The Forest of Legends
The Odenwald is an unpopulated region, reserved for centuries as an elite hunting domain. The myths and legends associated with the forest run through even the name, which may imply a connection to Odin and the old gods. The region is held together by the river Main, which forms its main axis of travel.
- Red-Sandstone from the Main Valley used throughout the region
- The Renaissance Architecture of Mainz and the Palatinate, as seen in Aschaffenburg, Breuberg and Mespelbrunn.
- The beautiful rolling landscape and ancient castle ruins in the interior
The Odenwald is a hilly, forested region that sits astride the Main Valley, as it cuts through the Rhön mountains. It has a rugged and densely forested landscape that largely prevented the region’s development.
Historically this meant that the Odenwald served as one of Europe’s largest hunting preserves, the exclusive domain of the Frankish, Carolingian, Salian, and Staufen Emperors, among others.
However, undeveloped does not mean there is nothing to see here. The city of Aschaffenburg was one of the main seats of power for the Prince-Archbishops of Mainz, and they turned it into a symbol of their strength. Enough survived WW2 to make it worth an afternoon trip. Many other palaces and castles of the Bishops dot the landscape. It was not just Mainz competing for control, the Dukes of Hessen-Darmstadt, the Counts of Erbach, and Rieneck, among others, all competed for the region’s wealth.
Hike: Lindenfels Loop
Lindenfels was once an important outpost of the Electoral Palatinate in the Odenwald. However, as the region declined in economic importance, so did the castle. Though it was not destroyed,…
Hike: The Lichtenberg Renaissance
The Renaissance Palace of Lichtenberg in the Fischbachtal Valley is one of the few preserved Renaissance estates of the Hessen Dynasty. Though only a few interiors have survived to the…
Hike: Breuberg Panorama
The Breuberg Castle is the Odenwald’s largest and most visually striking fortification. Built on a pinnacle of Basalt and Sandstone, the castle dominates the surrounding valley with its Renaissance bastions.…
Hike: The Otzberg Fortress
The Otzberg fortress was an outpost that traded hands between the Electoral Palatinate and Hessen. Though besieged many times, it was spared the targeted destruction faced by other regional castles.…
- Hype: 2.1
- Growth: 2.0
- Wealth: 8.9
- Recognition: 3.4
- Accommodation: 2.8
- Transportation: 4.0
- Ease of Planning: 8.0
- Infrastructure: 6.1
- Interactivity: 3.4
- Airport: No
- Historical Context: 4.5
- Monuments: 3.8
- Quality*: 5.0
- Landscape: 10
- Vineyards: 3.5
- Undiscovered: 3.5
- Cultural Immersion: 7.3
- Tradition*: 4.0
