Hohenfurch, Romantic Road

On the banks of the Schönach River sits the rural village of Hohenfurch and its 1500 residents. The village is surrounded by expansive meadows and forests, and it is a holiday destination for those who enjoy a variety of activities such as hiking, cycling, horse riding and cross-country skiing, to name a few.

South of the village on a hill is the charming Gothic Chapel of St Ursula. Built around 1520, the chapel was dedicated to St Ursula, the patron saint of raftsmen. Until the early 20th century, rafting was a common profession in Germany, where tree trunks or logs were tied together and transported across waterways to destinations such as glass factories, lumber yards, or shipyards. From March to November, raftsmen were separated from their families as they took logs down the Lech River to the Danube and onto the Black Sea. When they returned to their families, they offered prayers of thanks to St Ursula for their safe return. In the second half of the year, the rafters worked in the woods, producing B. Wieden, twisted branches converted into ropes used to tie the logs together.