Bärental in Oberfranken

The Bärental is a small, 3.7 km long left-side valley of the Weismain Valley funnel within the Weismain-Alb region. It is situated entirely within the town of Weismain in the Lichtenfels district of Bavaria. This valley is located in the northernmost region of the Franconian Alb and is traversed by the Krassach River. Within the valley, there are 16 inhabitants, including the village of Krassach, 66 people (as of 1 January 2012). The three inhabited settlements are Herbstmühle, Krassacher Mühle, and Krassach. The valley holds appeal for hikers and is situated entirely within the nature park of Franconian Switzerland Veldensteiner Forest.

The Bärental originates from the Franconian Alb, located approximately two kilometers northeast of Seubersdorf, at an elevation of around 465 meters above sea level. Initially, the valley follows a westerly course before curving northward just prior to reaching Wunkendorf. This bend in the valley is marked by two distinctive natural formations, the Juraturm and Geierstein, both of which are prominent rock needles, each standing at a height of 25 meters. In the valley, there are other prominent rock formations such as the Bärentalwächter, the Felsentor, the Wunkendorfer Eck, and the Krassacher Wand. In proximity to the Juraturm lies the Bärenloch, the valley's primary cave, which is accessible to the public. The Bärenloch is a horizontal karst cave with dimensions of approximately 12 meters in length, 4 meters in width, and 3–4 meters in height. Bone remains of cave bears have been found in the smaller Fuchsenhöhle. The Krassach River originates approximately 300 meters north of these two rock formations, with the Herbstmühle mill positioned another 300 meters to the north. Upon reaching Krassacher Mühle, the valley widens considerably, which, according to the narrower definition, marks the conclusion of the Bärental, spanning approximately 3 kilometers. The subsequent village is Krassach. North of Krassach, the valley expands further, taking on a plain character. To the east, north of Krassach, the Zillertal valley intersects, housing the village of Niesten. As the valley progresses, it forms the

Data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).