Hatzenbühl – Tobacco History on the Edge of the Bienwald

Hatzenbühl lies on the northern edge of the Bienwald. The town combines traces of its history with a themed trail about tobacco cultivation. For planning your visit, it is worth considering different perspectives: the Tobacco Trail explores local tobacco culture on foot, while the “Around the Bienwald” cycling route puts the Bienwald at its centre.

Tobacco Culture and the Tobacco Trail

The Tobacco Trail is open to the public and starts in Hatzenbühl’s parish garden. Over a distance of around two kilometres, it presents the entire tobacco-growing season; information boards explain the work involved in cultivating tobacco plants. Parking for the trail is available opposite the town hall.

The historical connection is specific: in 1573, the priest Anselm Anselmann planted tobacco in the parish garden. Hatzenbühl is considered Germany’s oldest tobacco-growing community; around 300 tobacco-drying sheds still stand in the town. These details link a specific year with a trace of tobacco culture that remains visible today.

The historic tobacco culture is also represented by a Tobacco Queen, who is elected for two years. The role and election cycle may change over time.

Local History and St. Wendelinus Church

Roman graves and the remains of a villa rustica point to settlement in the area of present-day Hatzenbühl around 2,000 years ago; the town was first documented in 1272. Archaeological evidence and written records thus mark different historical reference points. Well-preserved half-timbered houses stand in the town centre.

St. Wendelinus Church was rebuilt in 1929–1930 under Pastor Josef Ohmer. The tower and chancel date from the 13th century; the church also houses a copy of the Madonna of Speyer. The dates reflect different phases in the building’s history: medieval elements stand alongside the 20th-century reconstruction.

Hiking and Cycling in the Bienwald

Hatzenbühl is one of the municipalities covered by the Bienwald visitor management plan; the project’s scope and implementation may change. The project aims to signpost or mark around 210 kilometres of hiking trails and 150 kilometres of cycling routes. These distances are project targets, not an inventory of existing routes.

The “Around the Bienwald” route follows marked cycle paths and quiet roads around the Bienwald. From Jockgrim station, cyclists can follow the signs to Hatzenbühl and join the route at the edge of town. The Tobacco Trail and the cycling route thus offer two different focuses: the history of tobacco cultivation and cycling around the Bienwald.

Germersheim as a Wider Travel Destination

If you consider Germersheim as a wider travel destination, you will find other regional highlights there. Near Bellheim, the Queich Mills Circular Hiking Trail connects four of the six mills that have survived and brings the old milling craft to life. In Germersheim, the fortress is considered the largest Bavarian fortress outside Bavaria; numerous significant preserved buildings enclose the entire town centre. The Queich meadows form an approximately 350-hectare, still-operational meadow irrigation system extending through Landau, Offenbach, Hochstadt, Ottersheim, Knittelsheim, Bellheim and Zeiskam to Germersheim.

Discover more destinations: Lingenfeld, Steinweiler, Minfeld, Jockgrim, Kandel, Winden, Neupotz, Rülzheim

To the wider travel overview: Germersheim.