A complete list of all the places I consider worth visiting.
| Destination | Type | Description | Score out of 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amorbach | Village and Monastery | The largest preserved monastery complex in the Odenwald, with some of the most spectacular Baroque churches in Germany. Also to see is the library and living quarters. The town is charming and surrounded by beautiful forests and ruins. | 2.5 |
| Aschaffenburg | City with Palaces | Though largely destroyed in the War, Aschaffenburg has enough left to make it a top destination. Visit the two main Palace museums, the church and cloister and the surviving cityscape. | 2.5 |
| Wertheim am Main | Town with Fortress Ruin and Church | The main sight is massive fortress ruin which extends into the hillside. The town also offers a charming cityscape and a beautiful set of churches. | 2.5 |
| Breuberg Castle | Fortress | One of the most interesting fortress ruins in Germany. It has a transitional style of early Renaissance defenses and a preserved Renaissance hall. | 2 |
| Lohr am Main | Town | Perhaps the most beautiful town on this part of the Main, full of half-timbered houses and home to one of central Germany's better beers, Keiler. | 2 |
| Mespelbrunn Palace | Palace | A palace you may have seen already in a google search for castle. The fairy tale castle with moat dates largely to the Renaissance and is somewhat difficult to reach, but it is worth the effort. | 2 |
| Bronnbach Monastery | Monastery | The other major preserved Monastery in the region, complete with church and intact living quarters. Significantly more of a challenge to reach than other places on this list. | 2 |
| Erbach | Village with Palace | A small town with a palace still owned by the family that built it. Its rather notable for the fantastic wooden ceiling of the main hall and its extensive collection of historical hunting arms. | 2 |
| Miltenberg | Town with Castle | A charming town on the Main with a castle overlooking the main street. Full of high-quality half-timbered houses and stone towers. | 2 |
| Babenhausen | Town with Castle | A beautiful village that is home to another Renaissance palace and fortification, though this one has been heavily modified over the centuries. Currently under renovation (for the past 50 years) and is unlikely to ever be open to the public. | 1.5 |
| Darmstadt | City | Not much survived the firebombing in 1944, but there is enough left to make it work a quick visit. | 1.5 |
| Gross-Umstadt | Town | A cute village with lots of palaces from every period of history. I would stop here for a visit to the Odenwald Winery Cooperative for a large selection of wine. | 1.5 |
| Michelstadt | Village | A charming village with a partially intact city wall and castle. It also has the ruins of an unfinished Carolingian basilica (it was moved to Seligenstadt) and a Renaissance palace still occupied by the family that built it. | 1.5 |
| Otzberg Castle | Castle | An interesting late Gothic castle with a high level of preservation | 1.5 |
| Kranichstein Palace | Palace | One of only two palaces of the Hesse-Darmstadt family to survive, and the one most accessible to the public. Has nice interiors and a weapons collection. | 1.5 |
| Braunshardt Palace | Palace | The other palace of the Hesse-Darmstadt Family. Only accessible on certain occasions, but has a rich interior of Rococo furnishings. | 1.5 |
| Rieneck | Castle and Village | Dynastic home of the Rieneck family, has a beautiful old town and a partially preserved castle. | 1.5 |
| Lindenfels | Village with Castle | A small village with a castle ruin | 1 |
| Alzenau | Town with Castle | A small town with a large castle, though neither are especially noteworthy. | 1 |
| Felsenmeer | Roman Ruins | The remnants of a glacier that dumped massive boulders along a hillside. This was found to be convenient for the Romans who used it extensively as a quarry. It was the source for the granite pillars in the Imperial Basilica of Trier. | 1 |
| Frankenstein Castle | Castle Ruins | Potentially the source for the name in Frankenstein in Frankenstein's monster. Probably not though. The ruin is quite substantial though heavily modified in the 19th century. | 1 |
| Freudenberg | Castle Ruin | A charming village and a substantial castle ruin from the High Middle Ages. | 1 |
| Großostheim | Village | A nice village with an interesting church | 1 |
| Klingenberg | Town | A nice town on the Main with some old town | 1 |
| Lichtenberg Castle | Castle | A large Renaissance palace nearish to Darmstadt, the interiors are apparently preserved, but getting a tour is nigh impossible. | 1 |
| Marktheidenfeld | Town | A nice town on the Main with some old town | 1 |
| Rodenstein Castle | Castle Ruin | A large castle ruin with some level of preservation | 1 |
| Schönau Monastery | Church | The remnants of what was once the most important Cistercian monastery in the region. | 1 |
| Stadtprozelten | Castle Ruin | A nice castle ruin above a cute village. Nice views of the Main valley. | 1 |
| Tannenberg Castle | Castle Ruins | This castle ruin is neat for the fact that it was the site of the first recorded uses of cannons in siege. It is one the most important archaeological sites for this period since the collapsed ruin was never excavated, leaving a treasure of artifacts behind. | 1 |
| Wildenberg Castle | Castle Ruin | Another important castle ruin, as it may be the familial seat of the Salian dynasty. It contains some of the earliest Salian-Romanesque architecture in Germany. | 1 |
| Dieburg | Town | A small village with bits of old town. Originally a Roman settlement the local museum has a nice Roman collection. | 0.5 |
| Gemünden | Village with Castle | A nice town with a castle, both were annihilated in WWII. | 0.5 |
Return to the Odenwald
Odenwald
A Forest of Legends