Holidaying in Hof.
Visited July 2016 .
04.05.2019
Quirky Hof. - Hof
After spending several days in eastern Germany, we took a train to Hof in Bavaria. Our original plan had been to stay here for two nights, but for some reason hotels in Hof turned out to be very expensive, so we just had a look around the town and headed to the village of Weisseau for overnight accommodation instead. One reason to stay in Hof or Weisseau is that they are both good bases from which to do day trips to the Czech Republic. We both really liked Hof and would have been happy to spend longer here. It has an old town with several lovely churches, a town hall that reminded me of a lighthouse, some interesting statues in its market place, a forest of sign posts and other quirky sites. Hof also has a large park and a lake, but we did not have time to go to the lake and just had a very quick look at the park. Hof is located on the banks of the Saale River in the northeastern corner of Bavaria. Hof is known for two local delicacies: Schnitz, a kind of hotpot, and sausages boiled in a portable, coal fired brass cauldron. These are sold in the streets by the sausage man. I had hoped to see a sausage man, but we didn't.
Quirky Hof. - Hof
Some of the places we visited in Hof are listed below.
The Church of St Lorenz.
This was the first place in Hof we visited. The church itself is an attractive building. There is a garden around it with several benches. When I went in the church, I was given a leaflet with lots of information about Hof by the very helpful man inside. The Church of St Lorenz is believed to date from around 1080, making it the oldest church in Hof. Across from the church is the “Inkurabel” which gave shelter to the sick and dying.
The Church of St Lorenz. - Hof
The Church of St Lorenz. - Hof
St Mary's Church.
The beautiful twin towered Saint Mary's Church is located in the centre of Hof's old town. We did not go inside. Saint Mary's is Hof’s main catholic church. It was built in 1864 in neo-Gothic style.
St Mary's Church - Hof
St Mary's Church - Hof
The Church of St. Michael.
The Church of Saint Michael is a lovely old church located near Hof's town hall and its market place. The Church of Saint Michael is the main Protestant church in Hof. Apparently there are cannonballs embedded in its walls near its middle window and in its north tower from a siege in 1553 during which the church came under heavy fire.
St Michael's Church. - Hof
Maxplatz .
Maxplatz is a square near Saint Michael's Church. Hof market is held here on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It was not on during our visit. At the bottom of Maxplatz there is a fountain depicting scenes from a mediaeval market.
Mediaeval fountain. - Hof
Mediaeval fountain. - Hof
Mediaeval fountain. - Hof
Mediaeval fountain. - Hof
The Hofer Fernwehpark.
When I read about this, I thought it just sounded silly, but to my surprise I really liked it. Hofer Fernwehpark is a collection of sign posts from all over the world, displayed in one place. This project was initiated by globetrotting film maker and writer Klaus Beer, who came upon a “Sign Post Forest” while filming at Watson Lake in Canada. Inspired by this, he created his own forest in Hof. Guests from all over the world can donate town signs to help the project grow. As well as place signs, Fernwehpark also has “Signs of Fame”: greeting signs from more than 200 celebrities and stars from show business, sports and politics.
The Hofer Fernwehpark. - Hof
The Hofer Fernwehpark. - Hof
The Hofer Fernwehpark. - Hof
The Hofer Fernwehpark. - Hof
The Hofer Fernwehpark. - Hof
Water Monument.
I really wanted to explore Hof's huge park behind the The Hofer Fernwehpark, but we had run out of time so could only look at the entrance to it. At first I thought someone had been graffitting a structure in the river. Then I looked at the reflection of the structure and realised it was covered in the German word for water which could only be read in the reflection. Yet another quirky monument.
Water Monument. - Hof
Hof's Town Hall.
Hof's Town Hall is located at the junction of Klosterstraße and Ludwigstraße. To me with its tall tower it looked very much like a lighthouse. Hof's original town hall was badly damaged during the siege in 1553, so a new town hall was built according to the plans of Nikolaus Hofmann from Halle.
Hof's Town Hall. - Hof
We have a picture of the sign forest in Watson Lake in the Yukon. We drove the Alaska Highway with our trusty tent in 1994 and passed through Watson Lake. I didn't realize there was another sign forest. We'll have to look it up. Reason for another trip!
by Beausoleil