Pegnitz is a pleasant town 60 kilometers northeast of Nuremberg, serviced by frequent regular trains. A gateway town to Franconian Switzerland, it makes a good base for exploring the area. At the very least, it’s likely you will pass through here if heading into the lovely countryside surrounding it. If the Bierquellenweg is on your agenda and you don’t have a car, this is as good an entry point as you’ll find. There are regular buses into the countryside brewery villages during the week and less frequent ones along with RUF (on call demand) buses on weekends. You can also hike in and it’s a pretty trail featuring the Kleiner Kulm, the highest point in the Franconian Switzerland.
the pretty trail from Pegnitz into Franconian Switzerland
There are a few accommodation options along with restaurants, many serving the local Jura beer but a couple with ones from nearby countryside breweries. There are some pretty half-timbered buildings and the main square features a fountain, adorned with Easter decorations in spring and a nesting stork to boot.
nesting stork & Easter decorations
There were two breweries right in town up until fairly recently. The larger Jura is still in operation. The former communal brewery (Brauer-Vereinigung Pegnitz) currently more commonly associated with Böheim Bier is now brewed in nearby Kirchenthumbach at Heberbräu. Neither has a brewery tap but the Jura beers are quite common and both have unofficial taps. I have only been to Gasthaus Ponfick who serves Böheim. The Ratsstube is the place to find Jura. I hope to get back to sample Jura at the Ratsstube and get some pictures of the two breweries themselves even though the one is now defunct. When you’re in transit, you often have very limited time.
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