Hiking and recharging your batteries in Bad Steben
Stylish relaxation in the hiking paradise of Bad Steben
Hiking hub Bad Steben
In the north of Bavaria between the Fichtelgebirge and the Thuringian forest is the nature park of Frankenwald, which has over 3,500 marked hiking trails. The contemplative spa gem Bad Steben invites hiking enthusiasts to a health-orientated holiday of a special kind. Barely six kilometres away from this Bavarian state spa lies a hiking hub that is unique for German conditions. It was created by the towns of Blankenstein in Thuringia and Untereichenstein in Bavaria, which are connected by the rivers Selbitz and Saale. Four of Germany's most beautiful and significant hiking trails start from here and lure willing hikers into lush, romantic regions. The mergence of the Franconian mountain route, the Rennsteig, Frankenweg and Kammweg trails make this region a true paradise for hikers.
Endless relaxation at the centre of domestic German history
In the Franconian forest, the "Green Belt" became a living memorial of contemporary German history. Nature has connected what once separated the borders between former East and West Germany. Barbed wire fences and fortifications on the German-German border ran near the Bavarian health resort and state bath Bad Steben. Nature has recaptured the death strip and given it life as a retreat for endangered animal and plant species. The historic borderland around Bad Steben is a peaceful natural landscape today - an exemplary region where nature conservation and tourism form a symbiosis. Here, nature blends in inimitably with the wellness offer of the Bavarian state bath.
The former border strip, unused and only sporadically cleared of scrub, developed into a retreat for rare animal and plant species, known as the Green Belt, which is now a German national natural heritage site.
Walking, morning gymnastics or just enjoying the tranquillity - the spa park is pure relaxation for everyone.
The Klenze building in the spa gardens - built in 1837 as a bathhouse to designs by Leo von Klenze.
