Teufelsmühl circular trail - Bavarian Forest Nature Park

A scenic and varied circular hike from Rattenberg over the impressive "Teufelsmühle" rock formation to Friedenstadl and back via Siegersdorf. The tour runs through beautiful meadows and shady forests, with asphalt at the beginning and end, offering fantastic views of the hilly Upper Palatinate countryside and the mountains of the Bavarian Forest. From Rattenberg (town hall), we walk along the Bürgermeister-Kermer-Weg past the cemetery out of the town, offering beautiful views of Neurandsberg and further into the Upper Palatinate region, and then via Moosbach to the mountains of the Bavarian Forest. Following the road, we pass through a wooded area, briefly cross open fields with a view at a wayside shrine, and continue into a valley basin over the Hammerbach stream into the Auwies valley. Continuing uphill along the road, we bypass the imposing farm buildings of the hamlet of Unterstein, offering fantastic views of the surrounding countryside. We turn uphill into the forest towards Oberstein. Following a steadily steeper, beautiful forest path, we finally reach the impressive, twin-towered "Devil's Mill" rock formation. This unusual granite rock formation, unmistakably marked by a distinctive devil-like figure 👹, was formed over a long period of time by woolsack weathering (a special type of erosion). After exploring the legendary Devil's Rock, also known as the Devil's Rock, the path continues upwards through the forest. Upon reaching the edge of the forest, the trail climbs across meadows through the impressive, approximately 300-year-old Friedenstadl farmstead. A short walk along the edge of the forest opens up a fantastic panoramic view stretching from the Kaitersberg to the Grosser Arber on the horizon. The path initially continues upwards through the forest, then levels off and traverses gently downhill along the mountain slope. From a beautifully situated vantage point with a bench above the individual houses of Zellwiese at the edge of the forest, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the valley and the Upper Palatinate hills (Haidstein, Roßberg, and others). Continuing through a forest, the trail descends the slope across open meadows past the houses of the hamlet of Weidenschaft. On a beautiful forest path, steeply downhill in places through the Steinberg, you reach the edge of the forest with views of Siegersdorf and Engelsdorf and the opposite mountains on the Rattenberg High Trail (Hochberg, Kramerschopf). The return route is paved via Siegersdorf and Engelsdorf, mostly on the bike path along the road back to Rattenberg. Finally, you will visit the impressive pilgrimage church of St. Nicholas in Rattenberg, rebuilt in 1890 in the Romanesque style. PS: Regarding the legend of the Devil's Mill: A poor miller, in need of money, made a deal with the devil 👹, selling his soul in exchange for ground flour. There are other similar versions of this legend. The entire tour is signposted with trail number 2.