Frankenjura, the german way

22/07/2010 |

Author sunkid

Mention the word “Frankenjura” and your opposite stares at you glimply and says…oh! you mean the climbing area in the woods? Yes, hmmm ….. right! Many of the crags are all found hidden in the woods, which is why it’s rumoured to be Robin Hood’s hideout. Frankenjura is blessed with a huge bunch of crags spreaded all over. The majority of them are formed into 12-15m overhanging crags with thousands of finger pockets, dents and scarce bolts. Of course, not all crags are this way… but thats the impression you’re going to take along with you after you leave Frankenjura.

Almost 8000 routes can be found bolted in 1000 crags in this area. There are all sorts of grades ranging from a beginners UIAA 3 to the hardest climb in Frankenjura with an 11+ called “Corrona”. People from all over the world pilgers here to climb Sautanz, Magnet, Stonelove, Wallstreet, Action Directe, a bunch of classical collectables for your trophy diaries so that you can top up with the climbing heroes like the legendary Wolfgang Gullich, Kurt Albert or Markus Bock. Be prepared with a good portion of finger strength and endurance. And yes, just so as not to completely disillusion you, there are crags with routes even up till 38m high! ) You’ll probably meet people from all over the world especially in summer be it a Japanese, Australian, or neighbours from Czech and Poland. Since you will always find an ideal spot to climb summer or winter, it makes it a popular holiday destination for many. Then again, when it gets too crowded, there’re still 999 other crags to alternate if your choice wasn’t right. And if that still doesn’t work out, you could take time off to grab a beer at one of the private breweries or go for coffee and cake in Muggendorf.

The crags are scattered all over the area, so having a car brings you to a lot more places than just one area. It’s very common to make a quick change of the crag, in terms of shady vs. sunny, easy vs hard routes, long vs short routes and lonely vs crowded crags. Even a bicycle would get you around, but that would limit your choices to just the crags in the Area starting from where you are located at. The density of crags are it’s peak around Pottenstein, Gösweinstein, Tuchersfeld, Waischenfeld.

As I mentioned earlier the typical character of Frankenjura is a crag full of pockets, dents and holes. Popular crags with typical rocks are Weisser Wand, Roter Fels, Soranger Wand, Marienthaler, Bandstein, Zwergschlosswände, Bärenschlucht, Aalkörberwände, Ringlerwand, Wolkensteinerwand, Krottenseerturm. “Schaumschläger” is a 38m must do even though it is just a UIAA 7-. Thank goodness that a bolt was added recently at the crux as if thats your limit, you’ll be flying some 10m way down, like I did years back. But that’s history For those of you looking for crimps and ledges, there’s Rolandfels or Student and a few others to choose from.

On rest days, go canoeing, explore the forests and caves of the area, summer-bob-sleigh riding or just having a picnic alongside the river. If you are looking for the city, Bamberg is famous for it’s private traditional breweries with 50 differant kinds of beer to try from. There’s a “BeerSchmecker-Stadt Bamberg” package which you can take to taste all these or go on your own to the differant beer cellars. Bamberg is a world heritage with it’s medivial style lanes and houses, and for all baroque enthusiasts very worth while a visit.

If you’re not shying from meats, you’re definately in the correct landmark. Schäufele, Schnitzel, Pressack, saure Zipfel, or Zieberlaskäs ….these are a few favourite dishes to get when you’re in Frankenjura. A plate of schnitzel and salad costs 5,90 EUR. You can’t beat those prices in other parts of germany. Personally, I found that the Krüg-Bräu in Breitenlesau has a good choice of food, great Cellar beer. Even barrels are available. No Meats? Forelle and Carps (seasonal!) are good bets too. My favourite place is the Goldener Hirsch, in Hirschbach. Here’s a map link leading to all private breweries and places to eat in Frankenjura.

Beer Breweries in Frankenjura click to see it big

If you prefer to stay back in the camp ground and BBQ your own meats, there are many local supermarkets and butchers in the town area to get the meat of your heart’s desire. A useful page with information on all sorts of BBQ Grills, and BBQ Information can be found here. Most of the camp grounds are located next to the river to cool off if you’re heating up.

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