Come and See Franconia
or, more precisely, the Morlesau/Ochsenthal part of the town of
Hammelburg
by the Franconian Saale river.
Hammelburg is situated in the very middle of
Germany,
which makes it a good point of departure for tours and trips
in all directions.
The central and yet very quiet location of
Morlesau/Ochsenthal makes our
„Haus am
Sodenberg”
an ideal location also for meetings of
family and friends.
Distances from our „Haus am Sodenberg:”
nearest motorway, 12 km;
EIB Erfurter Bahn, train stop at Morlesau, 1,5 km;
Nuremberg airport, Frankfurt Rhine-Main airport, approx. 120 km;
Morlesau, 1 km;
Hammelburg, 8 km;
walk to Hotel-Gasthof Nöth, 10 minutes.
Our Location
„Bavarian
Rhön“ nature reserve, southernmost end of the „land of open distances.” Direct
connection with the Main-Spessart nature reserve. The distance from our
doorstep to the Main-Spessart border is approx. 500 m.
Our house offers a unique panoramic view. On a clear day, even the TV and radio
tower on top of the Kreuzberg mountain is visible.
Your walks and hiking, cycling or mountain
biking tours can start
right from our doorstep.
The information folder about our holiday apartments contains
more proposals and detailed descriptions.
Here are some tentative suggestions:
A short walk of approximately thirty minutes around Ochsenthal at the foot of
the Sodenberg (nature trail).
Asphalted panoramic path to Diebach and along the Saale as far as
Hammelburg.
Through the forest to Weickersgrüben, down to the Rossmühle
(stop), along
the Saale to Morlesau (Gasthof Nöth) and back
to Ochsenthal.
Note that there is the railway line along the Saale for
your return trip.
A walk up the Sodenberg is an experience not to be missed. There are
several trails leading the hill, and the Gasthof Sodenberg is a stop for
recreation.
A walk along the top of the Sodenberg with a guide explaining the
geology and botany is a unique experience. You can also drive up the Sodenberg.
Walking - running
The region around Ochsenthal and the Sodenberg has no
through traffic, which makes it particularly suitable for walking and running.
There
is beauty in every season.
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Spring Admire nature |
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Pheasant’s eyes
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organize a |
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Autumn, when the mixed forest blazes in full color, is particularly
beautiful in our region. This is the time for walking and taking in the many
beauties of the scenery. If you
want to stretch your legs, take a walk along the Saale; How about wine
tasting in the vaulted cellar of the Gasthof Nöth? Arrangements can be made
for groups upward of twelve persons. |
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Winter at Ochsenthal |
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Locals chatting on a walk
in winter. |
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Beautiful scenery behind
our house. |
Winter sports. High Rhön range: down hill skiing and langlaufing.
Wasserkuppe mountain: sled course.
Bad Kissingen: ice rink.
There is a lot to be enjoyed in Franconia.
Recreation . Sports
. Relaxation
Wellness in Bad Kissingen:
KissSalis Thermal Baths – wellness,
recreation, fun and fitness.
Kneipp landscape at the
Luitpoldpark or the thorn house.
Fun, relaxation and recreation
for the whole family at the
Sinnflut Bath of Bad Brückenau.
Hammelburg
Municipal outdoor pool (heated)
with a 10 m jumping tower, a large lawn
and a beach volley ball facility with fine
quartz sand.
There is also an indoor pool for the cold
season.
Other Hammelburg
Sports Facilities
Vineyard tours
leading also to the „Strange Sculptures” of Hammelburg
(see
leaflet in holiday apartment).
Starting point for gliding and hang gliding, “an der „Kanzel”
(situated
above Hammelburg near the „Strange Sculptures“).
“Hohe Lanz” sports airfield:
powered flying and gliding, circling flights,
passenger flights
(see
leaflet in holiday apartment).
Tennis: Tennis courts and tennis hall, sports hall.
Squash and fitness center; track and field sports.
Bowling alley.
Sports around
Hammelburg
Fishing: Rossmühle (camping grounds).
Riding: Windheim.
Waterskiing: Thulba.
Tours by covered wagon and carriage:
Diebach, Forellenhof, inn with a beautiful view and a
pet zoo.
Golf: 18-hole golf course in Bad Kissingen.
Culture:
Ask for programs of events at the
Kurverwaltung or Tourist Offices
at the respective locations.
We will
be glad to inquire and seek to buy tickets on your behalf.
Festivals *
Theater * Concerts * Ballet *
Comedy * Dancing * Entertainment
*
Wining and Dining.
Bad Kissingen
Kurtheater with an exciting program.
„Kissinger
Sommer,” international festival between mid-June
and mid-July.
Rakoczy
Festival (last weekend in
July).
„Kissinger Winterzauber”
(Kissingen Winter Magic):
Festival in the fourth season between December and January.
Bad Kissingen:
Boat trip on the Saale river from Rosengarten to the
saltworks (in summer).
Near Bad Kissingen: „Klaushof, animal
park.“
Bad Brückenau: Cultural events.
SaaleMusicum:
A cultural event at a different place along the Saale every day in July/August.
Hammelburg:
Concerts at the Bavarian
Academy of Music.
Open-air stage at Saaleck Castle:
Performances by the „Spectaculum“ theater group.
kulturbunt Hammelburg offers a rich program of
entertainment throughout the year: comedy, movies, concerts, music, shows, dancing, theater.
Church music, gospel choirs, organ
recitals.
Würzburg: Mainfranken Theater.
Mozart Festival.
The Thuringian State Theater at Meiningen has afternoon performances on the schedule for which the EIB
railway company may arrange special trips.
FRANCONIAN
THEATER at
MASSBACH CASTLE.
Gemünden am Main: Scherenburg Festival (July / August).
Langenprozelten: „Spessartgrotte“ pivate theater. Program
for children and adults.
Wine
Festivals
*
Markets * Christmas Markets
Carnival Season in Franconia
* * *
Wining and Dining
Hotel Gasthof Nöth: The place to go for culinary
specialities in tune with the time of the year. Ask Ms. Elisabeth Spath for
suggestions for a menu and book one of the lavishly decorated tables.
* * *
There are many beautiful cities to
visit nearby, such as Würzburg, Fulda, Bamberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber,
Meiningen, Erfurt, Eisenach and the Wartburg, to name but a few.
Sightseeing tours to Bad Kissingen,
Bad Bocklet ( Aschach Castle), Bad Neustadt, Bad Brückenau, the High Rhön or the Spessart ranges.
Also the towns and villages in the
immediate vicinity have objects worth seeing.
How about a boat trip on the Main
river?
It is not possible, of
course, to make a complete list of suggestions of what you could do. However,
based on a pamphlet by the Franconian Tourist Association proposing
tours
around
Aschaffenburg,
Bad Kissingen,
Schweinfurt ,
Würzburg,
two tours may be
recommended:
Along the Main river to Würzburg and back
via Arnstein, Hammelburg
from Ochsenthal/Morlesau, Diebach, Waizenbach, Gräfendorf,
along the romantic
valley of the Saale as far as Gemünden am Main,
then along the Main to Lohr, Karlstadt, Würzburg.
Return
via Veitshöchheim, Maidbronn, Rimpar, Arnstein,
Hammelburg, Diebach –
Morlesau/Ochsenthal.
Diebach:
The old clerestories and,
especially, the restored “old church” are worth seeing.
Waizenbach: Moated castle, 1570.
Wolfsmünster: Renaissance castle.
Schönau monastery: Baroque
church (Madonna with child and the two sculptures of St. John from the studio of
Riemenschneider).
Gemünden am Main: Scherenberg castle ruins (Scherenburg Festival in July/August).
Lohr am Main: Spessart Museum, collection on the topic of „The
Forest and People.“
Karlstadt: Town wall, comfortable houses of middle class
families, Gothic townhall and municipal church (“St. Nicholas” by Tilman
Riemenschneider). The steep rock
on the other side of the river bears the remnants of the Karlsburg (destroyed
in 1525).
Zellingen/Retzbach: Retzbach
has a parish church built by Balthasar Neumann, a Catholic pilgrimage church
“Maria im Grünen Tal” (Mary in the Green Valley), and a half-timbered townhall.
Thüngersheim is a famous winemakers’ village with old houses and a
parish church built in the 16th/17th century.
Würzburg is the seat of the Lower Franconian district administration,
a bishopric, and university town, the center of Mainfranken. The former
bishop’s palace (“Residenz”) is a masterpiece of Baroque palace architecture
(1719 to 1745). It is now part of the world cultural heritage. St. Kilian’s cathedral (11th
century) contains two famous sculptures by Tilman Riemenschneider. Neumünster church boasts a sumptious Baroque facade by Johann Dientzenhofer. The former
cloister, the so-called “Lusamgärtlein”, is the place where Walther von der
Vogelweide was buried in 1230. The
“Haus zum Falken” (1751)
is the most splendid piece of private middle-class architecture. The old bridge
over the Main river is lined with
monuments of saints. The Marienberg Castle holds the Mainfränkisches Museum (works by Tilman Riemenschneider).
A stations-of-the-cross way leads up to the “Käppele”, a Baroque pilgrimage
church built by Balthasar Neumann 1745 to 1750, and painted by Mathias Günther
1752. Other memorable buildings are the old university (1582 to 1592) built
under Julius Echter, the Juliusspital (founded 1576, converted 1714 to 1791).
Follow
the B 27 road to
Veitshöchheim, a winemakers’ town with a summer palace of the prince
bishops in one of Europe’s most beautiful Rococo gardens.
Maidbronn: Tilman Riemenschneider’s last major work, “Mourning of
Christ”.
Rimpar: The parish church contains the
first major work by Tilman Riemenschneider, the tomb of Eberhard von Grumbach,
a knight who died in 1487. Palace restaurant.
Arnstein: Old town in the valley of the Wern
river, palace (1540 to 1544), St.
Nicholas
Church (17th
– 18th century), and the hospital (1713 to 1730).
Thüngen,
Stetten,
Eußenheim,
Gössenheim: (Homburg
castle ruins).
Höllrich: (moated castle, 16th century), past the Sodenberg (the highest elevation in the Saale valley),
Untereschenbach (Romanesque fortified church),
Altstadt Baroque monastery and Saaleck
castle.
Hammelburg, Diebach on to Morlesau and Ochsenthal.
* * *
A Tour of the High Rhön Range via Bad Kissingen
Ochsenthal/Morlesau, Diebach, Hammelburg,
Elfershausen, Bad
Kissingen, Münnerstadt,
Bad Neustadt,
Brendlorenzen, Unsleben, Mellrichstadt.
Ochsenthal/Morlesau, Diebach, Hammelburg, Elfershausen, Bad
Kissingen, Münnerstadt, Bad Neustadt, Brendlorenzen,
Unsleben, Mellrichstadt,
Ostheim v.d.R., Nordheim
v.d.R., Fladungen, Bischofsheim,
Oberweißenbrunn, Wildflecken,
Bad Brückenau,
Hammelburg, Diebach,
Morlesau/Ochsenthal.
Hammelburg: (see „Hammelburg link“).
Elfershausen: Side trip to the Trimburg castle ruin (minnesingers
Hugo von Trimberg und Süßkind).
Aura by the Franconian Saale, Euerdorf,
Bad
Kissingen: Bavarian
state spa situated on the Saale river. The modern, fashionable spa has an old
core of a Medieval small town, a market square with an old townhall, the St.
Jakobus’ church (1772 to 1775), the Heussleinscher Hof (1709), a three-wing
building by Johann Dientzenhofer (now used as the townhall), a thorn house, a
saltworks building with Bismarck’s apartment, a casino. In 1737, Balthasar
Neumann had the bed of the Saale
river moved in order to protect the wells of the spa. This enabled pharmacist
Anton Boxberger to discover the Rakoczy springs. Popular destinations of
excursions are the Bismarck
tower and the Wittelsbach tower as well as the Bodenlaube ruins. A trip by the
last existing four-horse coach from Bad Kissingen to Aschach castle is a
special experience. The “Kurbähnle,“ a street-based line of railwaylike cars,
is operated several times a day from Bad Kissingen up the Saale valley via
Hausen to Aschach (Late Gothic castle, 1559 to 1579, now containing the Graf
Luxburg Museum) and Bad Bocklet.
Bad Bocklet: Idyllic mineral and moor spa built in the style of Biedermeier, located in a vast area of
meadows and forests. Concerts and folklore events.
Bischofsheim: Small town situated at the foot of
the Kreuzberg. A side trip up the hill to the monastery at 928 m is worthwhile.
Kreuzberg Monastery: Pilgrimages to the holy mountain of the Franconians have a
long tradition. The present monastery church was consecrated in 1692. The
monastery’s brewery is famous for its beer.
You leave Bischofsheim on the Hochrhönstrasse and turn off to the left after 10
km. This part of the route conveys a unique impression of the Rhön
scenery.
Wüstensachsen: From here you stay on the B 284
road in the direction of Gersfeld for 3.5 km and then turn off to the right for
the Wasserkuppe mountain (950 m), the highest elevation in the Rhön. The view
from this vantage point is unique. When the weather is fine, there will always
be gliders in operation (German Glider Museum).
Via Abtsroda you
drive to Poppenhausen, turn off to the right, cross the federal highway
at Steinwand, reach Kleinsassen, go on to Langenbieber and return to the B 458
at Dipperz.
Fulda: Seat of a bishopric. In 754, St.
Boniface, the first apostle of the Germans, was buried here. The present
cathedral was built in 1704 to 1712 by the Bamberg court architect, Johann
Dientzenhofer. Below the choir, there is the Boniface crypt. North of the
cathedral there is the small St. Michael’s Chapel from Carolingian times
(circular building, 820 to 822,
long section 11th century). Construction of the palace was begun by
Johann Dientzenhofer in
1707. It consists of a Princes’ and an Emperor’s Hall and now contains the
Vonderau Museum. Its orangery is one of the highlights of Baroque palace
architecture. The former Michaelsberg Probstei is now the Bishop’s Palace.
On the B 27 you
pass through Kothen for
Bad Brückenau: This was once the summer residence of
the prince abbots of Fulda. Personal physician Schlereth discovered the steel
spring in 1747. The necessary spa buildings were added as time went on. In
1823, Leo von Klenze built the Kursaal by request of the Bavarian King, Ludwig
I.
You continue on the B 27
via Hammelburg, Diebach
to Morlesau/Ochsenthal.