Way of St. James – Murrhardt to Winnenden stage

From Murrhardt

Experience the pilgrimage on shady forest paths and steep climbs to the heights of the Swabian Forest! Starting point: Murrhardt, DB train station The second stage of the pilgrimage from Murrhardt to Winnenden begins on shady forest paths, initially with a steep climb from the Murr Valley back to the heights of the Swabian Forest. The hiking lodge in the Sulzbach district of Eschelhof, located in a forest clearing, is a great place to take your first break, complete with barbecue and playground. From here, the Way of St. James continues to Oppenweiler, past the octagonal moated castle of von Sturmfeder (now the town hall), through the adjoining park to St. James' Church, a pilgrimage station. Via Aichelbach, the route leads through the Backnanger Plattenwald forest via Steinbach and Unterweissach to Allmersbach im Tal. From here, the Way of St. James leads out of the "Backnanger Bucht" bay and steeply uphill again, back to the heights of the Swabian Forest and the Buocher Höhe. From Bürg in particular, there is an excellent view of the Stuttgart basin and beyond. Here begins the descent through the vineyards down to Winnenden with its pilgrim landmark, the famous St. James altar in the castle church of Winnental Castle. The altar has been a European cultural heritage site since 1981 and reminds us that Winnenden was already an important stop on the Way of St. James in the Middle Ages.

Length: 29.9 km
Walking time: approx. 8:45 h
Ascent: 522 m
Descent: 520 m

Walking time as stated by the operator.

Elevation profile

300 m 400 m 500 m

6.8 km 15 km 24 km 0 km 30 km

Elevation profile calculated by Fairvisit from satellite elevation data. Ascent and descent usually differ by up to about 10 %, more on steep terrain.

Start

Coordinates 48.97953, 9.57859

Murrhardt

Nearby

Along the way

Finish

Coordinates 48.87508, 9.39859

Nearby

Way of St. James – Murrhardt to Winnenden stage — Image rights: CC BY-SA 4.0