Aschaffenburg, Schloss Mespelbrunn, Miltenberg, Amorbach, Wertheim

Top sights in the Bavarian Spessart-Main-Odenwald Region include Aschaffenburg, Schloss Mespelbrunn, Miltenberg, Amorbach, and Wertheim.

The German Spessart-Main-Odenwald region is in the far northwest of Bavaria and borders similarly named areas in the state of Hessen. In contrast to most other parts of Franken (Franconia) that have traditionally been governed by the bishops of Würzburg and Bamberg, most of this area was under the control of the very powerful archbishop of Mainz. He used much of the Spessart as his private hunting ground and as a result, the area has been sparsely populated.

Even today, the area has a relatively low population density despite its central location close to the geographical center of Germany. The only large town in the area is Aschaffenburg (70,000 inhabitants).

Two hundred years after the Spessart became Bavarian during the Napoleonic wars, the local accent is still more Hessian than Bavarian. It should not be too surprising, as Aschaffenburg is only half an hour’s drive from Frankfurt am Main and many locals commute daily to work in the Main metropolis.

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Sleeping and Eating in Aschaffenburg, Miltenberg, Amorbach, and Wertheim

Hotels and restaurants in Spessart towns such as Aschaffenburg, Miltenberg, Amorbach, and Wertheim are reasonably priced and cheaper than more popular German vacation and business centers.

Hotels in the Spessart-Main-Odenwald region are pleasantly cheap compared to more popular vacation regions in Bavaria. Most visitors speed through to larger centers such as Frankfurt am Main and Würzburg even though local hotels offer good value for money. Restaurants are plentiful to cater for the high number of day visitors from larger cities touring the area especially over weekends.

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Walking, Hiking, Cycling, Parachuting, Boating, and Wine Festivals

The lovely nature of the Spessart encourages outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, parachuting, and boating to balance cultural sightseeing and wine sampling.

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Historic Old Town, Castle Ruins, and Factory Shops at the Main and Tauber Rivers

Wertheim’s historic old town with romantic castle ruins towering over the confluence of the Main and Tauber Rivers mixes comfortably with cheap factory outlet shopping malls nearby.

photo credit: *kaetzchen

Wertheim’s medieval old town core with traditional half-timbered houses and church spires is on a narrow triangle of land between the confluence of the Main and Tauber Rivers. Wertheim’s castle ruins look down on the old town to complete Wertheim’s romantic panorama. Wertheim Village Outlet Shopping Mall is a premier destination in Germany for cheap discount brand-name fashion factory shops.

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A Medieval Town along the Main River in Bavaria, Germany

Miltenberg along the Main River has some of the best half-timbered buildings – many now hotels, shops, and restaurants – in Bavaria, Germany.

Miltenberg is a wonderfully beautiful little town that never suffered major war damage or town fires. Despite its lovely setting along a curve in the Main River, the main attractions are the wonderful half-timbered houses along its Haupstraße (Main Street) and the Mildenburg Castle ruins that towers over the old town. The half-timbered buildings of the Marktplatz (Market Square) form one of the most romantic settings in Germany.

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See the Benedikinerabteikirche St Maria (Benedictine Abbey Church)

Baroque churches, the Templer half-timbered house, and the Mutter Museums with teapots and the Sammlung Berger are the main attractions of Amorbach in Bavaria.

Amorbach in the Bavarian Spessart is famous for its marvelous Baroque churches and the odd Mutter Museum with its eclectic collection of teapots, modern art (Berger Collection), and coffins. The interior of the former Benedikinerabteikirche St Maria (Benedictine Abbey Church) is a Rococo masterpiece and the Stumm organ is the largest Baroque organ in existence. The Templarhaus is the oldest half-timbered house in Bavaria.

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An Easy Day Trip from Frankfurt am Main to a Jewel in the Spessart

Schloss Mespelbrunn in the Bavarian Spessart is an impossibly romantic castle surrounded by a wet moat. It is a popular day trip from Frankfurt am Main and easily reached by car.

Schloss Mespelbrunn is a true jewel in the heart of the Spessart. It is a Wasserschloss – a castle surrounded by a water-filled moat. Due to its hidden location in a quiet valley, it has never suffered any war damage. It is small but its location is impossibly romantic making it a great day-trip destination or a brief stop for drivers traveling along the Autobahn A3 between Frankfurt and Würzburg.

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Top Sights to See Include the Stiftsbasilika (Collegiate Church) and Park Schönbusch

Top sights to see in Aschaffenburg in addition to Schloss Johannisberg and the Pompejanum are the Stiftsbasilika and the lovely English landscape style Park Schönbusch.

Aschaffenburg’s most famous sights are the Renaissance Schloss Johannisberg (Palace Johannisberg) and the Pompejanum. However, the old town has some interesting streets and buildings too in addition to pleasant cafés and outdoor restaurants. Although most of old Aschaffenburg was destroyed in 1945, a number of half-timbered houses and classical facades survived. The highest concentration is in Dalbergstraße.

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Renaissance Schloss Johannisberg and the Pompejanum Are Top Attractions

The top sights so see in Aschaffenburg in Bavaria, Germany, are the Renaissance Schloss Johannisberg (Palace) and the Pompejanum on the banks of the Main River.

Aschaffenburg with a population of 70,000 is by far the largest town in the Spessart region. The area was probably settled in Celtic times but the earliest written reference is from the late Roman period in the 4th century. From the 10th to early 19th century, Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric of Mainz and the palace here served as a secondary residence. After the Napoleonic wars, it became part of Bavaria – mostly to prevent Prussia from expanding southwards. The main sights are the magnificent Late Renaissance Schloss, the Pompejanum, while the Stiftkirche and Park Schönbusch are also worth seeing.

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