Kapellen-Pilgerweg

Along the 76-kilometre long Kapellen Pilgerweg, you will experience the special characteristics of the countryside around Bad Bergzabern. The veritable sea of vineyards, the peace and quiet of the Palatinate Forest and the numerous churches and chapels as a place of reflection - one way of slowing down everyday life. We recommend splitting the trail into four stages. From Bad Bergzabern to Klingenmünster you should start in the park at the St. Jakobus-Pilger-Statue then onto Pleisweiler-Oberhofen , Gleiszellen-Gleishorbach and the Dionysiuskapelle. In Klingenmünster you can follow a marked trail to its monastery and the memorial for victims of euthanasia at the Pfalzklinikum. Another stage leads from Klingenmünster to Vorderweidenthal via the Karlsplatzhütte to the Abtskopf and then continues to the ruined castle of Lindelbrunn and then on to Vorderweidenthal. On the way it is worthwhile visiting the Friedenskapelle in Birkenhördt. The stage from Vorderweidenthal to SchweigenRechtenbach goes through Lauterschwan, the Seehof-Weiher, the Hirzeck-Haus and the Mundat Forest to St. Germanshof, with its Europadenkmal and then along the border past the Pauliner Schloss to the Deutsches Weintor. The final stage from Schweigen-Rechtenbach back to Bad Bergzabern leads past the Ruine Guttenberg, the Stäffelsberg-Turm, the KolmerbergKapelle, the fortified church in Dörrenbach and past the Böhämmerhaus back into the park and to the Südpfalz Therme.

Difficulty

hard

Route

77,5 km

Duration

23:15 h

Ascent

2072 m

Descent

2072 m

Start

Kurpark Bad Bergzabern

End

Rundwanderweg, verschiedene Touren

Route

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Route description

Stage 1 Bad Bergzabern - Klingenmünster

The trail leads from Bad Bergzabern to Klingenmünster and starts in the spa park at the St. Jakobus-Pilger-Statue. When walking through the park, it is well worthwhile to visit the Taufkirche of the Hlg. Edith-Stein – the St. Martin Kirche - past the evangelische Marktkirche on the way to imposing Bergkirche. From the Bergkirche you take a path upwards to the monastery of the Kloster Liebfrauenberg and having enjoyed the magnificent panorama views soon arrive in Pleisweiler-Oberhofen. On the hill above Gleiszellen you see the Dionysius-Kapelle and continue the way to Klingenmünster. There you can take a detour to Klosteranlage Klingenmünster. After that there is a short climb to the Euthanasie-Denkmal at the Pfalz-Klinikum and from there the marked path to the Nikolauskapelle.

Stage 2 Klingenmünster - Vorderweidenthal

From the Nikolaus kapelle we can see the Burg Landeck, which is accessible via a well-made path. Following this, we then leave the vineyards, and walk through the diversity of the Palatinate Forest. Having climbed up the 487 m high Abtskopf, we can stop at the forest tavern of the Karlsplatz. Between the Abtskopf and the ruins of the Lindelbrunn, a detour to the "Friedenskapelle", situated above Birkenhördt, is imperative. The Waldgasthaus Cramer forest tavern now invites you to have a rest and perhaps enjoy something to eat and drink (overnight accommodation also available). From here, you can have a walk up to the ruins of the Lindelbrunn, past the ev. Jugendhaus, and enjoy a panoramic view of a special nature.

Stage 3 Vorderweidenthal - Schweigen-Rechtenbach

In Vorderweidenthal the former St. Gallus Church should be visited. From there you make a pilgrimage through Erlenbachtal towards Oberschlettenbach and discover the fire station, which used to be a church. From this place of tranquility, you continue on towards Lauterschwan alongside the Potzbach. In Lauterschwan you will find the St. Michaelskapelle. Below the castle of Bewartstein that can be seen from afar, you can each refresh yourself in the waters of the Seehofweiher. The trail then continues along the well-marked route into the Palatinate Forest and up to the 400 m high Breitenberg. At the Hirzeckhaus and past the Bobenthaler Kopf we reach the former monastery of St. Paul Weißenburg, the St. Germanshof. This trail also leads on towards the Pauliner Schloss with the view extending to the Deutsche Weintor, the southern-most starting point of the German Wine Street.

Stage 4 Schweigen-Rechtenbach - Bad Bergzabern

From Schweigen, we go along the edge of the Haardt back into the Palatinate Forest and on to Staufer castle of Burg Guttenberg. Only the keep remains in these ruins and from the highest point of the trail, you can look over the Mundatwald and over the Rhine valley. Great views are also to be enjoyed from the Stäffelsbergturm on your way to the Kolmerbergkapelle. The chapel is a popular place of pilgrimage and the former hermits apartments now serve as a place to stay for groups. In Dörrenbach there is the fortified church of St. Martin, a dual church dating back to 1684/85. The oldest part, the lower choir, dates back to the period around 1300. In Bad Bergzabern there are three churches - the Market Church, Bergkirche and St. Martin's Church, where Edith Stein was canonized.