Around the Schönenberg pilgrimage church near Ellwangen

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Schönenberg Pilgrimage Church

The pilgrimage church Zu Unserer Lieben Frau, or Schönenbergkirche (1,TopTipp) (530 m), was built in the 17th century and is today one of the jewels of baroque architecture in the region. It is worth taking a look inside, as the ceiling frescoes, rich in figures, are very impressive. On the gallery behind the high altar, a Christmas cot awaits visitors all year round. A circular walk (Kapellenweg) begins at this famous place of pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary, marked with a yellow church symbol on a white background. The path leads from the north side of the church into the forest and across the meadows down to Rotkreuz. We cross the road and follow the course of Einsteinstrasse. As soon as the road curves to the left, we change to the hiking trail on our right and soon reach the Kressbachsee (2) with its open-air swimming pool. We then pass the dam of the lake and enter the forest. We now ignore turn-offs until we reach the Knöringen monument (3). Here we continue to the right and turn left at the next junction (Albvereinsweg). About 1.5 km later, the markings of the Kapellenweg show us the way to the right. It is not far to the small village of Stocken. As soon as we leave the forest, we can already see the houses. The St. Ursula Chapel (4), which is located directly on the road through the village, is worth seeing. A few metres further on, turn right and then left before the last houses. At the next two forks, we continue the tour to the right. At the edge of the forest we turn left. We are now on a hill that offers us wonderful views of Ellwangen, the Albtrauf and the Dreikaiserberge. Our next destination is Eigenzell and the Sebastians Chapel (5). From the Hornbergstrasse we then turn into the Feldbergstrasse and follow it down into the Eigenzell Heath. After a while we pass a wayside shrine (6), behind which we turn left. The path goes slightly uphill. You cross a short stretch of forest and keep to the right at the edge of the forest. In front of us is Rattstadt, a district of Ellwangen. We now follow the edge of the forest and return to the pilgrimage church on Schönenberg. For the hungry, a detour to Ellwangen is recommended. Both the Gasthof Kronprinzen and the Brauereigasthof Roter Ochsen offer good food and a chance to recover from the hike.