Pfälzer Weinsteig Stage 9: Annweiler am Trifels - Klingenmünster

Directions

Directions

From the spa gardens in Annweiler (1) we walk uphill on shady paths through the chestnut trees to Trifels Castle car park. The former imperial castle on the 494m high Sonnenberg mountain, with its imperial regalia, is worth a detour. Passing the Barbarossa restaurant, the trail continues below the ruins of Anebos Castle towards a pass, flanked on both sides by imposing sandstone rocks (3). These partially weathered massifs rise like cliffs from the forest floor and make for an impressive backdrop. Especially at weekends, we can see climbers practising their sport here.

An attractive path now takes us below the rocks to the ruins of Scharfenberg Castle. After a short, steep descent we walk along the wooded southern slopes of the Föhrlenberg mountain and finally up a path through chestnut trees to the ruins of Neukastell (4). We can climb a steep ladder to a viewing platform, which offers a magnificent view of the ruins of Madenburg Castle. Passing Slevogthof, the long-term residence and studio of the famous Impressionist Max Slevogt, we then descend to the small village of Leinsweiler, where we can refresh our feet in the roadside wading pool (5).

We then continue on the gentle uphill trail through sun-drenched vineyards and shady woods to the ruins of Madenburg Castle (6), one of the largest and oldest castles in the Palatinate. The castle restaurant invites us to pause for a meal in a historical atmosphere. The trail continues on a narrow path down to the Kaiserbach Valley, past the Palatinate Clinic to the ruins of Landeck Castle (7). Here we also find a castle restaurant with a magnificent view of the Rhine plain. Now only one final descent separates us from the final destination of our hike, the charming wine-producing town of Klingenmünster.