A Pilgrimage: Moosbronn and Michelbach

Moosbronn - this is almost the total length of the village

Here is another, very off the beaten path for tourists, suggestion for a combined hiking and sightseeing trip in the Northern Black Forest. Moosbronn and Michelbach are both parts of the municipality of Gaggenau, but separated from the main town. Both have preserved their village character. While Moosbronn is, first of all, a place of pilgrimage, Michelbach qualifies, to me, as one of the most beautiful villages in the wider surroundings of Karlsruhe.

The alternative to hiking is the KVV bus 253 that connects both villages with the station in Gaggenau and thus the Murg valley S-Bahn S 8 and S 81. The bus departs in the square opposite the station (Gaggenau Bahnhof). Buses run hourly until very late in the evening, they depart in Gaggenau on the full hour. The ride to Michelbach takes 6 minutes, to Moosbronn via Freiolsheim 20 minutes. The road to Moosbronn leads over the mountain ridge and is rather scenic, even with some views over to the Rhine plain. If you don't want to hike all the way to Moosbronn, or hike only one way, the bus is a convenient alternative. KVV tariff applies. If you arrived by S-Bahn, your ticket is also valid on the bus. Moosbronn also has regular bus connections to Ettlingen and Bad Herrenalb.

Moosbronn

Moosbronn is located in a tiny side valley high up in the mountains between Murg and Alb valley. From Gaggenau centre one has to cross the rather steep ridge of Mahlberg. Moosbronn is a small and quiet village. Walking the full length hardly takes five minutes. The village is surrounded by lush green meadows and forests with plenty of options for hiking.

The most striking feature of the village is the pilgrimage church of Maria Hilf which attracts a lot of visitors. These make the living for three or four inns. The catholic church runs two houses that accommodate groups. The church is impossible to miss in the small village. It is open daily from 9.00-19.00, in summer until 20.00.

Pilgrimages to Moosbronn began already in the late 17th century in times of the Turkish Wars. Legends tell of a farmworker who got stuck with his horses and wagon and cried to the Madonna for help, and Mary helped. The first sanctuary was just a small chapel, built in 1683. Since it attracted more and more pilgrims, a laarger church was needed. In the 1740s the present church was erected. Franz Ignaz Krohmer, court architect of the Margrave of Baden, desinged the plans. The sacred image of the Madonna is displayed in the retable of the main altar. It was painted after Lucas Cranach's Madonna with Child.

The second most striking feature is the stud farm and riding centre of Mönchhof where Icelandic horses are bred and trained. The house next-door is a shop which is specialized on equipment for Icelandic horse riding.

The Border That Cut the Village in Half

The village of Moosbronn, tiny as it is, used to be divided in two by a border that run right through the village. Since 1660 (when the Counts of Eberstein died out) one half belonged to the Margraviate of Baden-Baden and later the Grandduchy of Baden, the other to the Duchy, later Kingdom of Württemberg.

The division also influenced the religion: Baden's half was catholic, Württemberg's half was protestant. After the end of the two states the border still existed as border between two governmental districts within the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg. Only in the administration reform of the 1970s Moosbronn was finally reunited when both halves became part of the municipality of Gaggenau.

The historical border stones are still there. They show the crests of Baden on one side and Württemberg on the other. A marked hiking trail (Grenzweg) follows the former border. In the middle of the village a stone obelisk marks the location of the former border. On some old houses you'll see the crest of the respective state.

Pilgrims Trail from Michelbach to Moosbronn

... or vice versa, I walked it the other way round.

The little church in Moosbronn and its sacred image of the Madonna is a popular destination for regional pilgrimages. Processions on foot from Michelbach are done on some holidays, and many people visit on their own.

At three locations there are small stone shrines with images of Mary and baby Jesus, private donations from the 18th and 19th century.
The trail is marked with a little picture of the church in Moosbronn and named Wallfahrtsweg (pilgrimage trail). It is signposted but sometimes you have to look twice to see the signs, usually nailed to trees. The pilgrims trail is not one of the large wide paths, it is the small and steep trail that crosses the wide paths.

The distance between Michelbach and Moosbronn is given as 3.5 kilometres, which sounds like a relaxed hike. I was in Moosbronn and did not feel much inclination to wait for the next bus. The weather was glorious but not too hot, and 3.5 kilometres did not sound too bad, so I decided to walk. At first the trail was wide and comfortable, leading through meadows and orchards (this applies to the Michelbach side, too). However, the route soon leaves the big path and takes a narrow, uneven trail straight up the steep slope. The highest point is Mönchskopfsattel on top of the ridge between the two villages at an altitude of 525 metres. The descent to Michelbach was a lot longer but just as steep. (Well, a pilgrimage has something to do with repention, eh.)

Unfortunately I was wearing my trekking sandals (I had not planned to go hiking, after all) - it was doable but far from perfect and far from safe. I recommend wearing closed shoes, not necessarily hiking boots but comfortable walking shoes with soles that have a good grip.

Michelbach

Michelbach is the most beautiful among the villages that now form the town of Gaggenau. It is cuddled into a side valley among the hills. A mountain ridge with Mahlberg and Bernstein as highest elevations forms the background. The older part of the village stretches along a stream named Michelbach (surprise surprise) at the bottom of the valley. Newer residential quarters have grown on the slopes above.

Michelbach is known for its beautiful and well restored half-timbered houses. Flower pots in the streets add to the atmosphere. The village is well taken care of, it has won a couple of prizes in countrywide „Beautify Our Village“ competitions.

Some houses are still working farms, others are just residential houses. Two marked walking routes present the village, its history, attractions and particularities which are explained on signboards (in German). The prettiest part is along the stream. The street leads gently up until you reach the Gumbe at the end of the village, a small pond that is a nature reserve and a leisure ground with barbecue and a Kneipp basin etc.

The current of Mühlbach stream has long been used. There must have been more water mills in the past - one is preserved, about halfway from the village centre towards the Gumbe and the upstream end of the village. Some of the water is lead in a wooden flume a lot further upstream which has less decline than the stream itself, hence this water reaches the top of the mill wheel several metres above the stream's water level and this drives it. The wheel is not un use any more, though, and does not turn. The former mill is a residential house now. When I took my photos, there was an old man sitting on the verandah by the water, relaxing in his deck chair and snoring happily. I think the inhabitants can do without the noise of a mill wheel.

Some houses still have them: little stone huts in the courtyard that contain a baking oven. While other villages have one or two large baking houses that were used by the whole community, here the farms each had one of their own or maybe for a handful of families. The ovens were separate buildings outside the houses because of the heat and the danger of fire. Having them in the street, easily accessible, makes sense. I found two in Rotenfelser Straße, round the corner from the church, but there must be more.

The catholic parish church marks the centre of the village. It was built on a terrace above the main square. Its history dates back to the middle ages, it is one of the oldest parishes in the Murg valley. Only the bottom part of the steeple is left of the medieval church, though. The nave was substituted by a larger one in the 18th century which then underwent further changes in the 20th (date 1936 above the portal). The interior is a wide hall without much atmosphere. The four altars and the pulpit are in baroqze style but they do not fit together, they look like an exhibition in a furniture shop. It is hard to tell how old they really are because the catholic church art still uses the baroque style to this very day. The church is open in the daytime. If you walk past anyway, you may want to have a look inside, but it is not worth a detour.

The Walk from Michelbach to Gaggenau through the Streuobstwiesen

Paved paths lead through the orchards between Gaggenau and Michelbach. I had missed the bus in Michelbach and would have had to wait for almost an hour, so I decided, despite my tired feet, to walk the last leg back to Gaggenau and the tram home instead. The gentle slopes offer a great view into the Murg valley, which is already rather wide in this part. Many apple trees are growing in the meadows. It was beautiful in autumn. In April when the apple trees are in bloom it must be absolutely lovely.

There seems to be no exact translation into English for the term Streuobstwiese, so let me use the German word. It describes a traditional type of cultural landscape around villages: grassland loosely planted with fruit trees of various varieties: apples, pears, plums, walnuts, cherries etc. The grass is mown only once or twice a year and can be used for making hay. The trees require some cutting in early spring and the harvest in summer or autumn depending on the type of fruit. Otherwise they are left alone. Pears and apples from the trees are, for example, the base for the making of „Moscht“, the local variety of cider.

These meadows are home to many specieses of wildflowers, to many insects, small mammals and birds and form a valuable natural habitat. They are very important for the ecologic balance. Many animals appreciate the hollows in old trees for nesting and refuge. The wide variety of specieses makes Streuobstwiesen precious natural reserves, as well as being useful to the human owners because of their fruit. In former times they covered wide areas. Industrialized agriculture made them redundant. In the 20th century many of them disappeared to make room for more efficient ways of farming. In recent times they are being re-established in many places, though, for their value in the protection and conservation of nature.

Streuobstwiesen can be found on the lower, gentle slopes around the villages in the Murg valley. Paths and small roads allow easy walks. In spring, the blooming fruit trees and the wildflowers are a beautiful sight. In autumn, a walk through Streuobstwiesen is nourishing. Warning, these trees belong to someone, so don't rob the whole harvest. However, I see nothing wrong in picking up a fallen apple or two from the grass under a tree and enjoying it on the spot.

Through the suburbs of Gaggenau I finally reached the station and jumped on the S-Bahn. With the bus I would have made the same train, so the walk did not cost me extra time. After this, for my habits, rather long hike I appreciated the seat on the tram...