Discover Pegnitz: Town Hall, Churches and Schloßberg

If you are planning a stay in Pegnitz, you will encounter local history and karst landscapes at specific, named sites. The Historic Town Hall stands in the middle of the town’s long, linear market square; churches, viewpoints and walking routes complete the picture.

Town Hall, Mill and Churches

The Historic Town Hall of Pegnitz was built around 1347 and stands in the middle of the town’s long, linear market square. The Zaußen Mill was built around 1450 by Hans Zauß. After decades in ruins, Hans Dennerlein rebuilt it in 1710. The Pegnitz rises from a typical karst spring behind the former mill. The town’s history therefore encompasses both prominent buildings and the river’s source.

The churches, too, tell of different phases of construction. St. Bartholomew’s Church is the third church building on this site; the present church was consecrated in 1900. St. Mary’s Church was built in 1927 for a diaspora congregation that had grown to around 600 Catholics. Around 1939, it acquired its present appearance with the Baroque furnishings from Dornbach Church. The dates make the sequence of construction and furnishing phases easy to follow.

Schloßberg, Views and Karst

At 544 metres, Schloßberg is a landmark of the town of Pegnitz. Its tower can be reached via 97 steps and offers panoramic views over Pegnitz and the surrounding area. Kleiner Kulm is 626 metres high and is one of the highest elevations in Franconian Switzerland. From there, the view extends across the Franconian Forest, the Fichtel Mountains and Franconian Switzerland. The two elevation figures give you a direct comparison between Schloßberg and Kleiner Kulm; the areas visible from Kleiner Kulm are also named.

Another landscape feature can be seen at the “Karstwunder” (Karst Wonder) on Wasserberg in Pegnitz: on the northern slope, the Mühlbach loses some of its water into limestone fissures and a ponor cave. Together with the typical karst spring behind the former Zaußen Mill, this phenomenon illustrates a distinctive feature of the local landscape.

Routes and Practical Information

The town walk in Pegnitz starts and ends at the Old Town Hall at Hauptstraße 45. The route is listed as approximately 3.5 or 5.7 kilometres long. The Leo-Jobst-Weg starts and ends at the Pegnitz spring behind the Zaußen Mill, at Bayreuther Straße 3 / Forchheim. The different starting and finishing points help you distinguish between the two routes.

The WaldTIERlehrpfad (Forest Wildlife Educational Trail) starts in the Schloßberg area and is not suitable for pushchairs. This is important to bear in mind when planning your route. Since June 2021, Pegnitz has been connected to the regional Schlösserlinie leisure bus route between Bayreuth, Pegnitz, Pottenstein, Gößweinstein, Waischenfeld, Hollfeld and Kulmbach. If you are considering using the bus for your journey, check the current timetable.

Cultural Venues and Events

Altenstädter Castle has been extensively renovated and converted, and is used for municipal concerts and events. The Pegnitzer Summer Concerts are also part of the town’s events programme. If a concert is a deciding factor in your stay, check the latest event dates before booking.

A rock monument was erected in 1973 at the crash site on Fischelhöhe in Pegnitz. A plaque records the names of all the soldiers who died in the crash. The monument complements the architectural and landscape themes with a memorial site bearing a specific historical date.

The Wider Region

In the wider Bayreuth travel region, Franconian Switzerland shapes the western and southern parts of Bayreuth district with its varied, gentle landscapes. In the north, the Fichtel Mountains shape the landscape with dark forests and granite boulder fields. These regional references help place the different landscapes within the Bayreuth travel region.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Trockau, Bad Berneck in the Fichtel Mountains, Bindlach, Gefrees, Hollfeld, Weidenberg, Pottenstein, Bayreuth.

Back to the main travel overview: Bayreuth.