Holidays in the Fichtelgebirge

Holidays in the Fichtelgebirge

Holiday tourism in the Fichtelgebirge can look back at a tradition of more than 200
years. At the beginning of the 18th century, it was mainly the European high nobility
who discovered the beneficial effect of the mineral springs in Bad Alexandersbad and
the curative stimulating climate. Emperors, kings, nobles and also well-to-do citizens
discovered the landscape for exercise and their individual recuperation. It was in
particular the visit of the Prussian Queen Luise with her husband Friedrich Wilhelm III
in 1805, which impressed the local population to the utmost and left its traces. For
example, the Luxburg near Wunsiedel and the associated rock labyrinth was
renamed into Luisenburg as well as the Luisentisch at the Epprechtstein.

Many structures to climb the rocks and peaks as well as many footpaths originate
from these times. One of the first to hike the Fichtelgebirge to find out more about the
special features of nature was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The prince among
poets visited the Fichtelgebirge three times – in 1785, 1820 and 1822. He made
drawings of some of the rocks and he developed different theories on the weathering
of the granite. The romantics Tieck and Wackeroder also roamed the Fichtelgebirge,
inspired by the romantic spirit of the age and an affectionate relationship to unspoilt
nature. A pioneer for today’s popular Nordic walking was the famous poet Jean Paul,
who often crossed the Fichtelgebirge during his wanderings between the Hofer and
the Bayreuther Land and who propagated dynamic movements of his arms to
accompany his steps.

Starting around 1900, winter sports also blossomed. Special trains carried skiers and
tobogganists from the surrounding regions, even from Nürnberg, to the high altitudes
of the Fichtelgebirge. Since that time, Warmensteinach, Bischofsgrün, Fichtelberg
and Mehlmeisel have increasingly developed into tourist resorts attracting a large
number of guests particularly in the winter. Ski lifts (tow lifts and chair lifts), hundreds
of kilometres of well-groomed cross-country ski trails and toboggan tracks still form
special attractions to guests from Northern Bavaria, Saxony, Thuringia and even
regions further to the north. Particularly people from Berlin liked to call the
Fichtelgebirge their “green front garden”.

Today, the Fichtelgebirge is a particularly attractive holiday area for people who wish
to relax in their own ways in an intact landscape whether in summer or in winter. In
the past years, it has been mostly hikers, mountain-bikers and Nordic walkers who
re-discovered the Fichtelgebirge as an ideal holiday region in the centre of Germany
and Europe. Sportspeople also find a wide range of possibilities for beginners as well
as for the experienced ones.

The family-friendly cycling paths on the former railway lines are often used. Between
Weissenstadt and Kirchenlamitz, there is the “Sechsämter” cycling path offering
fantastic views into the Inner Fichtelgebirge. The “Brücken” cycling path is signposted
between Tröstau and Selb and even to the Czech city Aš. A cycling path along the
Eger river is planned and will connect Weissenstadt and Cheb along this main river of
the Fichtelgebirge in future.

If you wish to learn more about the touristic offers in the Fichtelgebirge Natural
Reserve, please contact the tourism centre Fichtelgebirge:

Contact
Tourismuszentrale Fichtelgebirge e.V.
Geschäftsstelle im Rathaus
Gablonzer Str. 11
D-95686 Fichtelberg
Tel: +49 (0)9272-969030
Fax: +49 (0)9272-9690366
Email: info@tz-fichtelgebirge.de
Website