Between the Odenwald and the Tauber country lies the Bauland, a high, open plateau of limestone, cornfields and small villages that most travellers cross without slowing down. Just south of Götzingen, among fields and woodland edges between Buchen and Osterburken, are the remains of a Roman building on the line of the Upper Germanic Limes. It is not a grand ruin, more a footprint in the ground, but it belongs to one of the best documented stretches of the frontier, the section that runs straight as a ruler through this part of northern Baden-Württemberg.
Osterburken, six kilometres away, is the place to put it in context. The town had a substantial Roman fort with a later annexe, and its Roman museum displays finds from the frontier and the military bath house, preserved under a protective hall. The famous Mithras relief found at Osterburken in the nineteenth century, one of the most complete ever unearthed, now lives in the state museum in Karlsruhe, but the town makes good use of its Roman past. Buchen, a bit further, has a compact old centre with a gate tower and a strong Carnival tradition.
The landscape tells its own story. This is Grünkern country: spelt harvested half ripe and dried over beech smoke, a local speciality you will find in soups and patties in village inns. The fields roll in long waves, there are small chapels and wayside crosses at junctions, and in early summer the poppies and cornflowers run along the verges. Red kites hang over the stubble after harvest.
On a bike, the Bauland rewards anyone who likes flowing, empty B-roads. The roads between Seckach, Osterburken and Buchen are smooth and open, with long sighted bends over gentle crests where the next village church tower guides you in. Wind can be a factor on the exposed plateau, and in autumn early morning fog lies in the hollows until late, which also makes for lovely light once it lifts. Agricultural traffic and mud near field entrances are the main hazards. The Kirnau and Seckach valleys drop off the plateau with tighter corners for some variety.
For fuel, coffee and food go to Osterburken or Buchen; both are proper small towns with filling stations and bakeries. Seckach is a little closer and has the basics. There is nothing at the remains themselves, so treat it as a short walk from the road, a moment to look across the plateau and picture the line of towers and palisade running over the horizon.