The best walks and hikes around Hirschwald

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When the beer garden is open, it's perfect for the whole family. Freshly grilled sausages, cool drinks, a large lawn with playground equipment for the little ones, and the adjacent wild boar enclosure offer curious glimpses into the family life of the wild boars. However, it's not always open. Please check in advance to see if the trip is worth it.

Beautiful area with many attractions

Very, very good sausages and cakes, at fair prices.

Castle chapel of St. John Baptist A church belonging to the Hirschwald hunting lodge is mentioned here in 1456, but it is probably older because of its Romanesque remains. This St. Johannes Baptist chapel is now called the “Hunting Chapel”. Since the end of the 15th century, a service for the “Waid pile” has been held on every 4th Sunday of the month by a priest from the Ensdorf monastery. Even after the castle was sold to the forester Carl Huber in 1738, the church remained in the possession of the forestry administration. A fundamental renovation was carried out between 1736 and 1738 and the church was rededicated in 1740. The forester Carl Huber founded a Stations of the Cross for the “electoral hunting band” in 1786; he was also buried here. The church has a retracted square choir with a ridged cross vault. The nave has a barrel vault with stitch caps that rests on yokes. The church is crowned by an onion dome. The main altar with two columns is decorated with foliage and ribbonwork ornaments, the skin depicted the patron saint of the church. On the side are the holy figures of St. Hubertus and St. Eustace. There is also a depiction of Anna Selbdritt in the church. An Electoral Palatinate coat of arms from 1730 is attached to the cornice. The organ is decorated with acanthus carvings. There are several epitaphs inside the church: one is dedicated to Johann Adam Thanhauser, electoral forester, and his wife Anna Christina. Raymund Thanhauser, the above father and forester of Hirschwald for 40 years, is also remembered here. A second gravestone is erected for Walb Aloysia Countess von Butler. Over time, the church was renovated several times, the last renovation taking place in 1968–1972. At that time, a previously unknown brick vault was found under the floor slabs in the chancel, in which an intact pine coffin with the remains of a 145 cm tall girl was found. There is no reliable information about its origin. It probably belonged to the electoral family. Source: Excerpts from www.wikipedia.de

Gatehouse of the Hirschwald hunting lodge The village of “Gumpenhof” used to be located on the site of today’s Hirschwald, which was mentioned in a document in 1112 and was larger than today’s Hirschwald. In 1454, the Ensdorf monastery left the statutes for the Gumpenhofe to Elector Friedrich I for the use of an “estate”. In 1513, Count Palatine Friedrich II became administrator of the Upper Palatinate with the seat of government in Amberg. As a passionate hunter, he turned the deer forest into a large state-owned game reserve and, in Gumpenhof, built a hunting lodge with outbuildings, a new four-sided enclosure for the stately hunting parties and a curtain wall around it. In 1538, Elector Friedrich of the Palatinate rode with a large entourage on 128 horses for the first major deer hunt. In 1545 it was called Gumpenhof yetzt zum Hirschwald. The gatehouse was built in the mid-16th century as part of the castle wall. It is the last structural evidence of the court complex built after 1513 for the Wittelsbachs in the Upper Palatinate. During the Electoral Palatinate era, a blacksmith shop was housed in the gatehouse, and today's barn was the associated stables. After 1795 a farming family lived there. The former hunting lodge was demolished in the 1970s. Of the buildings, only the gatehouse is listed, the surrounding walls of which date back to the time of Frederick II, while the interior of the building and the roof were rebuilt in 1916 according to the volume in traditional construction. A small street leads through the gate (the passage is closed). The repair of the gatehouse is being funded by the German Foundation for Monument Protection (DSD) with €30,000. The new owners since 2013, the architect couple Birgit Rieger and Willi Schmid, are planning a restaurant, a so-called Hutzastub'n, on the ground floor of the gatehouse for visitors to the Hirschwald Nature Park and overnight accommodation on the upper floor of the gatehouse. The Steinstadel next to it is also part of the historical ensemble and is intended to be used for cultural purposes. The renovation of the historic gatehouse was completed in 2022/2023 and was very successful. Source: www.wikipedia.de / www.ensdorf.de

A popular destination for young and old for decades 👍🏼🤩

One of the most beautiful beer gardens around Amberg. Barbecue, snacks and cakes - everything your heart desires!