Between Amorbach and Miltenberg

View from Gotthardsberg

Recently, my hike on the Nibelungensteig took me to the Main River valley, past the town of Amorbach and then over the hills towards Miltenberg. While both of these historic towns are important stops on the trail, the walk between the two is also very interesting and has plenty to offer to those who are fond of history, including both medieval and Celtic ruins.

Gotthard’s Ruin

Upon leaving the railway station in Amorbach, the trail immediately took me up the hill known as Gotthardsberg, home of Gotthard's Ruin. Due to its exposed location on the Roman frontier, the hill was in use as a signal station at least as far back as Roman times, and would have remained in use for that purpose until the area was overrun by Germanic tribes such as the Alemanni, Burgundians and Teutons in the 5th century. 

At some point, near the time of the founding of the Amorbach Monastery in 714, the Frankish regional count, Ruthard, built a refuge castle of approximately 80 x 50 meters on the Gotthardsberg. In 1138, a chapel, dedicated to St. Godehard of Hildesheim and consecrated by Würzburg Bishop Embrico, was added, at which point the hill, previously called “Frankenberg” became known as “Gotthardsberg”. After the addition of the chapel, the castle itself was enlarged. 

Gotthard's Ruin

Thirty years after the construction of the chapel, in 1168,  Emperor Barbarossa, Frederick I, ordered that the castle be destroyed due to it being a danger to the Würzburg church, possibly because of its use by robber barons. Though the castle was razed, the chapel was preserved and then given to the church. A nunnery was built, which was supported by the Benedictine monastery in Amorbach.

Inside Gotthard's Ruin (Photo by Graham Watson)

During the Peasants' War in 1525 , all of the buildings belonging to the nunnery, except the church were burned down by Götz von Berlichingen, a mercenary knight with a long and interesting history of involvement in various battles, skirmishes and feuds. The church and priory was then rebuilt in 1628 - 1631 by the Benedictine monastery, and surprisingly, due to the presence of Swiss soldiers in Amorbach, was left unscathed during the Thirty Years War only to be destroyed by lightning in the early 18th century. Restoration and preservation projects in the 19th and 20th centuries led to the addition of an observation tower in 1878 and a new roof in 1956. 

Neidhart portrayed in the
Codex Manesse, about 1300 *

After leaving the ruin the trail leads in a northeasterly direction to the charming little hamlet of Reuenthal, home to a watermill which is believed to be on the site where the famous medieval minnesinger, Neidhart von Reuental, once lived.  

Derived from the Middle High German word “Minne”, meaning “love”, Minnesang was a tradition of lyric- and song-writing in Germany that flourished in the Middle High German period, and was similar to the works of the troubadours of Provence. Minnesang began in the 12th century and continued into the 14th. People, like Neidhart, who wrote and performed Minnesang, were known as Minnesänger and a single song was called a Minnelied. Neidhart, who performed from at least 1210 to at least 1236 was one of the most famous of the Minnesänger and was probably active in the Duchy of Bavaria and is known to have been a singer at the court of Duke Frederick II of Austria in Vienna.  

From Reuenthal, the path leads through the idyllic farming community of Monbrunn. In 2007, this little village, with only about 70 inhabitants, was chosen as one of the most beautiful villages in Bavaria. 

Remains of Ring Wall

Soon after leaving Monbrunn, I reached the top of the Greinberg, home of the Ringwall Greinberg, also known as the Römerschanze. This is a prehistoric wall-ditch site built by the Celts, though there is evidence that the area was inhabited even earlier by the Urnfeld people. You can still see traces of the three-kilometer-long rampart and trench. A ringwall existed as early as the late Hallstatt or early La Tène period, and finds from the Urnfield period (1300 b.c. - 750 b.c.)  have also been unearthed. 

In addition to finds from the Bronze Age; the Urnfield, Hallstatt and La Tène period, there are also legacies of the Neolithic period and Roman Empire, including those from a temple to the god Mercury. Investigations have also revealed evidence from the Germanic Migration Period and the Franks. Many of the finds from the Greinberg are in the museum in Miltenberg. 

If you'd like to see these sites for yourself, join Stage Six of the Nibelungensteig at the bottom of Gotthardsberg. From the train station in Amorbach turn right on the footpath beside the B47, and head towards the Lidl supermarket. Make  a right on Miltenbergerstrasse and cross the bridge leading over Bill Creek. Soon, you’ll see a green “N”, telling you that you are on a feeder spur, leading towards the trail. This will quickly turn into the red “N” of the main path.  Follow the trail over the hills and down into MIltenberg, where a quick train journey will take you back to Amorbach. The trail is approximately 13 kilometers, takes about four hours and is suitable for those of a reasonable fitness level. 

*By http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/cpg848/0541, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=189976

Reichenberg Castle (Schloss Reichenberg)

A visit to Reichenberg Castle near the town of Reichelsheim, accompanied by a hike or bike ride in the surrounding hills makes for a nice day out, especially for those who like combining outdoor activity with a bit of history.

Reichenberg Castle, as you see it today, with its commanding view over the Gersprenz Valley and the town of Reichelsheim, is what is left of an elevated fortress from the 12th century.  What remains is the residential Palas and various building from the castle complex (Vorburg).

There is some confusion about the origin of the castle, as one source states that it was built around 1150 by the lords of Crumbach-Rodenstein, while another source attributes its original construction to the efforts of Johann I of Erbach in the 13th century.   Regardless of which source is accurate, the castle was certainly in the hands of the Erbach nobles by the 14th century as records show that two separate lines of the Erbach family were involved in a dispute over its possession at that time.

Originally the castle consisted of the Bergfried and a Palas surrounded by a high curtain wall, a ring wall and a moat. Rather than having a keep, which served the purpose of both a refuge and a residence, German castles of this era usually had a Bergfried for protection and a Palas as a place for people to reside during times of peace.  A drawbridge led from through the old gate into the inner courtyard. These features speak to the fact that the original purpose of the castle was as a defensive fortress.

In the second phase of construction, inner courtyards (Zwinger) and a north gate were added. The castle was further extended in the 14th century, with the addition of several outbuilding, a secured access to the inner castle and a Gothic chapel, constructed by Eberhard X and his wife, Marie of Bickenbach.   

In the early 16th century, the castle was placed under siege during the Bavarian-Palatinate War of Succession, and in June of 1622, it survived an attack by Croatian and French forces during the 30 Years’ War. During that time, the citizens of Reichelsheim and surrounding villages used the castle as a place of refuge while many of their own homes were burned and their possessions plundered.

About 100 years later, in 1723, the Reichenberg was further renovated by Count Georg Wilhelm to better suit its use as a residence; however, this function did not last long, as the count moved to the newly built palace in Erbach in 1731.

View of  Reichenberg Castle in 1820, in: Historische Ortsansichten <http://www.lagis-hessen.de/de/subjects/idrec/sn/oa/id/2958> (Stand: 10.6.2008

Pictures from the early part of the 19th century show the castle to still be in good repair, and, in the 19th and early 20th centuries the buildings there served various uses, including as town administrative offices, a boys’ school, a hotel and a recreational center.   

Cafe at Reichenberg Castle

After changing hands a few times, the castle was bought in 1979 by the Young Christian Offensive, an Evangelical Christian organization headquartered in Reichelsheim.  Today the castle is lovingly cared for by the group, who offer tours, educational experiences and run a cafe within the castle walls. They also use the castle for various meetings and seminars, including holding church services in the reconstructed Gothic chapel.

Entry to the castle grounds and Gothic chapel is free. The castle also has an onsite cafe with an outside terrace offering commanding views of Reichelsheim and the valley.


Free parking is available at the foot of the castle. From there you walk about 300 metres to the gate. If you wish to walk one of the hiking trails in the area, such as the R7 (19 km circular walk), you can join it here. There are also shorter walks available, and you can consult an Odenwald Club map or a map at one of the local nature car parks for further trail options.

Address:	Schloss Reichenberg 1, 64385 Reichelsheim (Odenwald), Germany, +49 (0) 6164 93060
Opening Times:	Courtyard and chapel only - anytime Interior buildings - groups by appointment only Cafe: Friday - Sunday, Holidays 14:00 - 18:00

Einhard's Basilica - Carolingian Architecture at its Finest

The Einhard Basilica lies in Michelstadt-Steinbach, a small suburb of Michelstadt and only a short distance from the Michelstadt train station. 

The Einhard Basilica (Einhardbasilika)

Completed in 827 by Einhard, Charlemagne’s biographer and court official, the basilica is one of the last and most well-preserved examples of Carolingian architecture to be found anywhere in Germany.  The basilica has three aisles with an east-facing main apse.  The masonry is in the Roman style and consists mainly of red sandstone, which you will quickly see is common to the area. Below the church is a cross-shaped crypt, which was probably constructed to house the remains of Einhard and his wife, though they were never laid to rest here.

In the basilica, you can find the faint remains of Carolingian and late Gothic wall paintings, as well as, later grave monuments from when the building was used as a monastery and convent.  There is also evidence that the basilica may have been built on top of a Roman ruin, as Roman remains, including a sandstone head of the Roman god, Mercury, have been found. 

It is obvious that Einhard had high-hopes for Michelstadt and the basilica as he had relics of St. Marcellinus and Peter brought to Michelstadt, presumably to make the area a place of pilgrimage.  The time of the relics in the town was short-lived, however, as they were relocated approximately 50 kilometres (31 miles) away to Seligenstadt, where Einhard had built another basilica.  It was in this basilica in Seligenstadt that Einhard and his wife were buried.

The removal of the relics and Einhard’s decision not to be buried in Michelstadt caused the Einhard Basilica to lose much of its importance, and it was not until almost 250 years after its construction that the monks of Lorsch, who had been given the basilica, created a provostship here.  In 1230, the basilica was transformed into a Benedictine monastery, and a short time later it became a convent before becoming a hospital in the 16th century, a function that ceased in about 1622. 

For around two hundred years, it appears the church was largely abandoned; however, in the mid-1800’s historians began to turn their attention to the basilica, recognizing the importance it had as an example of Carolingian architecture. Towards the end of the 19th century, restoration and preservation had already begun. The restoration work continued, and in 1967, the state of Hesse bought the basilica, continuing to ensure its conservation until the present day.   

Address: Schlossstrasse 17, 64720 Michelstadt-Steinbach, +49 (0) 6061 73 967, info@schloessen.hessen.de

Getting There: The basilica is a ten-minute walk from the Michelstadt train station.  On-site parking is available with a short walk to the basilica.

Opening Times:
April 01 - October 31: Tuesday - Sunday
All holidays, including Mondays

Entrance Fees:
Adult Single 3.50 euros
Group/Reduced 2.00 euros
Family Ticket 8.00 euros