Seßlach

Location

20 kilometres from Bad Staffelstein you find the picturesque little town of Seßlach with its 4000 inhabitants. It is located near the border between the two federal states of Bavaria and Thuringia and belongs to the administrative district of Coburg. Inside the town walls you would think that the hands of time have not moved on since the Middle- Ages.

Medieval townscape

The old part of Seßlach is characterized by an almost completely preserved town centre with town-walls and three gates where traffic is banned from Saturday afternoon until Sunday evening. So you can take a leisurely stroll through the narrow streets and admire the many well-preserved historical half-timbered houses. Besides, you can watch craftsmen such as blacksmiths, shoemakers or wood carvers while they are working like they used to “in the olden times”. Visiting the municipal brewery, whose tradition has been preserved for more than 650 years, is as worthwhile as climbing up the gate towers, which offer a magnificent view. Due to these historical sites Seßlach is affectionately called the “Rothenburg of Upper Franconia”.

History

Seßlach was first mentioned in a document in the year 800, but it was not until 1335 that the village was given the town charter. Soon afterwards a market square with a church and court was built. The following centuries witnessed the Peasant Wars, pillages and, during the Napoleonic Wars, heavy taxation. Nearly 500 years after being given the town charter, Seßlach was put under the control of the Grand Duchy of Würzburg and finally became part of the administrative district of Staffelstein.
After World War II had come to an end, Seßlach found itself in the immediate vicinity of the Russian-occupied zone of Germany and had to deal with a wave of immigrants that had either been expelled from eastern regions of the German Empire or had fled the Russian-occupied zone. When – as the result of an administrative reform - the district of Staffelstein ceased to exist, Seßlach was added to the district of Coburg. In the year 2000 the town finally celebrated its 1200 anniversary.

Walkways and bike trails around Seßlach

For many visitors to Bad Staffelstein, Seßlach is a popular destination for a little day-trip - no matter whether they want to go by car, by bike or on foot. There is, for example, the “Main-Coburg Fahrradtour” (Main-Coburg bike-trail) which, on its 157 kilometre course, invites you to stop not only at the lovely towns of Lichtenfels, Kronach, Bad Rodach, Coburg and Zapfendorf but also at Seßlach.

Insider advice

Another interesting tour is the so-called “Pilgerweg” (Pilgrims’ Trail), which caters to hiking fans and leads them from Seßlach to several other attractive stops like the tiny village of Altenbanz, the famous former monastery of Banz itself and then directly on to the beautiful “Basilika Vierzehnheiligen” (Basilica of the Fourteen Saints).
Really spectacular on this tour are the impressive wooden sculptures which can be found along the whole course of the trail. They have been created by artists from all over Europe and invite people to take their time and study them for a while.

Coat of arms of the restaurant “Roter Ochse“

In this picture you can see the “Rothenburger Tor” (Rothenburg Gate) (built in 1543) with its old arched bridge made of stone, which is adorned by the statue of Saint Nepomuk. In the background the spire of the parish church is overlooking the rooftops.

This picture shows the refurbished half-timbered building of the town’s mill. On its right you can see the former stables. The mill is still in working order, each year several hundredweights of grain are being ground here. On inquiry the mill can be visited.

Sources:
http://www.stadt-sesslach.de/index.htm (Text + pictures, use permitted by Herbert Pachsteffl)
http://www.komnetco.de/site/sesslach/de/aktuelles/main.htm (Text)
http://home.meinestadt.de/sesslach (Text)
http://www.bad-staffelstein.de (Text)
http://de.wikipedia.org (Text)
http://www.gasthof-reinwand.de/brauhaus.htm (Text)

text written and translated by Fiona Peter, P-Seminar10/12 “Werbung für Bad Staffelstein” am MGL