Like a ribbon, the Jean-Paul-Weg stretches 200 kilometers through Upper Franconia. It begins in Joditz, runs via Hof, Oberkotzau, Schwarzenbach a. d. Saale, Sparneck, the Waldstein, Weißenstadt, Röslau, Wunsiedel and leads via further stations to Bayreuth and on to Sanspareil. You can choose the length of the route or sections of the trail according to your wishes and physical condition. The signs are uniformly designed and easy to see, the path is well marked with recurring green ovals with the portrait of Jean Paul. Again and again, landscape panels appear, which show the nature and landscape at the time of Jean Paul.

For the region, it is a unifying element, leading to important sites from the life of the great poet Jean Paul (actually Johann Paul Friedrich Richter), who was born in Wunsiedel on March 21, 1763, and died in Bayreuth on November 14, 1825. Jean Paul was a passionate hiker who attributed his flow of ideas to his numerous walks: "I can't remember a single thought being conceived in the parlor, but always outdoors."

In Joditz, a visit to the private Jean Paul Museum is worthwhile. In Hof, where he spent his youth, you can stroll to Jean-Paul sites such as the family home, his mother's gravesite, or a vantage point in the Theresienstein civic park, which was still called 'Fröhlichenstein' in his day.

Schwarzenbach a. d. Saale invites you to a one-hour inner-city tour on a path that presents the life of the poet and pastor's son in Schwarzenbach with intensive creative phases, but also with glimpses into private life.

Traces of the poet can also be found in Sparneck (Amtshaus) and Ruppertsgrün near Weißenstadt (where his grandfather lived).

The baroque Bayreuth shows besides the Jean-Paul-Museum there among other things also the Rollwenzelei, Jean Paul's writing room at the gates of the city.

"Walking along this path through these landscapes, combined with the brief excerpts from his works and his world of thought on panels along the way, brings hikers and poets closer together and leads to the realization that quite a few of Jean Paul's thoughts have a timeless relevance," according to a brochure available in the local towns.