Burgberg

The Burgberg is a 332-metre-high sandstone hill in Erlangen, Bavaria. Known locally as Strawberry Hill, it was quarried in the 15th century and its southern slope once held beer cellars. The hill’s Upper Löwenstein Formation made it ideal for quarrying, supplying stone for the town’s reconstruction after a fire in 1706. Quarrying peaked again in the 19th century to build university buildings during the Gründerzeit. Today, 31 quarries remain visible, especially in the western part of the hill. The hill’s cellars became vital for beer storage. In the late 17th century, brewers carved 16 rock cellars into the southern side, creating a labyrinth over 21 kilometres long. The Henninger cellar stretches 861 metres through the mountain. These cellars kept beer cool year-round, helping Erlangen become a leading beer export city in the 19th century. The annual Bergkirchweih festival, held since 1775, grew from a Pentecost market in the cellars. Visitors find a mix of history and nature. The Solitude forest on the north-west slope was a favourite spot for 19th-century romantics. The Welsgarten terraces, once an amusement park, now hold villas including the Erlangen Music Institute. The Corps House, built in 1928, remains a student meeting place during the festival. Quarries and ice pits recall the hill’s industrial past, while the Bergkirchweih keeps its cultural spirit alive.