Regionalpark Tour 10 – Wide reaching views along old paths

Regionalpark Tour 10 – Wide reaching views along old paths

At a glance:

Trainstation Hanau West
Trainstation Hanau West
difficult
04:00 h
41,9 KM
285 Meters
WASSERBÜFFEL, WILHELMSBAD

Freizeitkarte: HOHE STRASSE MIT LIMESROUTE UND YSENBURGROUTE

Tour 10 - Wide reaching views along old paths

On the Hohe Straße, the route itself is something special – this historic trade route is part of an ancient west-east connection from Santiago de Compostela to Kiev. You will find yourself very close to the sky here, while at the Main and the Kinzig, the idyll can be found directly on the waterfront.

Marköbel is a suitable place to start with the history of this landscape. At the intersection of the Hohe Straße and the Limes, there was once a fort to control trade. The Limes formed the border of the Roman economic area, so there was a lively exchange of goods here. The course of historic trade is once again made visible by a project by the Regionalpark spanning Erlensee, with the Rückingen fort, to Marköbel, through pillars and other elements in the landscape. Inaddition, you will repeatedly come across reconstructed relics of Roman structures, such as the small fort Langendiebach on the old cemetery.

For the Romans, the Kinzig, which flows into the Main near Hanau, was also an important transport route. Even today, this area is still traversed by traffic routes. However, they now run along the edge of the extensive, natural floodplain forests; this section of the tour is therefore characterised by traffic noise. The water buffaloes, on the other hand, radiate tranquillity. They can be found by taking a small detour through the wet, somewhat harsh landscape of the Weideswiesen nature reserve.

This gives you an impression of a swampy landscape that is difficult to access, so it is easy to understand why the Hohe Straße was built on the heights of the Ronneburg hills. The path in front of us stretches out like a band, and when we cycle along it vigorously, we have a panoramic view of the highlights of the Taunus, Vogelsberg and Spessart all the way to the Odenwald forest. It is a cycling experience that we are not frequently offered. Just before we reach the highest point, the Himmelsschaukel (giant swing), an installation by the Regionalpark, picks up on this feeling of vastness and inspires us to practically soar high into the sky. The journeys on the Hohe Strasse were certainly not always this carefree – it was not only used to transport the books between the two trade fair cities of Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig, but was also a military road and a pilgrimage route.

While the Hohe Straße runs through agricultural land, the city of Hanau is surrounded by an extensive forest area. The forest portal of the Regionalpark illustrates the transition from the Hohe Straße to the Hanau-Wilhelmsbad state park. The origins of Wilhelmsbad lie in the discovery of a mineral spring. At the end of the 18th century, Prince Wilhelm von Hessen-Kassel initiated the construction of a bath house. It is surrounded by an English landscape park with an artificial ruin and the famous old carousel.

Another royal building is located in Hanau directly on the Main – the magnificent baroque castle Philippsruhe with an inviting terrace directly on the banks of the Main. Until the nearby mouth of the river Kinzig, you remain close to the Main, which was and still is an important traffic axis in this age-old trade and economic region.

Directions

1. The TOUR START is at the train station Hanau West: When you come out of the underpass, turn right: To the west of the tracks, parallel to the rails, head towards Langenselbold. From there, always pay attention to the red triangles with which the Regionalpark has signposted the Kinzig route. The R3 follows the same path. Both meander through Hanau and the Kinzigaue, then along the B8 and over the A66 towards Langenselbold.

2. On the OUTSKIRTS OF RÜCKINGEN, the R3 and the Kinzig route separate: Follow the Kinzig route to the right to the water buffaloes. Then back across the river and into Rückingen. The red triangles lead to an arterial road: Turn left into the roundabout and on the other side of the road, ride a few metres to the junction, turn left to Langendiebach and Ravolzhausen.

3. In LANGENDIEBACH, turn right onto the Limesweg, shortly afterwards, continue slightly to the right onto Pfingstweidstraße, turn left onto Brehmstraße, then immediately right onto Ronneburgstraße and left onto Langenselbolder Weg, which merges into Landwehrstraße. From there, the cycle path sign Deutsche Limesstraße appears: Turn right into Mühlstraße and leave Langendiebach.

4. You will come to a T-junction in the open field: Go left over the CYCLIST’S BRIDGE, then slightly right following the sign to Ravolzhausen. In the town on the Oberissigheimer Straße, you have to go slightly left into Neue Anlage, where the Limesstraße soon turns left into Feldstraße. Turn right at the field – and now it’s easy: Always follow the signs for Limesstraße to Hammersbach.

5. Shortly before HAMMERSBACH: Take the Limesstraße to the left. It merges directly into Hohe Straße! This Regionalpark highlight is signposted with the familiar red triangles. First stop: The Himmelsschaukel, then continue to the Wartbaum and then in the direction of Lausbaum – take care where the railway crosses the footpath!

6. Shortly before the Lausbaum, the REGIONALPARK RUNDROUTE: joins from the left: Cycle down there to Hanau, Wilhelmsbad and later to Mainschloss Philippsruhe.

7. In WILHELMSBAD, continue straight ahead into the park and along the buildings. Before the lake, turn right and follow the main path through the park. It leads straight ahead with the Regionalpark Route to castle Philippsruhe: The Main is straight ahead and then a left turn takes you to the city centre. This cycle path takes you back to the train station.

Downloads:

Regionalpark Tourenguide

[PDF - 5 MB]
GPX - Track

Food & Drink

A — Gaststätte
RANFOLDSKELLER
ranfoldskeller.de

B — Restaurant
MAINBLICK
mainblick-hanau.de

C — KLEINE PARKWIRTSCHAFT
kleine-parkwirtschaft.eu