Poor Bindlach. This small (if you call 35 villages small) town in Upper Franconia lies right on the border of the town of Bayreuth. You know, that festival town that hosts that month long festival of Wagner operas?
Oh puhleeze, just because you got a celebrity living right next door doesn’t mean you’re not fantastic yourself. You know what I mean?
Anyway, what’s on the agenda for sightseeing around Bindlach? The Forkenhof for starters. This old farm’s been around since the 14th century, but it was the work of one blacksmith that built it up as much as it is. It even had a brewery at one time, too bad it closed down in 1950.
I guess you’ll be regulated to drinking in the beer gardens, or at events like the mid-October Flea Market, the Autumn Flea Market at the end of October, or the Advent Markets at the end of November and early December, respectively. One of the best festivals is the Bärnkerwa (a church festival) every August that’s been celebrated since the 1880s.
We Germans love tradition, don’t we?
These aren’t the only reasons to be outside, the gorgeous Fichtelgebirge is another. It’s a mountain range that stretches all the way to the Czech Republic, so try not to hike too far. ;-)
One sure way you don’t wind up in another country is to take the 50 mile loop trail.
I’d be looking for the Bronze Age urnfield, if I were you. It’s from around 1,300 B.C.—a heckava lot older than the Baroque St. Bartholomew Church (built 1760s at Kirchplatz 1), or the Evangelical Luther Church of St. Wallburga, built in 1740. OK, St. Wallburga’s was here back in 1365, though it had to be rebuilt after a devastating fire.
For something more modern, head to the Air Force Base that was occupied by the United States until 1992. It used to be a German base during WWII before that.
Did I miss anything?
Yeah, I did. Bindlach even has fishing and golfing, and there are a number of bicycle trails to follow. It’ll be OK if you didn’t bring your bike—rentals are widely available.
Like I said, Bindlach’s fantastic itself—being next door to Bayreuth is secondary. ;-)