Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur and Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
320 km
Riding-time estimate
5 h 30
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.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Osterburken it runs 320 km to Osterburken; allow about 5 h 30 of riding. It goes by way of Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35, Murrhardt civil settlement northern part, Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh and Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur
Osterburken is a small town in the Bauland of northern Baden-Württemberg, and the Romans left it one of the most interesting fort sites on the Upper German Limes. The fort here was built in the second century AD, when the frontier was moved forward, and it had an unusual annex fort added later, with walls that ran down the slope toward the stream, making it one of the few double fort complexes on the Limes. Large sections of the walls have been excavated and conserved, and the Roman museum next to the site displays finds from the fort and the civil settlement. The Upper German-Raetian Limes became a UNESCO site in 2005.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur is where the day begins. Next is Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35.
2. Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35
Öhringen had not one but two Roman forts, known today as the Bürgkastell and the Rendelkastell, both on the Upper Germanic Limes, which ran past the town on its way south. The watchtowers numbered here were part of that frontier, and the town grew partly on the remains of the Roman settlement that clustered around the forts. Little is visible above ground, but finds are displayed in the local museum, and the line of the Limes can be followed on foot or by bike through the surrounding countryside.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 comes up about 42 km into the recorded legs. Next is Murrhardt civil settlement northern part.
3. Murrhardt civil settlement northern part
Murrhardt lies in the valley of the Murr, deep in the Swabian-Franconian Forest northeast of Stuttgart, a hilly, densely wooded region of streams, mills and small villages that feels a long way from the industrial heartland just to the west. The Romans built a fort here on the Limes, the frontier that ran through these forests from north to south, and a civil settlement grew up around it. The northern part of that settlement lies under parts of the modern town, and while there is little to see, the town's museum displays Roman finds, and the frontier through these woods is protected by its World Heritage status.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 82 km into the recorded legs you reach Murrhardt civil settlement northern part. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh.
4. Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh
On the southern edge of Schwäbisch Gmünd, near the Schirenhof farm, the outline of a Roman fort and the foundations of its bath house lie in the grass, with walls and hypocaust heating systems laid out for visitors to see. The fort guarded the point where the Upper Germanic Limes met the Raetian Limes, the two great frontier lines of Roman Germany, and a civilian settlement grew up around it. The site is part of the UNESCO Frontiers of the Roman Empire, and it is one of the more rewarding Limes stops in Baden-Württemberg, with visible remains and a lovely setting above the town.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh, about halfway. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard.
5. Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard
A Roman cohort fort once stood where Murrhardt's streets now run, on the Upper Germanic Limes as it cut south through the forest toward Welzheim, and a civilian settlement of traders, craftsmen and soldiers' families grew up around it. Some remains have been found under the town, and the local museum tells the story. The Romans left, but the site remained attractive, and in the early Middle Ages a monastery was founded here, associated with Saint Walterich, a hermit whose small chapel, the Walterichskapelle, is a jewel of late Romanesque architecture.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh comes up about 199 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Murrhardt civil settlement northern part.
7. back through Murrhardt civil settlement northern part
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 320 km.
Leg by leg
Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur to Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35
Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur → Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 to Murrhardt civil settlement northern part
Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 → Murrhardt civil settlement northern part is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Murrhardt civil settlement northern part to Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh
Murrhardt civil settlement northern part → Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh to Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard
Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh → Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard to back through Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh
Fort site and civil settlement of Murrhard → back through Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh to back through Murrhardt civil settlement northern part
back through Fort site and civil settlement of Schirenh → back through Murrhardt civil settlement northern part is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Murrhardt civil settlement northern part to back through Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35
back through Murrhardt civil settlement northern part → back through Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 to Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur
back through Watchtowers WP 9/33 to 9/35 → Fort site and civil settlement of Osterbur is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.