The Kaiser ordered the use of his own official route but was also very aware of the advantages of the ‘forbidden’ option. Charles IV sent his own Imperial Regalia on the forbidden street through Waidhaus, which shows that there was indeed good reason to circumnavigate the heights of Bärnau as proved by the routing of the A6, the modern alternative to the ancient trade route, which seems to follow the unauthorised path.
Schnaittenbach
St. Vitus in Schnaitenbach.
If viewed from above the Kaolinite quarry looks like a glacier eating its way towards the town. It was a poor bookkeeper, Daniel Christoph Eduard Kick who founded the Upper Pfalz Kaolinite industry in a barn attached to the Löwenwirt inn in 1833. All important sights lie on the long road along which the town is built, for instance the baroque St Vitus church whose nave was extended in 1910/11 or the town hall (Rathaus) with its herb garden dating from the 17th Century.
The star chef Thomas Kellermann has found a way to put the castle facilities to excellent use in the onetime home of the noble Nothafft family. The reputed restaurant Kastell (www.burg-wernberg.de) has been exciting guests and gaining notoriety, and rooms can be booked in the hotel for between €139 and €310 per night.
Detailed Detour
Holzhammer: This old Hammerschloss from 18th Century and the Schloss chapel St Maria with its acanthus altar lies 4.7km east of Schnaittenbach.
Oberköblitz: An old pilgrimage church St Emmeram lies atop a hill, and a grave memorial with a red marble stone remembers Sir Albrecht Nothafft.
Leuchtenberg: The mighty ruins from 1300 on top of the 537m high granite cliff are home to the most visited open-air stage in the Upper Pfalz. www.burgfestspiele.de
Unterwildenau: Hammerschloss (17th Century) and chapel St Lorenz with an Acanthus altar lies 6.8km north of Wernberg.
Friedrichsburg in Vohenstrauss.
Vohenstrauß
The most prominent landmark of this town of around 7500 residents is the Friedrichsburg. The town was the family seat of the Grand Duke Friedrich von der Pfalz-Zweibrücken-Vohenstrauß-Parkstein. The castle itself is square, has four round towers at its corners and a main entrance gate, three stories and was built in the renaissance period. The original use of the building is not known, but today it hosts concerts and exhibitions in its partially renovated rooms. The Heimatmuseum (homeland museum) in the Ackerbürgerhaus (Sophienstraße 9) also houses an old mill and the Edelsteinmuseum (precious stones) in the Amselweg 10 are both worth a stop.
Pleystein
The little town of Pleystein in the Upper Pfalz Forest is situated on rose quartz cliffs in the middle on which the Kreuzbergkirche was built in 1817. It was burnt to the ground in 1907 and rebuilt in the baroque style next to the abbey. The Kreuzbergfest (festival) draws thousands of pilgrims and visitors at the beginning of May to one of Bavaria’s most beautiful geotopes. On the Marktplatz 25 you will find the Heimat und Mineralien (homeland and minerals) Museum full of information about the local natural deposits and the area. The new gothic parish church of St Sigismund replaced its predecessor that burnt to the ground in 1901.
Waidhaus
Just off the busy main road lies a pretty little hamlet with the parish church of St Emmeram and several old farmhouses. This tiny village on the border now has a motorway chapel, a nature reservation and a campsite with a heated outdoor swimming pool in Bäckeröd.
Worthy Detours
Neuenhammer: Hammerschloss with guesthouse from 18th Century. 6.3km northeast of Waldthurn.
Waldau: In the rebuilt parish church of 1912 there are two altars decorated with acanthus flowers, which were originally in the castle chapel. The castle from the 13th Century is only viewable by special appointment. 3.1km northwest of Vohenstrauß.
Waldthurn: The castle is a listed building and is for sale! The pilgrimage church of Maria Heimsuchung is on the Fahrenberg. 6.4km north of Vohenstrauß.
Georgenberg: Church of St Christoph from 1609 is in the Georgenberger forest. An old mill (Gehenhammer Mühle) has an old-fashioned inn offering snacks. 3.7km east of Neuenhammer.
Rozvadov/Roßhaupt
The first Czech settlement beyond the border is the destination for many bargain hunters. The baroque Wenzelskirche is still awaiting restoration. There is a beautiful nature reserve along the border which has been protected since 1984, the Naturreservat Jezirka u Rozvadova.
Přimda /Pfraumberg
The castle and the trade route were the reason this little settlement evolved. It probably was founded shortly after the Schutzburg (protective castle) was built, the ruins of which are still to be seen on a nearby hill. The little town of 1500 residents has a Roman church (Georgskirche) and an impressive statue of Nepomuk, the patron Saint of Bohemia.
Bor/Haid
Castle in Bor.
Large parts of the town were destroyed in WWII, but despite this the district of the town around the St Nikolaus church was crowned a site of cultural heritage in 1992. During the medieval festival the castle can be viewed, and each year there is a pilgrimage to the Black Madonna in the Loretto Kirche.
An author once wrote ‘No province or land in Germany is more fancy and free than that land we call Franconia’. He was called Matthäus Merian and was one of the first writers that ever wrote travel logs for the use of others following in his footsteps. He was referring to the region’s ‘Frank and Free’ nature. Kaiser Charles I promoted Franconia to the centre of his realm. In the following chapter we will be exploring the area beyond the town walls of Nuremberg and the Upper Palatinate. First stop on the road to Prague. Oberpfalz frank und frei zur Fränkischen Pfalz – erste Station auf dem Weg nach Prag.
Capital Road- New Bohemia’s Golden South
The wealth of the Upper Palatinate and Amberg with its official residence and importance at the centre of the mining industry influenced the architecture in the area greatly. Between the ‘Hammerschlösser’ (the mansions built by the aristocracy near their works) a union of the owners of the mines and iron works was established, the Hammereinigung (1387-1626), a fore-runner to the European agreements of today and a kind of mining union enabling the free trade and transport of the materials between signatories was ratified.
Golden South: From Amberg through Nabberg to the Pfreimdtal
Like a spider keeping watch over its web, Amberg is actually situated several kilometres south of the Golden Road behind its still almost complete town walls, but for the tradesmen en route, it would almost certainly have opened its gates. The detour to the residence of the Winter King is worth the trip. Upriver along the Vilstal, on which the barges carried ore to Regensburg, to Schloss Theuern the traveler will see a wealth of wonderful sights, a fascinating town, quirky facilities like a the Museum of Air, castles and some truly beautiful ancient land and river scenery.
The Right Way
It is at this stage of the journey that the Golden Road splits. The good took the ‘right’ way through Weiden and Bärnau, the bad through Wernberg and Waidhaus, which in the end proved to be the cheaper of the two. Despite the popularity of two routes the trade that Charles IV supported and promoted brought much wealth to many a town and the region in general. Majestic town halls sprang up in which the tradesmen could do business. Later during the baroque period the acanthus leaf found fame in interior architecture and decoration. The Ancient Greeks and the Romans used the motif widely, and it was ‘rediscovered’ and used in the embellishment of many an altar and church.
Stiftland, Egerland and the Fraisch
Kaiser Barbarossa made Eger the seat of his Kingdom and the surrounding area was redesigned and refurbished, creating what was to be an example to all regions under the name of Provincia Egrensis. Later as Kaiser Ludwig of Bavaria had to give up the town to his rival and successor Charles IV the region retained its importance and its own parliament until 1806 when it became a part of Bohemia.
The neighbouring Stiftland, or as it was known the ancient province of Tirschenreuth, was under the jurisdiction of Cistercian monks in Waldsassen during this time and they kept a very close contact with Egerland.
Stiftland, Egerland and the Fraisch
Kaiser Barbarossa made Eger the seat of his Kingdom and the surrounding area was redesigned and refurbished, creating what was to be an example to all regions under the name of Provincia Egrensis. Later as Kaiser Ludwig of Bavaria had to give up the town to his rival and successor Charles IV the region retained its importance and its own parliament until 1806 when it became a part of Bohemia.
The neighbouring Stiftland, or as it was known the ancient province of Tirschenreuth, was under the jurisdiction of Cistercian monks in Waldsassen during this time and they kept a very close contact with Egerland.
Stiftland, Egerland and the Fraisch
Kaiser Barbarossa made Eger the seat of his Kingdom and the surrounding area was redesigned and refurbished, creating what was to be an example to all regions under the name of Provincia Egrensis. Later as Kaiser Ludwig of Bavaria had to give up the town to his rival and successor Charles IV the region retained its importance and its own parliament until 1806 when it became a part of Bohemia.
The neighbouring Stiftland, or as it was known the ancient province of Tirschenreuth, was under the jurisdiction of Cistercian monks in Waldsassen during this time and they kept a very close contact with Egerland.
