From Himmelreich over the Giersberg and back

A stop at the “Hofgut Himmelreich” after the hike promises us a successful end to the tour.

We start our hike at the integrative inn “Hofgut Himmelreich”, which is owned by Diakonie. The Jakobus Chapel is located on this site. We follow the path with the Way of St. James sign (yellow shell on a blue background) through the underpass of the B 31 towards Kirchzarten. The path leads us through meadows, past the Burg elementary school and into the Burg-Höfen district. At the crossroads there, we do not turn left towards Giersberg, but continue straight ahead along the road. At the end of the village there is another footpath combined with a cycle path. In Kirchzarten, we turn left onto the cycle path and head straight to the cemetery on the Giersberg. The new cemetery chapel is located there - architecturally and artistically designed by Hortense von Gelmini in 1991. From here, our path leads westwards through the avenue of lime trees out of the cemetery grounds, up onto the Giersberg. Before doing so, you come across a small monument that was used as a gravestone in the cemetery in Freiburg. The Way of the Cross to the Giersberg begins above the children's playground. This Way of the Cross is the most impressive far and wide. The individual stations carved out of sandstone are over two and a half meters high. Once we reach the top of the Giersberg chapel, we first have to enjoy the view of Kirchzarten and the entire Dreisamtal valley as far as the top of the cathedral tower in Freiburg, then up to the Lindenberg and the Kandel. The “Laurentius-Gaststätte”, which is located in the former attached hermitage, serves up to 60 guests and can serve just as many or even more guests outside under the lime trees during the summer months. This chapel can also be reached by car as far as the forest parking lot.

The circular route back to Himmelreich can be continued through the forest towards Höfen (2.5 km).

We recommend good shoes