 | |
| Kreuzberg | |
| free State | Bavaria |
|---|---|
| height | 927.8 m |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | |
The Kreuzberg (Rhoen) is 927.8 m high and with the Wasserkuppe the most important and most visited tourist destination in the Rhön.
background
The beginnings of cultural history on Kreuzberg are in the dark; The stone wall of a Celtic refugee castle on the summit plateau is still visible today. Legend has it that St. Kilian on his way from Fulda to Wurzburg erected the first cross on the summit in 686. The legend is supported by the parish church "St. Johannes Baptista" in Brendlorenzen, which was already documented in 741 Bad Neustadt. The important traffic route from Fulda via Bischofsheim to Würzburg should also be Bonifatius (wikipedia) used during his missionary work in the Eastern Franconian Empire.
In May of the year 1000, Emperor Otto III. large parts of the Rhön with the Kreuzberg to the prince-bishop of Würzburg, Heinrich I. The Kreuzberg remained in the Würzburg possession before Lower Franconia came to Bavaria with Würzburg as a result of the Congress of Vienna.
Until the 17th century the Kreuzberg was called Aschberg, that is Asenberg or Götterberg, the name still lives today in a field name "Zum Aschberg" in Langenleiten.
The summit of the Kreuzberg and the entire northeast side are now in the area of the municipality Bischofsheim on the Rhön, the west side belongs to Wild spots.
The mountain summit is geologically constructed from basalt over a layer of shell limestone (520 m - 720 m). The base layer is red sandstone, which emerges in the valley floor at the end of Haselbach and at the Wildflecken train station. There are over 100 springs around the rain-rich Kreuzberg. The best known is that of the "Sinn" in the valley floor between Kreuzberg and Arnsberg. The water from the volcanic rock has an above-average lack of lime and is therefore very soft.
getting there
| Distances (road km) | |
| Bischofsheim | 8 kilometers |
|---|---|
| Bad Neustadt | 30 km |
| Fulda | 47 km |
| Wurzburg | 103 km |
| Frankfurt am Main | 122 km |
| Nuremberg | 202 km |
By plane
The nearest international airports are the Airport in Frankfurt am Main, in Erfurt and the Airport in Nuremberg.
By train
The next train stations are in Gersfeld on the Fulda - Gersfeld railway line (Rhönbahn) and the in Bad Neustadt on the Erfurt - Schweinfurt - Würzburg railway line. From the train station, continue by bus or taxi, the Hochrhönbus stops at both train stations and also at Kreuzberg.
In the street
There are localities at the foot of the Kreuzberg Bischofsheim on the Rhön and Wild spots. The highest point on the mountain that can be approached by car is the paid parking lot below the monastery (monastery: 12 min, summit: 25 min). This parking lot can be reached via access roads from Bischofsheim and Wildflecken (combined on the last section) over a distance of approx. 6 - 7 km each. There are various other (free) parking spaces for hikers along the routes.
The parking lot below the monastery is approached several times a day from May to October by buses of the OVF (line Bad Brückenau - Wildflecken - Bischofsheim) (on weekdays only to get off).
The Hochrhönbus runs as a seasonal bus from May to October on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays and also stops at Kreuzberg.
On weekdays in summer there is an on-demand bus on line 8300 (Kreuzbergbus) a connection to Bischofsheim, registration at 09772-8555.
Tourist Attractions
Kreuzberg Monastery
The origins of the monastery buildings on the summit were initially a chapel, a few huts and three stone crosses. These were made by Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn (wikipedia) built in 1582 and initially only operated on the pilgrimage days as a branch of the Dettelbach Monastery.
Today's two-storey Franciscan monastery complex was built between 1681 and 1692, in 1706 the prince's building, today's guest house, was added, and the brewery building followed in 1731. The structure of the monastery follows the poverty rule of the begging order and is therefore kept quite simple in its architecture. Only the masonry made of native black basalt stones is striking.
The monastery was formally abolished in 1803 during the secularization, but the monastery continued to operate. In 1826 King Ludwig I decreed after a visit Bad Bruckenau personally by decree the continuation of the branch. By the way, the king was a regular customer of the monastery. His visit, always in large company, is recorded eight times in the guest book. He even contributed a self-written poem in which he describes the cheerful mood.
Today only a few Franciscans live in the monastery, the business is maintained by around 50 secular employees.
- Pilgrimage Church "Exaltation of the Cross", Construction began in 1681, inauguration in 1692, the builder was the Würzburg Prince-Bishop Peter Philipp von Dernbach. The church is the successor to a chapel built by Julius Echter in 1598. The baroque interior was uniformly created around 1690 by regional artists. Sights inside the church are:
- The baroque one pulpit;
- High altar and Side altars,
- Sandstone altars on the north wall of the choir, still from Julius Echter's chapel from 1598.
- Brother Franz House:
- After renovation and reopening in December 2008, a small museum is located in the former monastery hotel tourist information center over the Rhön, as well as resting and meditation rooms.
- Part of the museum: Permanent exhibition “Francis of Assisi and God's Creation” in a modern concept.
- opening hours: daily 10.00 a.m. - 5.30 p.m. Admission to the exhibition is free
- The Pilgrimage zum Kreuzberg, the holy mountain of the Franks, was first passed down for the year 1647 by the Würzburg Cross Brotherhood, which still exists today. Start the Wurzburger Every year at the end of August there is a pilgrimage in Würzburg am Neumünster. The total length of the route is 180 kilometers. After their return, the pilgrims celebrate the onion church festival in Würzburg on Semmelstrasse. More pilgrims with a longer approach get by Ochsenfurt, Karlstadt, Arnstein or Thüngersheim, in total there are 70 to 80 foot pilgrimages per year.
- Information about Brotherhood of the Holy Cross in Würzburg (Pilgrims);
More Attractions
_-_Gipfelkreuz_-_2016.jpg/150px-Kreuzberg_(Rhön)_-_Gipfelkreuz_-_2016.jpg)
- The 208 m higher Transmission mast and the Transmitter system of the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation on the summit plateau. The mast dates from 1985 and weighs 140 tons. In winter icy conditions, the area around the guys (guy ropes) of the transmitter mast is closed due to the risk of icefall!
- Info: www.sender-kreuzberg.de.
- "High cross", the wooden summit cross: it is exposed to the elements and must therefore be replaced every few years. The current summit cross was erected on April 12th, 2014 near the broadcasting system of the Bavarian Radio with a crane and is 30 meters high, the side arms are made of steel. The previous cross stood from 1997 to 2012.
- Remnants of the Celtic refugee castle on the summit plateau. An oval made of basalt stones from the defense system is visible at the edge of the plateau (diameter approx. 250-300 m).
- Basalt Boulder Sea, a geotope on the eastern edge of the summit plateau;
- the Way of the Cross from the monastery to the summit plateau with the triple crucifixion group. The 13 stations of the cross as picture chapels made of sandstone slabs were built in 1710, the summit station with the three crosses and substructure dates from 1729.
- The uncovered one Summit view in all directions;
Osterburg
The ruin of the 1 Osterburg (714 m)) is a ruined castle on the summit of the mountain of the same name north of Kreuzberg, which was destroyed in the 15th century and "forgotten" until 1897.
The castle complex was uncovered after its rediscovery and the keep was rebuilt in a historicizing manner in the then modern zeitgeist, which did not correspond to today's monument protection concept of being true to the original. Due to static errors, partial collapses occurred in 1917 and 1920, in 1928 the remains of the tower were blown up for safety reasons, and the facility fell into disrepair again.
The current state with the partially restored stump of the keep and exposed and secured foundation walls was created after a renovation phase from 2005-2009.
Easiest approach (15 minutes) directly from the approach road from Bischofsheim from the hiking car park at the junction to the Arnsberg ski lifts;
Information about the ruin at "Friends of Osterburg e.V.": www.burgruine-osterburg.de
shop
At the back of the monastery there are several stalls for the usual tourist needs.
The beer fan receives the monastery beer at the bar in the decorative siphon bottle (2 l, 3 l, 5 l). The bottles are also refilled. If that's not enough, the beer can also be bought by the barrel (5 l: 11.80 €; 50 l: 95 €; barrel deposit).
activities
- Traditionally, the Advent market in the Kreuzberg monastery. The monastery then temporarily opens its doors (late autumn: the monastery is closed).
- Various concerts take place in the monastery church around Christmas.
In summer
- Night of poetry: Nocturnal literary readings atmospheric on the summit plateau under the starry sky, besides the only possibility to camp legally on the Kreuzberg.
- Regular event in August, current information at www.bischofsheim.info/poesie
- The Kreuzberg is the intersection of several long-distance hiking trails and the destination of several local hiking trails. The ascent is possible from all directions, directly from the south and from the north but sometimes very steep (Waldberger or Haselbacher Kniebreche).
1 Flow trail (Proximity Neustadt house). . Newly opened mountain bike course for athletes in spring 2013.
2 Climbing & adventure park (Proximity Neustadt house). Open: March - October, closed on Mondays.. Since spring 2013, the heights are still manageable and therefore also suitable for smaller children.
In the winter
The mountain offers the most extensive winter sports opportunities in the Rhön:
On the east side is the Kreuzberg ski area, the largest ski area in the Rhön with the Dreitannenlift (318 mH), Blicklift (110 mH) and Rothanglift (100 mH), as well as the Haselbach ski jumping facility (district of Bischofsheim) with three jumps on which the Summer operation is possible. The Arnsberg ski area is located directly on the access road from Bischofsheim to Kreuzberg.
There are groomed toboggan runs on the Klosterwiese and Gasthof Roth. Another very popular toboggan run is the access path to Neustädter Haus. A large number of cross-country trails run through the entire area of the mountain, and you can hike anywhere anyway, at the summit area near the monastery with many other visitors, or a little more lonely, on the west and south sides of the mountain.
More detailed information about winter sports on the Kreuzberg and in the Rhön in the own article Winter sports in the Rhön;
kitchen
1 Monastery restaurant, Franziskaner Klosterbetriebe GmbH, Kreuzberg 2; 97653 Bischofsheim / Rhön. Tel.: 49 (0)9772 9124 - 0. The Monastery brewery brews only for serving in the monastery and for direct sale. The Kreuzberg beer is probably the most important attraction in the monastery for many. It is brewed with a little more original wort and, of its kind, surely tastes best on the Kreuzberg itself.Open: daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., deposit returns until 9:00 p.m.
The kitchen offers hearty Franconian and Bavarian dishes. The traditional snack for Maß Kreuzberg beer is a portion of cheese. But there are also other cold and warm dishes. The portions are certainly more than sufficient, but the prices are still quite cheap.
On nice days (especially on weekends and public holidays and in summer and early autumn) the monastery restaurant is often overcrowded in the afternoon. Long queues form in front of the drinks and food counter, and seats are becoming scarce.
When the weather is nice, beer garden is open; Beer is not served on Sundays and public holidays during the main church services. The monastery is closed from the end of October until just before Christmas. Overnight in the monastery see the section accommodation.
1 Café "Zum Elisaeus" (directly behind the Kreuzberg monastery).
Beer garden in front of the monastery
Gemündener hut
accommodation
- 1 Kreuzberg Monastery (Restaurant, pension), Kreuzberg Monastery, 97653 Bischofsheim / Rhön. Tel.: 49 (0)9772 91240. Spend the night in the monastery in proper style: absolute bed rest from 10 p.m.!Price: room from € 14 to € 44 p.p.
- 2 Mountain inn Roth (room), Kreuzberg 10, 97653 Bischofsheim a. d. Rhön (on the approach road to the monastery). Tel.: 49 (0)9772 1245. Open: Closed on Thursdays.
Mountain huts
- 3 Gemündener hut (Restaurant, mountain inn, 650 m), Am Torgraben 12, 97653 Bischofsheim / Rhön (Mountain hut on the Kreuzberg). Tel.: 49 (0)9772 930965. Open: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.. Modernized and expanded since 2013. Overnight only as self-catering. Boarding directly from Bischofsheim on the Rhön, from Neustädter Haus or from Gasthof Roth on the access road to the monastery Kreuzberg;
- 4 Neustadt house (Mountain inn, 750 m, Rhönklub Zweigverein Bad Neustadt e.V.), Neustädter Haus 1, 97653 Bischofsheim a. d. Rhön (at the foot of the Kreuzberg). Tel.: 49 (0)9772 1220. Open: closed on Mondays.. There is a Climbing & adventure park and the Flow trail (Mountain bike course).
Direct access possible: junction from the connecting road Bischofsheim on the Rhön to Sandberg (parking lot near the high point of the route);
Practical advice
- Meeting and information center (Shop), Kreuzberg 1, 97653 Bischofsheim (in the Brother Franz house at the monastery entrance). Tel.: (0)9772 93 28 53.
literature
- The art monuments of Bavaria, third volume: Lower Franconia and Aschaffenburg; Volume XXII, District Office Neustadt A. Saale; Verlag R. Oldenbourg, Munich 1922; Reprint Munich 1983, ISBN 3-486-50476-2 ;
- The saga of the Franconian region and "The sagas of the Rhön Mountains and the Grabfeld", published by Ludwig Bechstein, Voigt and Nocker, Würzburg (1842), reprint in September 1979 by Rainer Hartmann, Sondheim v.d.Rhön --- in the antiquarian bookshop.
Web links
- At the Rhönklub branch association Bischofsheim-Kreuzberg: historical guide from 1879 "The Kreuzberg and its surroundings" as pdf;
- official tourism website of the Rhön: www.rhoen.de
- Rhön Biosphere Reserve: www.biosphaerenreservat-rhoen.de
- House of Bavarian History (www.hdbg.de): Monasteries in Bavaria; Kreuzberg Monastery;
- Extra tour Kreuzberg tour
- Information about Kreuzberg from the Rhön tourism card: Kreuzberg (Rhoen)
