Dream Tour Marktbreit - Obernbreit

From the station square, turn left and cross the railway tracks in a southerly direction.

From the Einheimer Steige road, choose the turnoff to the left and now hike along the edge of the forest and along fields towards the east and towards Obernbreit.

You are already walking a little uphill here and with a beautiful view far into the landscape of the Maindreieck.

After about two kilometres, you will pass the Galgenbergbrünnle, which is surrounded by small walls, is somewhat hidden in the grass and has a little water.

If you follow the road straight on, you will reach the Obernbreit cemetery, at the end of which you will stand in front of the Kreuzkapelle. This was a place of pilgrimage centuries ago.

The first documented mention of the chapel is in 1301, here still as "Church of the Holy Cross". It served as a pilgrimage chapel. In 1584, the cemetery was laid out around the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The cemetery around the parish church in the centre of the village was closed. In 1590, the new churchyard received its gate. In 1595, the little church was renovated, the nave was raised and Gothic tracery windows were inserted. The entrance was moved to the north side, perhaps due to the installation of a new gallery.

On 25 July 1699, the church bell rang for the first time in the Obernbreit cemetery. In 1716, the church received an organ. In 1783, the cemetery was extended by about 1,000 square metres and walled in. In 1961 the cemetery chapel was renovated again and in 1974 the electric ringing system was installed.

On 5 and 6 March 1942, the bell of the cemetery chapel, together with two bells of the parish church cast in 1892, had been confiscated by the Nazi rulers for the war economy. Only the cemetery bell returned on 21 September 1947 and was led in solemn procession to the cemetery chapel.

Between 2009 and 2010, the chapel was once again thoroughly renovated and restored.

After crossing under the railway line, you will reach Enheimer Straße in the village of Obernbreit. Follow the road until you can turn left into Kirchgasse. A little further ahead you will find Obernbreit's former synagogue.

In 1748, the Jewish religious community of Obernbreit built a synagogue and used it until the dissolution of the community in 1911. The following year, the building was sold and changed owners six times in the course of 100 years.

It was used as a barn, repair workshop and storage room. Each user rebuilt it to suit their needs, removing parts and installing new ones. A large opening was broken into the southern façade to allow large agricultural equipment to enter, the cellar neck above the entrance to the mikvah was filled in to gain space, and the floor was given a thick concrete covering. A mezzanine floor was added so that almost nothing on the inside or outside of the building reminded anyone of a synagogue.

In painstaking research work, the interior of the former synagogue could be partially reconstructed. Records from an old family chronicle as well as research within the framework of a doctoral thesis were helpful here.

An old wedding stone (chuppa stone) in the shape of a Star of David was found in the walls of the synagogue. The original mikveh, the ritual bath, was uncovered in 2007 and is unique in Lower Franconia in this state of preservation.

You cross the village in a northerly direction, pass the market square and the sculpture "Hucklkätz" in front of the town hall, which is a reminder of Obernbreit's former village life.

On the Kitzinger Straße you walk out of the village again. Here the road now climbs well uphill.

In the middle of Obernbreit's wine-growing area, you will reach the "Obernbreiter Kanzel" (Obernbreit Pulpit) via the Rebsortenweg (vineyard path). Wine has been grown here for centuries. From the viewing platform of the pulpit you have an impressive view into the Breitbach valley and over to the Steigerwald.

A little further on, a view of the Schwanberg is impressive.
Past meadow orchards and in the shade of the forest, the path crosses the Schwedengraben.

Now you hike above Marktbreit with a wonderful view of the Main, especially from the hill of the St. Moritz Chapel.

Via the stairs at the Stutz, you enter Marktbreit again. Where the Kapellensteige meets the Bachgasse, near the town hall, is the Malerwinkelhaus museum.

The Malerwinkelhaus, situated on the Breitbach and originally dating back to the 17th century, forms a unique ensemble with the Main Gate, which was built around 1600.

While the building served for centuries as a general shop and commercial building, it has housed the Malerwinkelhaus Museum of the town of Marktbreit since its restoration in 1991. It houses the social and cultural history permanent exhibition "Frauen-Zimmer. Lebensstationen in einer fränkischen Kleinstadt" and the permanent archaeological exhibition "Römerkabinett".

Changing special exhibitions on cultural-historical topics complement the programme.

After a few steps you have reached Marktbreit's town hall.

The Renaissance-style town hall was built in 1579/81 according to plans and under the guidance of the stonemason and master craftsman Hans Keesenbrod from Segnitz.

Marktbreit was an important trading centre between Würzburg and Regensburg in the Middle Ages.
The house was a multifunctional building, with a market hall in the basement, council chamber and consistory chamber on the upper floor.

On the corner, as well as on the gable end, rises the statue of the knight St. George killing the lindworm with his lance as a landmark of the market town. The statue of St. George on the gable was the symbol of the customs right for shipping on the Main and was visible to the boatmen on the river from afar. The statue at the corner of the town hall symbolised market justice. On the first floor is the festival hall and the richly paneled former council hall, now the wedding hall.

Now follow Marktstraße southwards and you will reach Schlossplatz, where you will stand in front of Seinsheim Castle.

The Seinsheim Palace was built in 1580 for the imperial and prince-bishop councillor Georg Ludwig von Seinsheim (1514 - 1591). It was a representative building in the style and spirit of the Renaissance.

From 1865, Seinsheim's castle became Schwarzenberg's official residence with the seat of the district administrator. After a renovation in 1994, today there is a café and a wine bar on the ground floor and the municipal library and the municipal archives on the ground floor.

Through Bahnhofstraße you reach Marktbreit station.

It is recommended to stop off at the excellent Marktbreit gastronomy. For example, the restaurant directly in Marktbreit Castle, where you can enjoy seasonal and Franconian cuisine.

Or you can stop off in Bahnhofstraße at the Fränkischer Hof restaurant, where a selection of hearty and refined dishes awaits you.