Church Ruins In Barbaraberg Germany

Two weeks ago while stopping during a walk to admire a garden in the town, I had a chat with the owner. With the small amount of German I can speak, and the small amount of English she could speak we had a good time talking about off the beaten path places to sightsee nearby. She suggested an old church ruin about 11KM away. A small town with surrounding it has just a few homes and it sits high on a mountain top. Not sure of the name of the town, she said it started with a “B” and ends with “berg”.

My daughter and I searched Google, and checked maps, and places of interest. We did not have any luck finding it. Yesterday, while waiting for the train I noticed

Kirchenruine-Barbaraberg — Church ruins new Eschenbach Germany

a map of things to do in the area. Plain as day, it showed a “Kirchenruine” nearby.

First thing this morning we headed out to find the site. Many folks were on the mountain road hiking or biking. We thought it was because today is Ascension Day and Fathers Day.

The closer we came to the top of the hill and having a view of the church, we saw parking attendants directing traffic. Surprised I thought this must be a popular touring area. With so many cars parked on the mountainside made it was apparent that a festival of some sort was going on.

The parking attendant just happened to speak English told us that it was a festival. The church is part of a monastery and is used for special events.

The parking attendant gave us the scoop on the celebration and it suggested we enjoy the traditional food being served. Sausage and potato salad.

The name of the church is Saint Barbara’s and part of it dates back to the 1100’s.

Here are some of the photos I took today:

Barberaberg Germany — Barbaraberg Germany

The view is beautiful and looks down to a rural city called Speinshart. Also, that would be a good way to search for directions to this church, because it is not easy to find.

For those that did not drive, hike or bike, maybe they took the horse and carraige.

The interesting part of the church is that the interior is very small. As you look at the church from the front you cannot see that the back is the ruins of a pilgrimage church.