Discover Schauenstein

There are several ways to get to know Schauenstein: collections in the castle, the history surrounding the market square and church, and the Aubachgrund Trail, with stops on the return route through the town. When planning your trip, you can choose according to your interests: traditional crafts and fire service history, historic buildings, or a route that brings together the park and local history.

Museums in the Castle: Traditional Crafts and Fire Service History

Schauenstein Castle is home to two museums offering different perspectives on regional history. The Municipal Local History Museum features typical workshops from earlier times: a bakery, shoemaker’s workshop, home weaving workshop, carpentry workshop, tailor’s shop and barber’s shop. Rooms depicting how people used to live add to the presentation of domestic life. There is also an extensive collection of regional minerals and rocks.

The Upper Franconian Fire Brigade Museum is devoted to the technological development of firefighting and preserves the historic traditions of the Hof district. Among its exhibits, displayed across around 600 square metres of exhibition space, is a hand-operated fire engine dating from 1855. In contrast to the Local History Museum, the focus here is on firefighting technology; the other museum highlights traditional crafts, domestic life and its collection of regional rocks and minerals. Check the seasonal opening hours of both castle museums before visiting.

Market Square, Church and Local History

The castle, church and market square form an ensemble in Schauenstein. The houses on the market square were rebuilt after the great fire of 1865, which destroyed 95 houses as well as 93 barns and outbuildings. The baptismal font in St. Bartholomew’s Church was installed in 1754. The market square and church therefore bring together different historical reference points: the rebuilding after the fire and a precisely dated furnishing.

The Aubachgrund Trail and the Wachende Jungfrau

On its return to Schauenstein, the Aubachgrund Trail OS 21 crosses the protected Lehsten Bridge. The return route through town passes the park with the Wachende Jungfrau, the market square and the castle. This sequence can be read as a transition from the protected bridge back to places of interest in town: the park, market square and castle are all part of the described return route.

The Wachende Jungfrau is a rock formation facing the Selbitz and part of a small municipal park in Schauenstein. This natural feature complements the built landmarks around the market square and castle. If you include the Aubachgrund Trail in your travel plans, you can use the sequence described here and its different themes as a guide without assuming a particular walking time.

Weberhaus Museum in Neudorf

In the Schauenstein district of Neudorf, the Weberhaus Museum preserves a typical small farmer’s and craftsman’s house from the eastern Franconian Forest. Most of the house is furnished as it was during the lifetime of Karl Wolfrum (1879–1964). Unlike the collections in the castle, the focus here is on a specific house and its furnishings; its regional connection to the eastern Franconian Forest is just as important as its context in Karl Wolfrum’s lifetime.

The Weberhaus Museum lists regular seasonal opening days. Check these before visiting so that your plans take the stated visiting days into account.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Schwarzenbach Am Wald, Gattendorf, Selbitz, Lichtenberg, Münchberg, Stammbach, Bad Steben, Sparneck

Back to the main travel overview: Hof.