About 181 kilometers from Hof over Bayreuth to Nuremberg: a modern Way of St. James through the Franconian Forest, Franconian Switzerland and the Nuremberg countryside – along the old imperial road Via Imperii.
The Upper Franconian Way of St. James runs from Hof over Helmbrechts, Marktschorgast and Bayreuth to Nuremberg – about 181 kilometers across northern Bavaria. Its course follows the old trade and imperial road Via Imperii, which once ran from the Baltic over Leipzig to Hof and on over Bayreuth to Nuremberg and as far as the Adriatic; today it roughly corresponds to the B 2 federal road.
The route was inaugurated on the feast of St. James, July 25, 2009, in Marktschorgast. It deliberately uses existing, well-signed hiking trails and is waymarked throughout with the European scallop-shell symbol – maintained by four hiking clubs and coordinated with the Franconian St. James Society.
To be honest: there is no old, documented pilgrim tradition here as in Spain or France. The founders themselves therefore prefer to speak of "Ways of St. James" rather than "the Way of St. James." The route, as they put it, comes into being underfoot – when people set out on it with the distant goal of Santiago. In the Middle Ages the church of St. Jakob in Nuremberg served as a pilgrim gathering point.
Locally the terms "Jakobuswege" and "the Way of St. James from Hof over Bayreuth to Nuremberg" are used by intention.
Ideal if you want a well-waymarked, easily reached Way of St. James in Germany, with varied low-mountain scenery and cultural stops such as Bayreuth and Nuremberg – and as a building block in a larger journey across Europe.
Less suitable if you expect a centuries-old pilgrim tradition with a continuous hostel infrastructure like Spain's: the route is young, lodging is limited in places, and travel is at German price levels.
The first section from Hof to Bayreuth lies in the Franconian Forest (Frankenwald); from the trail you often see the peaks of the neighboring Fichtelgebirge. Behind Marktschorgast the famous "Schiefe Ebene" (inclined plane) descends the steep edge of the Franconian Line into the Main valley.
Over Bayreuth and Creußen the route reaches Franconian Switzerland, with its castles, crags and valleys – via Pegnitz, Betzenstein and Gräfenberg. At the end it leads through the Nuremberg countryside over Kalchreuth to Nuremberg. Just before Kalchreuth it joins the Way of St. James coming from Lichtenfels.
Locally the route is described in nine stages of around 20 kilometers – sized so that even groups find lodging and time for the stations:
At a good 180 kilometers with around 2,350 meters of climb, the route is moderately demanding – low-mountain terrain with steady ups and downs, the highest point about 697 m. Stronger pilgrims can combine the stages into 30- or 40-km days, but must then reckon with limited lodging.
A distinctive feature of the route is that it is cared for not by a single club but by a network: from Hof to Bayreuth the Frankenwaldverein waymarks it (with the help of local clubs), from Bayreuth to the source of the Red Main the Fichtelgebirgsverein, then the Fränkische Schweiz-Verein, and from about the border of Middle Franconia the Fränkische Albverein. All four have marked the Way of St. James with the European scallop-shell symbol and added it to their existing, well-signed trail networks. An extra hiking map or pilgrim guide is nonetheless recommended.
Upper Franconia today is not an end point but a corridor. At Hof, the Jakobsweg Sachsen (Bautzen → Hof) arrives from the northeast – it too follows an old trade road, the Via Imperii. Pilgrims coming from there continue seamlessly on the Upper Franconian Way of St. James at Hof.
At the destination Nuremberg, the "St. James knot," the southern German network of St. James ways connects on: west toward Rothenburg, southwest toward Ulm (and on toward Lake Constance and Switzerland), and southeast toward Eichstätt. The Upper Franconian route can thus be understood as a middle section of a long journey toward Santiago.
The best time is spring to autumn. Detailed stage descriptions and downloadable short versions are provided by the operator jakobus-oberfranken.de; printed pilgrim guides are also available in shops. Since the route uses existing trails maintained by the hiking clubs, an extra hiking map or app is worthwhile. A pilgrim credential is useful for stamps; stamping points are marked. Plan lodging ahead – the network is good but thin in places.
Germany is more expensive than Spain. Budget roughly €45–75 per day for lodging in guesthouses and inns, plus food; simple lodgings and self-catering lower the cost.
The starting point is Hof, the finish is Nuremberg – both well connected by rail.
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