Fortlet Wingertsberg and Ruine Altenmuster

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Fortlet Wingertsberg

   Wingertsberg is a low hill on the western edge of the Vogelsberg, near the small town of Hungen in Hesse, and the Roman fortlet that stood here was one of a series of small outposts along the Wetterau Limes. A fortlet held perhaps a few dozen men, enough to watch the line and signal to the main forts. Little survives above ground, so the interest lies mostly in knowing that the frontier ran here, across fields that are now ploughed in neat rows and crossed by farm tracks and cycle paths.

   Read the complete Fortlet Wingertsberg write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Fortlet Wingertsberg is where the day begins. Next is Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens.

2. 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.

   Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   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 68 km into the recorded legs. Next is Ruine Altenmuster.

3. 3. Ruine Altenmuster

   Lorsch Abbey, founded in the eighth century, became one of the most powerful monasteries of the Carolingian empire, with vast estates, a famous library and the patronage of Charlemagne himself. Its first home, however, was not on the site of the later abbey, but a short distance away, on an island in the Weschnitz river, a place known as Altenmünster, the old minster. The ruins of that first foundation, a few low walls in a meadow, are a quiet counterpoint to the abbey's most famous building, the Torhalle, a gatehouse with a façade of red and white stone panels, one of the few surviving examples of Carolingian architecture. The abbey and Altenmünster together have been on the UNESCO list since 1991.

   Read the complete Ruine Altenmuster write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 148 km into the recorded legs you reach Ruine Altenmuster. Next is back through Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens.

4. 4. back through Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Fort site and civil settlement of Seligens, late in the day. Next is Fortlet Wingertsberg.

5. 5. Fortlet Wingertsberg

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Fortlet Wingertsberg write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Fortlet Wingertsberg. That is the ride.