Velburg is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in the district of Neumarkt in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It is situated 17 km southeast of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, and 39 km northwest of

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the ...

Castle

The town of Velburg has a castle ruin which occupies the highest point of land. The castle is triangular in outline, with a central keep which is nearly intact, having been partly restored. The castle stands at a height of 621.5 metres above sea level and was initially constructed in 1129. The castle was captured and damaged in 1633 during the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

after which it was abandoned. The town bought the castle in 1793, and many attempts were made to restore it, with the most successful attempt being in 1986, which was the last restoration to date.

Trails

Velburg is located in a scenic area with many walking trails, including the eastern portion of the Main-Danube Trail.Hikehopper Ostlinie Main-Donau We

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Accommodation

Accommodation in the Velburg village include the historic Hotel zur Post (Velburg), Hotel zur Post.

Culture and sights

* Ruins of Velburg Castle * Ruins of Helfenberg Castle * Ruins of Adelburg Castle near Hollerstetten * Pilgrimage church of Habsberg, St. Mary, Health of the Sick (''Maria Heil der Kranken'') * Parish church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary (''St. Mariä Geburt'') in Oberweiling * Town church of St. John the Baptist, three-aisled church whose oldest elements date to the 13th century. * Pilgrimage church of

St. Wolfgang Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg ( la, Wolfgangus; 934 – October 31, 994 AD) was bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria from Christmas 972 until his death. He is a saint of the Catholic (canonized in 1052) and Eastern Orthodox churches. He is regarded ...

, late Gothic church and formerly an important pilgrimage site for the Regensburg bishop

* Pilgrimage church of the Sacred Heart (1770/1792) with hermitage, the only Sacred Heart pilgrimage church in Bavaria Castle ruin.JPG, Velburg castle ruins Velburg Ortskern 02.jpg, Centre of Velburg St Johann Baptist - Velburg NM 002.jpg, ''St John the Baptist'' Wallfahrtskirche St. Wolfgang bei Velburg.jpg, Pilgrimage church of
''St. Wolfgang''

Nature reserves

* The

Deusmauer Moor The Deusmauer Moor is a nature reserve near Deusmauer, in the municipality of Velburg in the Upper Palatine county of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz in the German state of Bavaria. The reserve is located 5.8 kilometres northwest of Velburg. It ...

near Deusmauer

Geotopes

File:König-Otto-Tropfsteinhöhle,4.jpg, Dripstone in the King Otto dripstone cave File:Hohlloch (F 7).jpg, The Hohlloch File:Hohlloch Velburg.JPG, Hohllochberg * the King Otto Dripstone Cave near St. Colomann (373H001) * the Hohlloch near St. Wolfgang (373H002) * the Hohenberg Cave west of Velburg (373H005) * the Mantlach Doline (373R001) * the Schwammerl Rocks west of St. Colomann (373R002) * the Hohllochberg near Velburg (373R003) * the Dolomite on the castle hill of Velburg Castle (373R004)

Natural monuments

* King Otto Cave with its advent hall, open from 1 April to 31 October. * Hohlloch is a grotto and cave complex. In the largest grotto festivals take place.

Leisure facilities

* Open air swimming pool in Altenveldorf * Adventure park and climbing garden in Sankt Colomann (6 different courses, 1 baby course) * Woodland education path * Cycleways and footpaths

Sons and daughters of the town

Richard Paul Wagner Richard Felix Paul Wagner (25 August 1882 – 14 February 1953) was the Chief of Design in the design office of the Deutsche Reichsbahn in Germany from its inception in 1922 to 1942. He held the rank of ''Reichsbahnoberrat''. Richard Wagner was bo ...

(1882-1953), engineer, father of the

Einheitsdampflokomotive The Einheitsdampflokomotiven ("standard steam locomotives"), sometimes shortened to ''Einheitslokomotiven'' or ''Einheitsloks'', were the standardized steam locomotives built in Germany after 1925 under the direction of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesel ...

References

Neumarkt (district) {{Neumarktdistrict-geo-stub