Lichtenfels
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Lichtenfels

Lichtenfels

Small Upper Franconian town on the Main, known as Germany's basket-making capital.

Lichtenfels is a small, peaceful town of about 20,000 people in Upper Franconia, midway between Bamberg and Coburg on the River Main. It calls itself the basket-making capital of Germany and still has a college dedicated to the craft, as well as a basket museum that is the largest collection of wicker work in Europe.

The town's two main draws sit on opposite sides of the Main valley, framing it like a pair of bookends: the Baroque pilgrimage church of Vierzehnheiligen (Fourteen Saints) on the eastern ridge, and the monastery of Banz Abbey on the western one. Both are worth the detour and are visible from one another across the valley. Further afield, the ruins of Langheim Abbey, a medieval Cistercian house, lie about 5 km east.

Lichtenfels is also a railway junction on the Bamberg–Bayreuth line, making it easy to reach by train. The town centre is low-key and functional, with a good market square and the solid civic character of a Franconian regional town.

Guide

Getting There

Lichtenfels is on the main Bamberg–Bayreuth railway line, with regular direct services from both cities (Bamberg is about 25 minutes, Bayreuth about 35 minutes). Würzburg is around 1 hour by train. By road, the town sits at the junction of the A73 motorway and the B173 federal road. The station is in the town centre, about 10 minutes' walk from the market square.

For Vierzehnheiligen and Banz Abbey, a car or bicycle is most practical. Both are within 5–8 km of the town centre by road, but the approach roads involve hills that make cycling strenuous.

Guide

Things to Do

Lichtenfels sits between two of the most remarkable Baroque buildings in Germany — the pilgrimage basilica of Vierzehnheiligen to the east and Banz Abbey to the west. Both are within easy reach by car or bicycle. The town itself is worth a stroll for its basket-weaving heritage, but the real draws are on the ridges above the Main valley.