Nature and romance - from Lohr to Gemünden

From Lohr railway station, go straight on along the small asphalted cycle path across the car park and continue along Walter-Senger-Straße. You cross the grounds of the Nägelsee sports centre and reach Jahnstraße. Keep to the right here and continue straight ahead until you reach Lohrtorstraße. You are now in the old town of Lohr with its historic half-timbered architecture.

Walk straight along Ottenhofstraße to Lohr Castle, passing the Old Town Hall and the tourist information office. The latter is located in the historic Kellereischeune, a half-timbered house from the 14th century. Good opportunity to stock up on information for the hike.

And not only that: On the way you will encounter various bakeries, e.g. Pappert's Bakery, where you are very welcome, for example for a breakfast at the start of your hike. The Pappert family can point to a bakery tradition dating back to the 16th century.
Now you are standing in front of Lohr Castle, a truly fairytale-like structure with its towers.

The Counts of Rieneck had the foundation stone for today's Lohr Castle laid around 1340. The building was initially a residential tower. Right next to it was the Bandhaus, a storehouse where wine was stored. Also in the immediate vicinity were the forester's lodge, a coach house and the cellar building. In the 15th century, a moat and a ring of walls were added to the complex. When the Electors of Mainz took over the castle in the 16th century after the death of the last Count of Rieneck, they used it from then on as the residence of the bailiffs appointed here. The castle gradually took on its present form. In 1814, it became the property of the Kingdom of Bavaria and was used as a district administration office until 1972.

According to local historian and honorary citizen of Lohr Karheinz Bartels (1937 - 2016), Maria Sophia Margareta von Erthal, who was born and raised in the castle in 1725, was the model for the fairy tale of Snow White, which the Brothers Grimm wrote down shortly after the young woman's death. The "Talking Mirror" - a product of the then Kurmainz mirror manufactory in Lohr - can still be seen today in the Spessart Museum.

The Spessart Museum has been located in the castle since 1972. Here history becomes an adventure. On four levels, the museum tells stories from the eventful history of the Spessart. It tells of high lords and have-nots, of robbers, forest workers and the most diverse historical trades. The theme of "man and forest" is central. Entertaining and informative, the exhibition appeals to all age groups. Audio guides in German, English and French accompany visitors on their journey of discovery through seven centuries in the Spessart.

From the castle, your path leads along the main street through the old town towards the Alte Mainbrücke bridge. In Fischergasse, you walk through one of the best-preserved medieval suburbs in Lower Franconia.

Once you have crossed the river on the Alte Mainbrücke, go down the steps to the right and join the cycle path. Your path now leads out of town and finally uphill on Franz-Kraus-Straße towards the forest. You will walk through the Romberg nature reserve on this section of the trail. The sandy dry grassland that grows here is home to special flora and fauna. For example, specimens of the now rare bull beetle still live here.

When the path forks, keep left and turn left at the next crossroads. You pass the sports facilities of the SV Sendelbach, cross the country road and finally follow the cross path that leads gently uphill. Finally, you will reach the pilgrimage church of Mariabuchen, a very special place, via a staircase with stone steps downhill.

The pilgrimage church of Mariabuchen was built at the end of the 17th century and is located in a lonely valley on the edge of the Spessart Mountains.600 years ago, according to legend, a pious shepherd from Sendelbach carved a figure representing the Mother of God with her dead son. He placed this in the knothole of a beech tree, where the figure grew in over time and became a pilgrimage destination.

Despite the church building, monastery and inns, Mariabuchen has preserved the atmosphere of the beech tree. The beech church is an appealing, well-designed place of worship, colourfully and picturesquely inserted into the landscape. Its richly shaped onion dome stretches "full of glory" over the green treetops towards the sky. The interior of the church, richly decorated in Baroque style, is a place of contemplation for pilgrims. The harmonious embedding of the church in the surrounding nature reinforces the balancing and peaceful impression of the entire ensemble.

The neighbouring Buchenmühle Inn is a wonderful place to stop for a bite to eat. (Tel.: 09352 87990)

At the signpost, follow the steps downhill, turn right onto the road and pass the inn in the direction of Halsbach. Your path continues through the forest and between fields and finally through Rettersbach. At the bus stop, first take the right-hand path, then after about 40 metres at the fork, take the left-hand path towards the edge of the forest. A section of rather open landscape follows between fields and along the edge of the forest. After about 900 metres, turn left in front of a piece of forest and walk along the edge of the forest again, this time heading north.

After about 800 metres, you pass under electricity pylons and continue north towards the country road, which you cross and then continue walking north with a small sideways turn to the right.
In Halsbach, take a sharp right behind the sports field, follow the signpost and cross the Höllgraben. Now your path always runs parallel to the Ziegelgraben, which you cross behind the Veitenmühle. Now follow the path further north, through the forest and finally uphill in serpentines. The ascent is rewarded at the Schönrain ruins with a magnificent view and romantic atmosphere.

Schönrain Ruin is located on a mountain spur, about 200 m above the Main River. The exposed location of the historically significant ruin offers a magnificent view of the Main valley. The foundation of the former Benedictine monastery is dated to around 1080.

The monastery on Schönrain was repeatedly influenced by the Counts of Rieneck during the following 400 years. These were also appointed as patrons of the monastery as a result of disputes between the monks and the peasants of the surrounding area. With the Peasants' War in 1525, monastic life came to a violent end. Probably on the way to Würzburg, a band of peasants burned down Schönrain. Due to a lack of money, the monastery was not rebuilt and was sold to Philipp III of Rieneck, who had a residential castle built. The monastery church also disappeared in the following years. After the death of the last count in 1559, his wife Margarete lived at Schönrain until 1574, which she occupied as a widow's residence. At the end of the 18th century, Schönrain was the official seat of the diocese of Würzburg. When the diocese was dissolved, the complex fell into disrepair. Since the beginning of the last century, conservation measures have safeguarded its existence.

Today, in addition to numerous wall remains and fragments of the former outbuildings and enclosures, it is above all the outer walls of the three-storey residential castle that have been preserved. The ornamental two- and three-part windows of the castle are designed as profiled simple curtain arches. The round stair tower, which has also been preserved, can be accessed up to the top floor.

From the Schönrain ruins, take a sharp right into the hollow path and follow the forest road straight ahead. After just under 1.5 km, you will pass the monastery spring, which lies to the left of your path. The monks of Schönrain Monastery once had to fetch their water from here, as the only disadvantage of the exposed location on the mountain spur above the Main was the lack of any access to water.
Continue straight ahead, the path turns into an asphalt path in the direction of Massenbuch. Before you reach the village, take a sharp left at the first transmission mast and walk downhill along the hedge. As soon as you reach the forest road, turn left into the forest. After about 400 metres, the path forks, take the one on the right and continue to keep to the right in a northerly direction. The path leads quite steeply downhill through the forest and out of the forest, across a road and almost directly towards the Main bridge Gemünden.

Once you have crossed the Gemünden Main bridge, keep to the right. You will cross another two bridges, over the Franconian Saale and over the Mühlbach. Now you come directly to the market square Gemünden am Main.

The Three Rivers City was first mentioned in a document in 1243. The old town around the market was extensively and prudently renovated and rebuilt in the 1980s. Gemünden am Main was the most heavily destroyed small town in Bavaria towards the end of the Second World War. The parish church of St. Peter and Paul was reconstructed between 1948 and 1950. Today, the market square is once again characterised by the late Gothic parish church, half-timbered facades and the town hall.

Not far from the market square is an important and rare example of bourgeois horticulture: the Ronkarz Garden. It was built between 1830 and 1845 with red sandstone retaining walls by Heinrich Ronkarz and has been a listed building since 1989. It is divided into a 40m-high staircase, three terraces and the outer castle garden.

The Mühltorturm, the Eulenturm, the Hexenturm and the remains of the old town wall bear witness to the medieval town boundaries. Other highlights of Gemünden are the ruins of the Scherenburg castle high above the old town, from whose inner courtyard you can enjoy a magnificent panoramic view over the Main valley, and the Huttenschloss castle built in 1711.

Before you make your way to the station and on your way home, you may feel like fortifying yourself with a good meal after this varied hike. You will find the Ratsschenke on the market square. Except on Wednesdays, when the restaurant is closed, you can choose from a wide range of dishes. A few steps away from the market square in the direction of the railway station you will find the Fränkischer Gasthof and a few steps further on the Pizzeria Al Leone. So a successful end to the day with a good meal is guaranteed. From the market square it is just a short walk to the station.

Gemünden, by the way, is an important regional hub for Deutsche Bahn. This means that you can get on well from here in many directions.