Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel and Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
176 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 33
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Hammersbach it runs 176 km to Hammersbach; allow about 2 h 33 of riding. The stops in between: Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens, Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb, Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe and back through Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb. The line favours views over speed.
Scenic road chapters
German Fairy Tale Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 36 km this is German Fairy Tale Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
Length
36 km
Named road
German Fairy Tale Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel
Marköbel is a village in the eastern Wetterau, the fertile plain north east of Frankfurt, and it stands on the site of a Roman fort that guarded the frontier where it crossed this open country. The fort, with its civilian settlement, the vicus, where merchants, craftsmen and soldiers' families lived, was part of the Upper German Limes, and today little remains above ground, but the village streets still follow parts of the old layout, and a reconstructed section of the frontier and markers explain the history. It is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel is where the day begins. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens.
2. Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens
Seligenstadt is one of those Main valley towns where every era has left something on the table. The Romans came first: here the frontier of the Upper German-Raetian Limes ran along the river itself, and a fort with a civilian settlement around it guarded the Main crossing. The fort site lies under the old town, so you are walking over it rather than looking at it, but the logic of the place is obvious when you stand by the water. The river was the border, the road and the supply line all at once.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens comes up about 36 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb.
3. Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb
For one stretch of the Roman frontier in Germany, the soldiers did not need to build a wall at all. Between Großkrotzenburg and Miltenberg, the Main river itself served as the border, the so-called wet Limes, guarded by a chain of forts along its western bank. Niedernberg, a village on the river just below Aschaffenburg, was one of them, with a fort and a civilian settlement beside it. Little survives above ground today; the remains lie beneath fields and houses. But the Main still flows past, broad and slow, and it is easy to picture patrol boats and soldiers watching the far bank. The site is part of the Upper German-Raetian Limes World Heritage listing.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 58 km into the recorded legs you reach Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe.
4. Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe
Miltenberg is one of those German towns that seem almost too pretty to be real, with half-timbered houses leaning over the cobbled streets, a market square sloping down toward the river, a castle on the hill above and the Main flowing slowly past. The Romans were here first. Two forts guarded this point on the frontier, one near the old town and another to the east, where the Limes left the river and ran overland through the Odenwald, and the sites, with their civilian settlements, are part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire. A museum in the town displays finds from the forts.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb sits at 112 km, about halfway. Next is back through Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens.
6. back through Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens comes up about 139 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel closes the day.
Leg by leg
Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel to Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens
Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel → Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens to Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb
Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens → Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb to Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe
Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb → Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe to back through Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb
Fort site and civil settlement of Miltenbe → back through Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb to back through Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Niedernb → back through Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens to Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens → Fort site and civil settlement of Marköbel is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.