Bubenreuth Between Violin Making and History

When looking for hotels in Bubenreuth, you can choose where to stay based on specific themes: the history of violin and string instrument making, monuments, technical sculptures, and churches. The Hochwasserweg adds a seasonal route to these cultural points of interest. There are also other destinations in the wider Erlangen-Höchstadt travel region; these are regional additions and should not be confused with Bubenreuth’s own features.

The History of Violin Making in Bubenreuth

After the Second World War, more than 2,000 musical instrument makers from the Saxon-Bohemian musical region found a new home in Bubenreuth. The town subsequently developed into a European center for string instrument making. This history connects Bubenreuth with a significant migration and with the establishment of instrument making in the town.

The violin makers’ monument was officially unveiled on July 6, 1969. The occasion was the 650th anniversary of Schönbach’s elevation to town status. Schönbach is now Luby in the CSR. Many of the violin makers displaced after the Second World War came from Schönbach. The monument thus commemorates a specific historical connection: it links the memory of Schönbach with the story of the violin makers who found a new home in Bubenreuth after the war.

In the wider Erlangen-Höchstadt travel region, the Bubenreutheum in Bubenreuth’s town hall features an 80-square-meter permanent exhibition on music and integration. These two themes are closely connected to the town’s postwar history. The Bubenreutheum adds its own exhibition perspective to the history of string instrument making, while remaining distinct from the region’s other local attractions.

Sculptures and Churches as Other Local Highlights

Two sculptures with different depictions stand on Geigerstraße: the standing figure shows a professor developing the Geiger counter; the seated figure holds a modern-day Geiger counter. The townscape thus features a second subject from the history of technology alongside the history of musical instrument making. The two figures can also be described independently: one focuses on the development of the device, the other on the Geiger counter itself.

Bubenreuth’s three churches are the Protestant Lukaskirche, the old Catholic St. Josefkirche, and the new Catholic parish church of Maria Heimsuchung. Their names and designations clearly distinguish the local selection: one Protestant church and one old and one new Catholic church. Those interested in local history will find another point of interest here, alongside music and technology.

Keep the Season in Mind on the Hochwasserweg

Bubenreuth’s Hochwasserweg is described as particularly beautiful in early summer. There is a practical note for another season: take care when it is icy in winter. This seasonal distinction helps with planning without assuming a walking time or route length that is not provided here. If you are considering including the trail in your trip, keep the stated winter conditions in mind.

Other Destinations in the Wider Erlangen-Höchstadt Travel Region

The wider Erlangen-Höchstadt travel region has an extensive network of cycling and hiking trails, allowing visitors to explore the landscape from the Aischgrund to the Erlanger Oberland. One specific example is the three-kilometer circular trail through the Kalchreuth cherry orchards. Information boards cover cherries, the surrounding landscape, and Kalchreuth; interactive stations focus on nature. This trail therefore combines a specified length with themes of nature and landscape.

The trails near Höchstadt in the wider Erlangen-Höchstadt travel region also differ in length, layout, and landscape. The Eisvogelweg is a marked, level circular trail of about 2.6 kilometers through the Franconian pond region. The Orchideenweg is about 2.2 kilometers long and follows a road and footpath through a cultural landscape of reed-fringed ponds, wet meadows, numerous waterbirds, and orchids such as the marsh helleborine. Comparing these details highlights the different trail layouts and natural features without combining the two trails into a single route.

The wider Erlangen-Höchstadt travel region is also home to the “Vogelfreistätte Weihergebiet bei Mohrhof” nature reserve. It is an Important Bird Area and one of the early Natura 2000 FFH and bird protection sites; its listed habitats include wetlands and orchid-rich marsh meadows with rare bird species. Another regional example is the Bösenbechhofener Weiher, north of the Höchstadt district of Bösenbechhofen. They form a chain of ponds in the Gretelmark forest, fed by rainwater. On December 15, 2012, 23.06 hectares, including surrounding habitats, were designated a nature reserve. These protected areas complement Bubenreuth’s local history with distinct natural features from the wider Erlangen-Höchstadt travel region.

Discover more destinations: Marloffstein, Wachenroth, Röttenbach, Hemhofen, Kalchreuth, Adelsdorf, Baiersdorf, Höchstadt An Der Aisch.

View the regional travel guide: Erlangen-Höchstadt.