My second trip to the Saale-Unstrut wine region, following my disastrous first trip (see here), occurred in the middle of January. My destination this time was the Weinbergsweg circuit trail. This hike proved a great, easy, family-friendly, circuit trail through vineyards, town and wooded areas, following along the Saale River as it circles through and around Bad Koesen in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
I began my hike by following the river. It was a lazy, but very scenic stretch along the Saale. This section also had several pubs and taverns, with outdoor seating overlooking the river. Ideal for a lovely summer afternoon or evening, but usually not available in winter. Vineyards were on the left, and flat, alluvial fields on the right.
What I Learned
Vineyards have grown along the Saale and Unstrut rivers for over 1000 years now, from a modest start at Memleben Abbey in 998 A.D.. Vines now cover about 770 hectares in the Saale-Unstrut Region. The vineyard landscape is characterized by hills of shell limestone and variegated sandstone soils, often terraced, contained in places by centuries-old dry-stone walls. Sited on the 51st degree of latitude, it is the northernmost designated quality wine region in Germany. In spite of its northerly position, it receives more sunshine than Trier, in the Moselle wine region but less than Freiburg, in the southern Baden wine region in the Rhine River Valley.
The Saale Unstrut region extends over three German states: Saxony-Anhalt (639 hectares), Thuringia (108 hectares), and a real northern outlier in Brandenburg (by Potsdam) (8.4 hectares). No other German wine region covers such a number of German states.
Trail Name: Weinbergsweg
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; well-maintained and much of it paved; marking on the trail good
Length:
Total – 10.2 kilometers/6 miles
Convenient to: Bad Koesen (see comments below), or Naumburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Marking:
Rectangular signs with green background and white lettering “Weinbergsweg” Below is an older version of the signage, still found in places, and the feature photograph above displays the newer signage.
