Main-Tauber-Franconian Cycle Eight: Ostring 6th stage
- 2:35h
- 37.12 km
- 111 m
- 179 m
Continuing along the "Lovely Tauber Valley - The Classic" cycle route, your cycle tour takes you past Schäftersheim with its former Premonstratensian monastery across the state border into the Free State of Bavaria to Tauberrettersheim. In the wine village of Tauberrettersheim, the only remaining Tauber bridge by Balthasar Neumann, built in 1733, is a worthwhile photo motif.
The next destination is Röttingen. The state-approved resort is a wine and festival town and the town of sundials. In 1953, Röttingen was named "Germany's first European town" and boasts a historic town center surrounded by a medieval town wall with fortified towers.
Well-known sights such as the baroque town hall, the parish church of St. Kilian, Brattenstein Castle, the museum vineyard, the wine museum and the "Alte Schule" cultural center attract many visitors to Röttingen every year. Numerous leisure activities complete the offer, such as the Sundial Trail, the Kneipp Vitality Trail, wine hiking, the Paracelsus Garden, the Röttinger Hängepartie, the senior active trail and the local recreation area by the Mühlbach stream. Every year, from June to August, the courtyard of the medieval Brattenstein Castle forms a fantastically picturesque backdrop for the famous open-air theater - the "Röttingen Festival" for adults and children.
Up the Tauber, directly along the Tauber, you reach Bieberehren. Turn left in the center of the village to continue on the Gaubahn cycle path. However, a detour via Creglingen to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (alternative route) is also highly recommended.
You will reach Baldersheim on the former railroad line, which has been converted into a cycle path. From there, it is worth taking a detour to Aub, 2 km away, with its old Franconian townscape and the prince-bishop's hunting lodge. Tilman Riemenschneider created a valuable crucifixion group in the town's parish church. Also visit the Kunigunden Chapel on the "Altenberg", which is steeped in legend. From Aub in the Gollach Valley, the route continues via Gelchsheim and Gaukönigshofen to the destination of the sixth stage: Ochsenfurt. Here, at the southern tip of the Main triangle, you will come across a historic old town with an almost completely preserved medieval fortification with gates and towers. Ornate half-timbered houses and the new town hall with its lancet tower provide a picturesque backdrop for numerous festivals. The traditional costume and local history museum and the parish church with its statue of St. Nicholas by Tilman Riemenschneider are well worth a visit. With Ochsenfurt you have reached Mainfranken and with it the tourist vacation region "Franconian Wine Country".
Details
Month
Start point
Author tip
Public transit
By train to Weikersheim.
Directions
Gradients: gentle gradients from Bieberehren to Aub
Starting point: Weikersheim, market square
Distances:
Weikersheim - Röttingen (7.8 km)
Röttingen - Bieberehren (3.5 km)
Bieberehren - Baldersheim (Aub) (5.8 km)
Baldersheim - Gaukönigshofen (11.8 km)
Gaukönigshofen - Ochsenfurt (7.7 km)
Alternative: detour via Creglingen to Rothenburg (28 km)
Please allow an extra day for this.
Cycle route/marking: "Lovely Tauber Valley - The Classic" cycle route
Starting point: Bieberehren, old town hall (main road)
Distances:
Bieberehren - Klingen (3.8 km)
Klingen - Creglingen (3.2 km)
Creglingen - Rothenburg o.d.T. (21 km)
You should definitely not miss out on this detour. From the center of Bieberehren , continue up the Tauber on the "Liebliches Taubertal - Der Klassiker" cycle path and first reach Creglingen. A visit to the Herrgottskirche church with the Marian altar by Tilman Riemenschneider and the thimble museum opposite, which is unique in Europe, is a must.
The route continues along the River Tauber to the wine villages of Tauberzell and Tauberscheckenbach. You reach Rothenburg ob der Tauber via Bettwar and Detwang (another Riemenschneider altar). The beauty of Rothenburg and its surroundings was made famous by the poets and painters of the Romantic period. Visitors with an interest in art and architecture will be just as captivated by the enclosed medieval townscape high above the deeply incised Tauber Valley as by the rich, eventful history of the former Free Imperial City. In addition to the Gothic St. Jacob's Church with Tilman Riemenschneider's altar of the Holy Blood, the town hall, the fortifications with their battlements and the castle garden are among the outstanding sights. Numerous museums and other sights should be on your itinerary. Also worth mentioning are the festivals with the historic "Meistertrunk", the "Schäfertanz", the "Hans-Sachs-Spiele" and the performances in the Toppler Theater. Ask the "Liebliches Taubertal" tourism association or the Rothenburg Tourismus Service (RTS) for the dates. In Rothenburg, you can cycle back to Bieberehren on the "Liebliches Taubertal - Der Klassiker" cycle path and continue your cycle tour on the Main-Tauber-Franconian Cycle Eight.
Alternative: From Rothenburg back to the main route of the eastern ring via Waldmannshofen and Baldersheim (Aub) (28.3 km)
Cycle path/marking: regional cycle routes (some low-traffic municipal roads), additional "M-T-F" cycle figure of eight signs
Gradients: only slight gradients
Starting point: Rothenburg, railroad station
Distances:
Rothenburg o.d.T. - Adelshofen (8.8 km)
Adelshofen - Waldmannshofen (15.5 km)
Waldmannshofen - Aub (2.5 km)
Aub - Baldersheim (1.5 km)
Cycle from Rothenburg o.d.T. on the cycle path parallel to state road no. 2419 via Gattenhofen, Adelshofen, Großharbach, Equarhofen and Waldmannshofen to Aub. In Waldmannshofen, a visit to the fire department museum is worthwhile, as a unique collection of fire department history has been put together in the former moated castle with a great deal of idealism, which also arouses great interest among children. The former Pfründnerspital in Aub houses the unique Franconian Hospital Museum, which is well worth a visit.