, we come to an open area and walk along the edge of a wood until we reach the next Waldeck (straight ahead leads to Dischingen). Here we turn left and enter the forest again, at the end of which we can already see the Härtsfeld lake. The Härtsfeld lake invites you to linger. We continue along the Albschäferweg trail on the dam. Be careful when crossing the country road. To avoid having to walk on the country road, we use the meadow path to the right of the road below the bus stop. After 200 m, we turn right onto the dirt road up towards the forest. Walking along the edge of the forest, we enjoy the view of Lake Härtsfeld. At Waldeck, we walk up through the forest and, on the hill, turn left onto a meadow path towards Katzenstein Castle. From up here, you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the castle. After the meadow path, we turn right onto a tarred road and into the village. We visit one of the oldest preserved Staufer castles – Katzenstein Castle. Then, following the white shepherd on a blue background and the yellow ring, we descend into the village of Katzenstein and, at the edge of the village, head right out of the village towards Iggenhausen am Hexenberg. At the top, with a last look back at the castle, the trail leads along a large farmstead with a biogas plant, past fields to the road to Frickingen. (Note: Marking the trail is always difficult here in the fields. Therefore, you should orient yourself well using the maps.) At the tarred road towards Frickingen, we first turn right and then, after 125 m, left onto a meadow path along a small wooded area. A meadow path takes us to the edge of the forest. Here, we catch another beautiful view of Lake Härtsfeld and the Egau Valley. Soon, we enter the forest towards Neresheim. We cross wildly romantic forest valleys and hike partly on alpine forest paths dotted with rocks. In the Wildbachtal valley, crossing the stream bed can be a little uncomfortable. If you follow the forest path to the right for about 200 m before the stream bed, you can cross it easily. Through old beech and spruce forests, we reach the edge of the forest and catch sight of the monastery. The Paradiesweg trail continues partly through the forest and partly along the edge of the forest. After a rewarding visit to the Benedictine abbey and the monastery tavern, we descend to the starting point of the hike.
Ausrüstung
Good footwear is recommended.
Sicherheitshinweise
Please bear in mind that you will be walking on mostly natural paths. Paths in the forest may be in poor condition due to forestry work. Please wear sturdy shoes.
Please bear in mind that there are not many places to stop for refreshments along the way. We therefore recommend that you bring plenty of drinks and possibly a packed lunch with you.
