Bavarian Forest, Bavaria · Germany
Ruselbergstrecke
St 2135Deggendorf to Regen
The Bavarian Forest’s 1912 hillclimb course, up to the Ruselabsatz.
The climb from Deggendorf up to the Ruselabsatz is one of the oldest pieces of motorsport ground in Germany: cars and motorbikes first raced the Rusel in September 1912, and the Rusel-Bergrennen ran on and off until 1983. It carried the B11 until 1979 and is now the Staatsstraße 2135, but nothing else has changed, four kilometres of steep wooded hairpins to an 856 m saddle on the edge of the Bavarian Forest, gradients touching 13 per cent. The tightest corner near the top, the Wegmacher-Kurve, still catches people out. Winter brings snow and the summit doubles as a cross-country ski area, so it is a warm-weather road, and a properly historic one.
Scenery
Best seasons
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Ruselbergstrecke on the map15.4 mi · point to point
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Character
Corners
busiest around mile 15Elevation
under 4%4 to 8%over 8%315 to 863 mFrom the road
Points of interest1 stop
- RuselabsatzViewpoint5.9 mi in
Hazards
- Steep gradients up to 13 per cent on the four kilometre climb
- Tight wooded hairpins, notably the Wegmacher-Kurve near the summit
- Popular motorcycling road with a real summer accident risk
- Winter snow and ice, snow chains sometimes required
Sources
“Northward, the road originally went over the Ruselabsatz, a 855-metre-high (2,805 ft) mountain pass. This strip of road was characterized by steep ascents and in winter the road was often impassable, especially for trucks.”
“Über den Ruselabsatz führt die Staatsstraße 2135, die die Stadt Deggendorf mit der Stadt Regen”
Route traced from OpenStreetMap, with its stats measured from that line. How the roads are mapped
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