The best traffic-free bike rides around Marktleugast

Magnificent view of the Fichtelgebirge

Wirsberg, probably founded at the beginning of the 13th century, is already mentioned as a market town in documents at the end of the 13th century. The reconstruction of Wirsberg after the looting and burning on February 1, 1633, during the Thirty Years' War, lasted for decades. In 1701, with the inauguration of the Old Town Hall, the last vacant lot on the market square was closed. As part of urban development funding, the Wirsberg market square was redesigned in 1995. Today, it is both an eye-catcher and an attraction.

The renowned chef Alexander Herrmann, born in Kulmbach in 1971 and raised in Wirsberg, comes from a family of restaurateurs. At the age of nine, he lost his parents in a car accident; the "Posthotel", which had been in the family since 1869, was managed by his uncle and aunt from 1981. Herrmann attended a hotel management school and completed a culinary apprenticeship. In 1996, he joined the "Posthotel" as head chef. His restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars.

Since June 26, 1746, St. John's Church, built in the Margravial style over more than four years, has shaped the town center of Wirsberg in its current form. The sacristy, designed in the Gothic style, forms a contrast to the baroque exterior of the Evangelical Lutheran parish church. A special feature is the oil painting "The Throne of Grace" from 1539, whose style and coloring are reminiscent of the circle of the artist Lucas Cranach. Underneath the current church are the foundations of medieval predecessor churches.

Wirsberg also owes its historical significance to this crossing over the Schorgast. Located on important trade routes, such as the connection between Nuremberg, Plauen, and Leipzig, simple wooden bridges had been built here repeatedly in the past. However, these were often damaged or destroyed by floods, ice drift, and the massive wear and tear from heavy wagons, which transported copper ore, among other things. At the beginning of the 18th century, it was decided to build a stone bridge here. The Schorgast Bridge, which can be seen here today and which the locals call "Wernersbruck", was built in 1711 as a two-span sandstone ashlar bridge. In 1995 and 1996, it was extensively renovated by the district of Kulmbach and the market town of Wirsberg to preserve a historical piece of Wirsberg's history.

This small park has a covered rest area, and there are also several information boards with maps and tips for worthwhile hikes in the Frankenwald. A sign with a bicycle on it welcomes visitors.

Here is the residence of the popular TV chef and two-Michelin-star cook Alexander Herrmann.

Since June 2020, a wooden frame with steel tubes has also been erected here with the ambiguous name "Schlossplatz" for all bridal couples who have since given the "yes I do" in the wedding village of Wirsberg and all those who have fulfilled the dream of their own "castle" in Wirsberg.