Bavaria 4 U | The Sights, Information and Food of Bavaria and the surrounding areas

Pöhlmann’sche Gastwirtschaft, Limmersdorf

Pöhlmann’sche Gastwirtschaft, Limmersdorf
An der Tanzlinde 5
95349 Thurnau

Original post by H.-G. in Bayrisches Allerei

There are still a few historic “Tanzlinden” left in Northern Bavaria and one of them is located in the village of Limmersdorf (Thurnau), located 12 km south of Kulmbach.

The pampered 350 years old tree is the center of the annual “Linden-Kirchweih” towards the end of August. The village also has a “Tanzlinden Museum”.

In close proximity to the tree is the Pöhlmann’sche Gastwirtschaft located. An old, traditional Franken Gastwirtschaft/Pub with a pergola covered by the branches of a Linden/Basswood tree. This is the location of their charming beer garden.

This restaurant is usually only open in the evening. They serve the excellent beers associated with this area such as from the “Kulmbacher Kommunbräu” and the brewery “Brauerei Huppendorf“. Hearty, delicous Brotzeits, assorted lunch-meat and cheese plates are served at a reasonable price.

This restaurant is special in this region and is frequented by the locals, as a visit there should not break your bank.

So if you come to visit the castle and the adjoining church in nearby Thurnau or the pottery museum there, stop by in the evening and have a beer and a Brotzeit.

Kirchweih

Kirchweih commemorates the anniversary of the consecration of the local church. This festival has many dialect variations from the Swiss “Kilbi/Chilbi” to “Kermes” along parts of the Rhine to the Franken “Kerwa”. Kirchweih is in many German towns and villages, since medieval times, a religious festival celebrating this event.

Nowadays the religious context of these “Fests” became often secondary and the festival itself, spanning a period of several days, is the main attraction with food, drinks, music and dancing. I know of some organizations hosting this festival here in the USA which have no connection with a specific church. Others will start with a procession and a church service, sometimes outdoors.

Many traditions are associated with this festival and differ from village/town to village/town. In some locations a tree is erected in the market square, many other customs involve the bachelors and nowadays also the bachelorettes of the village.

As these festivals always include food, in the area I come from Roast Goose with Potato Dumplings and Sauerkraut is customary, something to wet your whistle, again in my area it is Beer and in the German wine regions, you guessed it, it is Wine. They usually include dancing and always the Gemütlichkeit, Bavarians are known for! Processions and parades are often included and one notable tradition in some villages starts by digging up a bottle buried the year before, to begin the celebration and ends when a new bottle is buried in the same spot, to be recovered the following year.

The date of these festivals differ from town to town and while vacationing in Bavaria, during the summer and fall, you should be able attend at least one of them somewhere close by. The multitude of these entertaining festivals in Bavaria in any specific area were viewed by the temporal and spiritual authorities as too excessive. It was decided by them to designate one specific day of the year for Kirchweihs, so that the citizens of neighboring villages could not attend all these festivals throughout the region, thereby cutting down the alcohol consumption.

Somehow this ruling did not prevail and could not be enforced in many regions.

An Old Bavarian saying states, freely translated, that
a good Kirchweih always lasts until Tuesday
and a great one will not end until Wednesday.


	Erecting the Kirchweih tree
	Neuendettelsau

Gemütlichkeit

There is no single English translation, so here is my attempt to explain it.

Gemütlichkeit is the feeling when you experience good times, among good friends and acquaintances, relaxed and excited at the same time, some local beer, food and music can add to it. It is being snug and cozy and you feel accepted, comfortable and at peace.

It is one of the best feelings in the world!

Tanzlinden

The Linde or Linden (plural) –Talia or Basswood – is a tree with a typical heights from 60 to 139 ft and in a few towns and villages all over Germany are used to dance (Tanz) “on” or under them.

Some trees of this species are known to reach the ripe old age of a 1000 years and are in many Central European countries considered a symbolic and sacred tree. Believed to be the tree of truth and also the tree of lovers. The most famous street in Germany utilizing the name, as it is lined with these trees, is “Unter den Linden” (Under the Talias) in the center district (Mitte) of Berlin.

Back to the historical “Tanzlinden”; some were just the trees in the village center, where the locals met on special occasions for celebrations and dancing. Others are actual trees with elevated platforms to dance on or a stage for the musicians. In Franken, the northern part of Bavaria, of the 9 trees I know off, I would like to use the one located in Peesten, Oberfranken as an example.

According to the information at the Linde: The original tree was most likely planted in the middle of the 16th century and the construction of the “Tree Hall” goes back to 1637. A new tree was planted in 1951 after the old one died of neglect during World War II. The masonry pillars supporting the platform date back to the year 1770 and the staircase was added in 1837. To make the structure safe again, all the wood was replaced in 2001 with new oak following the original plans and adhering to the historic ways of woodworking. This historical Tanzlinde is still the center of many of the village festivals, including outdoor church services and even theater performances.

Other notable “Tanzlinden” in the area:

Limmersdorf	Langenstadt
Isling	Effeltrich, the Millennium Linde
Grettstadt	Salz
Limmersdorf

This “Tanzlinde” in Limmersdorf brings us to introduce the next restaurant.

Landgasthof Schwarzes Ross, Bad Berneck-Goldmühl

Landgasthof Schwarzes Ross
Goldmühler Straße 10 – 14
95460 Bad Berneck

Posted by H.-G. in Bayrisches Allerei

H.-G. posting this restaurant at our German blog brought back memories of Sunday family outings when I was young. Trips to Bad Berneck with afternoon walks through the beautiful park areas of the local Spa were always concluded with a visit to the “Schwarzes Ross” in the nearby village of Goldmühl in the valley of the river Weißmain at the foot of the Fichtelgebirge (Pine Mountains).

The upscale interior has the typical Franconian ambiance.

This Restaurant was always famous for their food and is still drawing guests from all over this region. This country inn, with it’s in-house butcher shop and sausage kitchen, is famous for it’s excellent local fare and the check in the end should not give you sticker shock.

Horseradish Soup

Flounder “Finkenwerder Art”

Menu items include Kren Suppe, Schinkennudeln, Schweineschäufele, Zwiebelbraten, Rahmsauerbraten and Steak Tartar among many others. (Let me translate these menu items: Horseradish soup, Ham noodles, Pork Shoulder Roast, Onion Roast, Sauerbraten with heavy Cream Sauce and a German favorite Steak Tartar).

Onion Roast	Pike-und Salmon Filet
Holiday Soup

You can always round off your dining experience with one of their delicious desserts.

Apple Fritter with Vanilla Ice Cream

Eierlikörbecher

Click here for our homemade Eierlikör recipe.

Home Base Schoenwald, Bavaria

Our Second Floor Gartenstrasse Condo

is ready for your Vacation.

To explore the Center of Europe there is nothing more convenient than our Condo in the small, quiet town of Schoenwald.

Our Condo is

off-the-beaten-track and quiet,
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over 1000 square feet gives you a lot more space than a hotel at a very affordable price. The whole second floor is at your disposal!

For more information about this tempting Vacation Location and to check out availability visit our Condo Homepage here.

Why choose Schoenwald?

This quiet, small town in the northeast corner of Bavaria is very close to the Center of Europe and it’s location, far enough away from the huzzle and buzzle of the tourist areas, makes it a haven of peacefulness. But as the entrance to a major north-south Autobahn is only 1.25 miles away from the city center it is in easy reach of all of Central Europe.

Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt, three of the five largest cities in Germany can be reached in under three hours driving time. It’s proximity to the Czech Republic makes it a great starting point for a trip to Prague and Pilsen. Even the amazing medieval Cesky Krumlov and the “beer famous” Budweis are within an easy days round trip.

Nuremberg, Bamberg and Kulmbach are closer than the distance many of us drive to work daily. Dresden, Regensburg, Wuerzburg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber are just another few destinations you should not miss while staying here.

I worked out a full one week sightseeing schedule, which introduces you to many new sights and experiences. As many more fascinating places are within easy reach of Schoenwald you really have to pick and choose on what you want to explore. To learn more about this region, surf our webpages that can be reached from the menu bar at the top of our Condo page. Also visit our blog at Bavaria4u and discover the fabulous Places at our Things Bavarian website.

We think,
you will come here because it is affordable,
you will like the food and enjoy the beer and/or wine,
be amazed by the region’s charm,
be taken in by the sights and
fall in love with this part of the world!

Honestly, a stay here should be included on your bucket list!

Brauerei Greifenklau, Bamberg

Posted on 11/13/2012 by RudyNovember 13, 2012

Brauerei Greifenklau GmbH‎

Laurenziplatz 20

96049 Bamberg

0951 53219

Bamberg, is one of the most charming cities in the region and as I already included it in my “Things Bavarian” website (click on Bamberg at the map to go there) I will not rehash that info. So let me just include a few pictures a friend of mine posted on our German language “Bayrisches Allerlei” blog before we go to the brewery.

This city, build like Rome, Italy, on seven hills, had at one time 68 Breweries of which 8 are still in existence today. Situated on one of the hills is the Brewery Greifenklau with it’s traditional Brauereigaststätte (Brewery Guest House). During the summer month you can enjoy sitting in their beer garden under the old trees and enjoy the view of the city.

Excellent beer combined with charming surroundings and mouth watering food, like the Veal Roast and Dumpling in the picture below makes a visit there a memorable occasion.

Schnitzel, a Bavarian Favorite

This posts should not only be considered Bavarian, but is in my opinion relevant in all German speaking areas, communities and also individual homes.

Schnitzel and Potato Salad

The most famous here would be the “Wiener Schnitzel” (Viennese Cutlet) which could be the original in this what could be locally considered a “Food Group”. It distinguishes itself by being made out of veal. To prepare them follow the Schnitzel recipe below but substitute the pork cutlets with the higher priced veal cutlets (Veal Scallopini). This pork variation would be listed on German menus as “Wiener Art” (Vienesse style).

The Bavarian and in general German counterpart is the Schweineschnitzel (Pork cutlet) which is a standard on the menu of almost every German restaurant and usually a safe bet to order if you are not the adventurous type to try the local fare, as this is a stable like the basic hamburger here in the USA. The recipe can be found at our ingeskitchen.com website. Usually it is served there with a “gemischter Salat” (mixed salad) which could include some potato salad, leaf lettuce, cucumber salad, red beets, coleslaw, tomato salad or other salads the chef creates, as you can see in the pictures below. It is also served with a lemon wedge which you should squeeze out over the Schnitzel.

Gemischter Salat

Schnitzel with gemischter Salat

Now to some of the many variations you might find on menus during your visit to a German restaurant.

Schnitzel Wiener Art: (Schnitzel Viennese style) describes that the meat is breaded but is usually made out of pork (Schweineschnitzel)

Holsteiner Schnitzel: is a basic Schnitzel topped with a fried egg and might include anchovies and capers.

Zigeunerschnitzel (Gypsy Schnitzel): served with a green and red pepper and onion sauce.

Rahmschnitzel: topped with a white gravy made with heavy cream.

Jägerschnitzel (Hunter Schnitzel): Rahmschnitzel gravy that includes wild mushrooms.

Cordon Bleu: same category stuffed with ham and cheese.

even Veal Parmigiana, a Schnitzel topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese would fall into this category

Other variations include the same types as mentioned above but made out of chicken or turkey breast.

Not all Schnitzel are breaded. As the name “Schnitzel” refers to the way it is cut and is translated in English as cutlet. So you will also come across the

Naturschnitzel: a seasoned cutlet fried or BBQ’d and this again can be served with a wide variety of sauces like Hollandaise, Bearnaise, tomato – just to name a few and toppings like cheese, pineapples, mushrooms and even Zucchini, the ever so delicious Veal Oscar is also part of this category.

You can also roll this meat and stuff it with ingredients like spinach, butter sauce and some recipes even call for stronger cheeses like Limburger or Tilsiter.

Let us end this post with one of our favorite recipes for a dinner party
Heidi’s Schnitzel in Cream Sauce.
Excellent, as this has to be made the day ahead, and it is always well like with our guests.

Schnitzel and Potato Salad

Schnitzel with Potatoes and Cucumber Salad

Recipes for the above dishes will be published on ingeskitchen.com when available.

Gasthaus “Zum Zabelstein” Steinmetz, Wohnau

submitted by H.-G.

The tiny hamlet of Wohnau (population around 100) is situated at the foot of the Zabelstein, one of the mountains in the Steigerwald range. From the observation tower on top of this mountain you could say “on a clear day you can see forever” or at least 50 miles.

Wohnau is the home of the Häckerwirtschaft “Zum Zabelstein”. A Häckerwirtschaft is a “pub” located in a vineyard, serving their own wine and excellent “Brotzeiten”.

This vineyard has been in the possession of the Steinmetz family since 1875 and the restaurant with it’s beer/wine garden is considered a local “secret”, as too many patrons already know about it and it is usually hard to find a seat in the establishment. This might also be due to the fact that they are only open 4 days a week and closed every last Saturday and Sunday of the month.

The Schnitzel that makes people come back

The wine that makes this place famous

Berggaststätte Lieberhof, Tegernsee

submitted by H.G.

Overlooking the city of Tegernsee is the Berggasthof Lieberhof with an almost millenium old history. It started as the farm of the former Tegernsee Abbey which was established in the 8th century. The fantastic panoramic view from the patio includes the Tegernsee valley, with the Wallberg to the south and the city of Bad Wiessee at the western shore.

Here you can enjoy excellent Bavarian cuisine and the top notch beers of the Tegernsee Brewery. The well rounded menu also includes dishes with chanterelles and some exceptional entrees made from Charolais cattle.

Hats off to the attentive waitstaff which in our opinion deserves a thumbs up.

Enjoying the view	Elk Goulash with Red Cabbage, Spätzle and Lingonberries
Dining Room	Dining Room
Beef Roast with Fried Potatoes, Horseradish, Root Vegetables and Savoy Cabbage with Bacon	Salad Plate
mmh, mmh, good	another mmh, mmh, good