From Nuremberg to Amberg – wonderful bike tour to the historic center of the Upper Palatinate

Our bike tour leads from Nuremberg via Lauf, Hersbruck and Sulzbach-Rosenberg to Amberg. This is the 4th stage of the Five Rivers Cycle Route. The cycle path follows the traces of the medieval ‘Golden Road’, one of the most important European trade routes of the time. It connected Prague with western Germany.

We initially ride along the river Pegnitz until we come to our first stop in Lauf on the Pegnitz. Worth seeing here are the pretty market square with its many half-timbered houses and the imperial castle, the so-called Wenceslaus Castle.

We continue along the river Pegnitz to Hersbruck. Here too, we are impressed by the charming old town with the town hall, the town church and the castle. We then cycle through Hersbruck Switzerland, a wooded and sparsely populated area, further into the Upper Palatinate. Iron ore used to be mined here and – thanks to the rivers – transported all over the world. This gave rise to the historical wealth of the region, which is considered the “Ruhr area of the Middle Ages”.

We cross the main European watershed, which means a strenuous climb for us. Then we come to Sulzbach-Rosenberg, which is perched on a mighty rock. Here, too, another mountain stage awaits us. In the center of the city we see the parish church of St. Mary’s, the impressive castle and the magnificent Gothic town hall. It bears witness to the city’s former wealth from iron smelting.
Finally we reach Amberg, the destination of our bike tour, and recover from the strenuous tour, which is over 70 km long.

The next day we go on a sightseeing tour. Amberg was the capital of the Upper Palatinate in the Middle Ages and became very wealthy as the center of iron ore mining in the region. The almost 3 km long city wall is one of the best preserved city walls in Europe. The historic center of Amberg is considered one of the most original medieval old towns in Bavaria. On the market square, between the St. Martin’s Basilica and the old Gothic town hall, you feel like you are back in time. The river Vils, which flows through Amberg, looks like it did back in the Middle Ages with its many bridges and the beautiful old houses mirrored in the water.

The city’s landmark is the so-called “city glasses”. This is a two-arched water gate over the river Vils, which looks like a pair of glasses with its mirroring in the water. Next to it is the electoral palace, the former seat of the Count Palatine, which is now used as the district office.
We watch as a barque, a “Plätte”, passes through the city glasses. These barques are wooden flat river boats that were used for centuries to transport iron ore and salt by water. Today they are a tourist attraction who can take a romantic boat trip through the picturesque town and the green nature of the surrounding area.

We drift further through the city and find an air museum. It shows exhibits that technically work or are operated with air, as well as art objects that deal with the topic of air.
A curious story is associated with the “Eh’häusl”, today the smallest hotel in the world for just 2 people. In Amberg, only couples who owned a home without debt were previously allowed to get married. Therefore, this house was bought by the bride and groom before the wedding and resold after the wedding.
The whale house is also very interesting. Its gable shows a group of figures with a biblical story: Jonah is swallowed by the whale and then spat out again.
And finally we find a pig fountain at the livestock market, which we particularly like.

We spent the night in prison in Amberg! The next morning they fortunately released us. The prison hotel “Fronfeste” offers a very special overnight experience. A hotel video is still coming!

You can find the Komoot link to the bike tour here: https://www.komoot.de/tour/1421196979

If you enjoyed it, please like and subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss anything.

You can find the complete channel playlist for our activities in the Nuremberg area here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlJEw93joUmoeQbw-lt5cD9PviUcA4Rg8&si=jgKLChELymqYoVQu

Bike tour in September 2023

Chapter
00:00 Intro
00:58 Lauf on the Pegnitz
04:04 Hersbruck
05:13 Through Hersbruck Switzerland and the Upper Palatinate
07:00 Sulzbach-Rosenberg
09:00 Amberg entrance
09:55 City walls
10:54 Market Square
11:44 On the river Vils
12:44 City glasses
15:28 City views
17:40 Outro

Track: Seven
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrRaaoNImAk&t=0s | Creative Commons – Attribution ND 4.0

Song: Oasis
Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV3xdrbjRB4&t=0s | Creative Commons – Attribution ND 4.0