9.4 Birkenau - Ziegelhausen

This stage begins in Birkenau. The town is fairly easy to reach by regional train via Weinheim. There are several supermarkets and bakeries in town, as well as a gas station. From the train station, follow Bahnhofstraße westward to reach the E1 trail. Cross a bridge over the Kallstädter Bach to reach Leuschnerstraße. This is also where the long climb into the forest begins.

The E1 trail runs partly along relatively wide forest roads and partly along narrower paths. After a while, the forest thins out on the left, northern side. The view stretches far into the Rhine Valley – a beautiful sight. At the end of the clearing, after a short but steep climb, a very comfortable bench awaits hikers and invites them to linger. From the bench, you can see the nearby village of Buchklingen, which lies in the valley next to the E1. There you’ll find the Grüner Baum restaurant, which is always busy on sunny days. It can be reached directly from the E1.

The E1 continues above Buchklingen and gradually approaches the small village. A short descent leads down into the village. There, you cross a county road and shortly thereafter turn back into the forest. Via the Steinkopf, you reach a crossroads; from here, the trail leads down past cow pastures to Gorxheimertal, another small hamlet. Passing through the village, you now follow Oberflockenbacher Straße out of town. This section isn’t very pleasant, as there is no sidewalk and hikers must share the road with cars. However, after a short while, it is possible to leave the road to the right and walk across the meadow parallel to the road.

At the Gorxheimertal municipal yard, the E1 leaves this heavily paved section and heads back into the woods. A steep climb follows, leading up to a horse farm. Here, you can enjoy the view, and the scent of the stable and horses fills the air.

After the horse farm, the E1 takes a sharp right toward Steinklingen. There are several benches along the way where you can take a break.

In Steinklingen, the E1 follows the road and passes the restaurant Zur Suppenschüssel. They serve delicious cooked cheese with melted onions here. 

Just past the soup bowl, the road climbs steeply uphill. Passing the Georg Sauer Pavilion, the E1 trail now winds through the woods and along dirt paths for quite some time. A twisted tree lies by the side of the path. Here we also frequently come across the Camino Incluso trail marker – a yellow pilgrim’s bag.

You can reach Wilhelmsfeld via the Kohlhof inn, which offers a place to stop for a bite to eat. From there, the path descends, passing a snack bar and a restaurant. The local gas station is another place to grab a bite to eat.

The E1 trail leaves Wilhelmsfeld right at Schrießheimer Hof, across from the gas station, and leads up the hill through a parking lot to the Teltschik Tower. A climb of 192 steps takes you to the top of the tower, which stands over 40 meters tall. On windy days, you can clearly feel the tower swaying while enjoying a beautiful view of the surrounding landscape.

From here, you can also see the Weiße Stein and the Königstuhl. The E1 trail continues on to Ziegelhausen and across the Neckar Bridge, passing by the Schlierbach/Ziegelhausen train station. There are excellent S-Bahn connections to Heidelberg and Mannheim.

Last text update: 27.10.2021

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