The Staffelberg

Bird’s eye view of the Staffelberg from the west side.
Here you can see the terraces (with their step-like form that gave the Staffelberg its name) and the considerable difference in elevation to the surrounding landscape of the “Obermaintal” (Upper-Main Valley) (280 meters/920 feet).

The Staffelberg is one of the most popular sites for a day trip in this region. Even though it is only 539 meters (1768 feet) above sea level, its elevated plateau makes it a special place to visit. It is situated about two kilometers (1.2 miles) south-east of the town of Bad Staffelstein. The villages of Romansthal, Loffeld, Uetzing and Horsdorf are situated at the foot of the Staffelberg.
There are many ways to get to the top of the Staffelberg; we recommend the educational path with lots of signs containing information along the way. It starts in Bad Staffelstein at the cemetery. The shortest way up to the Staffelberg starts at the parking place in Romansthal. There is also a long hiking trail that starts in Vierzehnheiligen. As you walk through the fields, you get a good view of the Staffelberg and Vierzehnheiligen.
The history of the Staffelberg is also very interesting: Because of its superb location people first settled there in the early stone-age, as we know from tools made of flint stone that were discovered by archeologists.
The archeologists also determined that in the following millennium settlements were founded on the Staffelberg over and over again. The first wall made of wood and earth was built between 550 and 480 B.C.. In the following century a fortress was built, probably by the Celts and it burned down approximately 30 B.C..
The Celts, who had increased their settlements in the area, built a city on the Staffelberg during the 2nd century B.C.. Archeological excavations led to the assumption that it was the city Menosgada that was mentioned by the Greek geographer Claudius Ptolemäus. It covered an area of 49 ha (121 acres) and was enclosed by a wall that was 2.8km (1.7 miles) long. For unknown reasons the city came to an end about 30 B.C..
It was only in the 4th century A.D. that Germanic peoples again built a fortress on the Staffelberg with a stone wall. This fortress lasted about a century.
In the middle ages the Adelgundis church was built to honor St. Adelgunde. It was destroyed during the peasant revolts in 1525 and consecrated again in 1658.
Nowadays, the Staffelberg is mostly known as a destination for day trips. At its peak you have a stunning view of the surrounding villages, the landscape and the monastery “Kloster Banz”. It’s also the place where Victor von Scheffel wrote his famous “Frankenlied”, the unofficial hymn of the Franconian people. In this song he describes the view from the Staffelberg of the surrounding area.
You can also explore the “Querkeleshöhle” (the dwarfs’ cave). The legend says dwarfs once lived there and often helped the villagers with their chores. Every now and then the dwarfs would steal a potato dumpling and the women of the village would let them get away with it. Everybody was happy until one day a woman counted her dumplings and the dwarfs were so insulted that they moved away, forever.
For those who are interested in such activities there are also opportunities for paragliding and climbing on the Staffelberg.

Bildbeschreibung

Up until today it is still a custom to visit the depiction of the resurrection in the Adelgundis chapel at Easter time.

The “Staffelbergklause” serves food and drinks, has tables inside and outside and a slide for children. In the summer months it is open from 10 am to 10 pm every day of the week except Tuesday. In the winter months the “Staffelbergklause” opens depending on the weather and the amount of visitors that can be expected.
We can especially recommend the home made cheese cake and other specialties of the area and of course the good German beer, for example the “Staffelberg Bräu”.

sources:
http://www.franken-infos.de/Sehenswuerdigkeiten/Landschaft-Natur/staffelberg.html http://www.uni-duesseldorf.de/WWW/MathNat/Geologie/staffel/index.htm
Bauer, Emil/Günther Gisela. Der Landkreis Lichtenfels. Gottesgarten am Obermain. Verlag Fränkischer Tag
Dippold, Günther/ Bäumel, Peter. Der Landkreis Lichtenfels. Kulmbach. Fränkischer Tag Buchverlag. 2009
Dippold, Günther (Hrsg.). Der Staffelberg Band 1 und 2. 1992/1994
pictures: http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Staffelberg_Franken.jpg&filetimestamp=20090317224909 und http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Staffelberg_Adelgundiskapelle.jpg&filetimestamp=20090809140430
text written by Christina Werner, P-Seminar 10/12 “Werbung für Bad Staffelstein” am MGL
translated by Melissa Abbott, P-Seminar 10/12 “Werbung für Bad Staffelstein” am MGL