It is still hazy and dense fog lies over the Steinwald. But the warming rays of the rising sun are tearing ever more gaps in the fog and the colorful, gold-brown leaves of the beech and maple trees form an increasingly vibrant color mosaic amidst the dark green fir trees. Our path down from the heights of the Steinwald leads us through a colorful autumn forest, past the restored majestic ruins of the Weißenstein castle, to the first nature experience village in Bavaria, Friedenfels, also known as the Pearl of the Steinwald. Large, autumn-colored tree giants from the past shape the landscape and accompany us, past the Marienbrunnen, to the old noble castle of the von Gemmingen-Hornberg family. In the romantic castle garden, we walk on the red-gold leaf carpet to the old, in the back light of the early morning sun, shining leaf paths, through which the old noble family once strolled.
We slowly walk towards the village exit towards the Kreuzweg at Schusterberg. Here too, the falling autumn leaves have prepared a magnificent carpet for us. The Kreuzweg with its various stations is a popular hiking route for many locals to the centuries-old linden tree at the Kriegerkapelle. The ascent forces us to breathe in the autumn forest air, and then to enjoy the silence at the old linden tree. The chirping of birds from spring has ceased and only the light autumn wind causes a quiet rustling. We are now standing on the "peak" of the Schusterberg, framed by beautifully colored beech, maple and oak trees.
Childhood memories come to mind when we walk through the thick, golden-yellow leaf carpet and leave a trail. As children, we threw the leaves into the air and let them fall on us.
Suddenly, we see a small purple head emerging from the leaves. A small Violet Chanterelle, a typical mushroom of the mixed deciduous forest, pushes through the leaf carpet. Typical for a natural forest are also large and small remnants of dead wood from fallen old beech trees or fallen branches, which are also covered with mushrooms and convert the decaying wood into humus.
The beautifully autumn-colored and in the sun, gold-orange glowing mixed deciduous forest of the Schusterberg is not only an oasis for the soul, but also a typical habitat in the second smallest nature park in Bavaria, the Steinwald.
