The Hessian or South Hessian Ried is the Hessian part of the Upper Rhine Plain between the Rhine and Mountain road, as well as between Main and Lampertheim. It is in the city square Mainz, Darmstadt or. Mannheim and Heidelberg. The region is home to many commuters from the Rhine Main Area and the Rhine-Neckar area.
But the region also has something to offer in terms of tourism. Cycle tourists in particular are discovering the advantages of the mild, flat region more and more.
background
The plains used to be criss-crossed by the meanders of the Rhine, Neckar and Main rivers, they were swampy and hit by heavy floods. Only with the regulation of the Rhine and Weschnitz could it be used for arable farming. From 1925 it was drained by the general staff. Today the rain-poor area has to be artificially irrigated, as the groundwater level has fallen sharply due to the erosion of the Rhine and the abstraction of groundwater.
In addition to agriculture, gravel is mined in many places. Resistance is spreading against the planned 131 hectare gravel lake south of Hessenau. Most of the time, the view of the lakes is obstructed and blocked off. The older gravel ponds are mostly closed and fenced off by weekend houses and fishing clubs.
Regions
- Rhine valley, Hessian part
- Mountain road, Hessian part
places
Cities and villages worth seeing:
- 1 Darmstadt
- "Capital" of southern Hesse, Mathildenhöhe. - 2 Gernsheim - with Rhine harbor and promenade.
- 3 Ginsheim-Gustavsburg - Altrheinarm, Altrheininsel Nonnenau and Mainspitze (mouth of the Main) with a view of Mainz.
- 4 Gross-Gerau - District town with lovingly restored half-timbered houses and historic town hall from 1578.
- 5 Lorsch with Benedictine monastery (is a World Heritage Site).
Cities worth seeing in the Bergstrasse with districts in the Hessian Ried:
- 6 Bensheim with a pretty old town, Auerbach Castle, Melibokus and the Fürstenlager State Park.
- 7 Heppenheim with a cozy half-timbered old town and the Starkenburg.
- 8 Zwingenberg - small old town, mountain Melibokus.
Other goals
- Mountain road - The Bergstrasse limits the Hessian Ried to the east Odenwald. Numerous castles "populate" the mountains. In spring, when the almond and fruit trees are in bloom, walks through the vineyards are particularly rewarding. But autumn is also colorful here, when the leaves of the vines change color.
background
The Rhine, Neckar and Main flowed through this country in prehistoric times and changed their course again and again. For example, the Neckar temporarily flowed into the Rhine at Ginsheim and the Main also made a southerly swerve and also flowed into the Rhine at Ginsheim. Today's narrow moats are evidence of the former river courses. The Rhine regulation began almost 200 years ago, causing the river to deepen and thus enabling drainage of the reed, which has been used for intensive arable farming ever since. Only a few of the many floodplains are left, but they are now under nature protection. The largest floodplain area is the Kühkopf and the Knoblochsaue.
The danger of flooding has been averted today with a continuous dike with a concrete wall 8 meters deep and pumping stations. The water, which no longer spreads, now has to flow faster in the direction of Cologne and in 1993 and 1995 caused millions in damage in the lower reaches. The old towns of Koblenz and Cologne were under water, the Hessian Ried remained dry.
getting there
By train
The Hessisches Ried can be easily reached by train. The runs in north-south direction Riedbahn centrally through the region. With the Regional Express Frankfurt - Mannheim there is a connection to the ICE connections in both major cities.
On the eastern edge of the reed accompanies the Main-Neckar Railway from Frankfurt am Main via Darmstadt and Bensheim to Heidelberg the mountain road.
In the street
Two motorways - A 67 and A 5 open up the Hessian Ried.
By bicycle
- At the southern bank of the Main from the Mainspitze Mainz-Gustavsburg to Rüsselsheim. The lock at Bischofsheim offers a stairway transition to the north side of the Main; also about 1 km east of it the A671 motorway bridge. Between Rüsselsheim am Main and Kelsterbach there are several industrial areas to be avoided. However, the oil port between Raunheim and Kelsterbach has been passable by means of a pedestrian and cyclist bridge since 2013.
- Rhine cycle route - right by the Kühkopf and the Knoblochsaue after Ginsheim-Gustavsburg and Mainz-Kastel.
- Hess. Long-distance cycle route R6: From Waldecker Land into the Rhine Valley - From Mainz-Gustavsburg train station, you almost always walk along the finely graveled Rhine dam and also on the inside of the dike foot on an asphalt path. On the Knoblauchsaue, the long-distance cycle path leads through the Nature reserve and again over two old Rhine bridges through the Kühkopf. It continues to Lampertheim.
- Hess. Long-distance cycle route R8: Westerwald - Taunus - Bergstrasse - from Frankfurt-Höchst, on Darmstadt past and along the mountain road.
- Rhine Valley Path - from the south to Heppenheim
- Bike route The mountain road - from Darmstadt above Zwingenberg, Bensheim, Heppenheim to Heidelberg.
- Hess. Long-distance cycle route R9: From the Rhine to the land of the Nibelungs - in the south of Worms above Lorsch to Bensheim.
Tourist Attractions
- Nature reserves:
- Kühkopf-Knoblochsaue - The largest floodplain protection area on the Upper Rhine (2369 ha) is located approx. 20 km west of Darmstadt. There are many hiking and cycling opportunities and two garden bars on the Rhine island of Kühkopf, which was a peninsula before the Rhine breakthrough 184 years ago.
- Biedensand - Altrheinschleife at Lampertheimthat invites you to go for walks and hikes.
- Peat chewing spell wood from Dornheim-Wolfskehlen (150 ha) - Altneckar bed.
- Large gold ground near Hessenaue (130.5 ha) - floodplain forest, oxbow lakes, swamp and reed zones and floodplain grassland in the Rhine floodplain area.
- Alluvial forest Hohenaue (95 ha) - alluvial forest, reed beds, meadows between summer and winter dykes.
- Hammer Aue von Gernsheim and Groß-Rohrheim (215 ha) - hardwood floodplain forest with oak-elm forests, softwood floodplain forest with willow bushes and white willow stands, pollarded willows, grassland communities, tall herbaceous meadows and Hammerau Old Rhine.
- Ginsheimer Altrheinufer with the restored crane and the ferry "Johanna".
- Old Rhine island of Nonnenau near Ginsheim-Gustavsburg.
- Mönchsbruch hunting lodge - is located in the forest area of the same name in the northern reed. The castle is, among other things. used gastronomically (info).
- Pilgrimage Church of Maria Einsiedel - is located south of Gernsheim and can be easily integrated into a bike tour. Location: 49 ° 44 ′ 16 ″ N.8 ° 30 ′ 13 ″ E; See bike path map below.
- Gernsheim ferry and harbor promenade - is a very popular destination for a bike excursion. There are places to stop and you can ferry and watch the shipping traffic on the Rhine. Location: 49 ° 45 ′ 12 ″ N.8 ° 28 ′ 31 ″ E
- Arrival aids: Cycle route map around Gernsheim; City map Gernsheim (both in PDF format, printout on A4 possible)
- Lament installation in Nauheim
- monastery Lorsch
- Riedsee at Leeheim - Former gravel quarrying, today an outdoor swimming pool and campsite. The north-west bank is freely accessible, as is the adjoining South Sea, but the view is obscured by bushes.
- Riedsee at Biblis - Former gravel quarrying, now a surfing and recreational lake
- Schwarzbachaue with Trebur in the original bed of the Altneckar.
- Wildlife park at the Jägersburg waterworks of the Riedgruppe Ost - You can see wild boar, red deer, fallow deer and mouflon. Entry to the small game reserve, which is open all year round, is free. As a donation, you can buy feed at the machine that can be fed to the animals. The park is a nice destination for families. The waterworks in the Jägersburger Wald can also be easily reached by bike. Location: 49 ° 42 '32 "N.8 ° 31 '25 "E
activities
Here is a view of spring near Bensheim-Schwanheim. By the way, in the background is the Melibokus to see.
To go biking
The Hessian Ried is ideal for cycling. There are many traffic-free agricultural and forestry paths that invite you to cycle. Most local and regional routes are signposted. However, the quality of the signs varies depending on the city and municipality. Therefore, it makes sense to have a cycling map with you.
Under literature there are two very detailed cycling maps that cover the entire South Hessian Ried almost on a city map scale.
The Rhein-Main transport association has published 2 free leaflets with a description and detailed map for the Hessian Ried. The routes are signposted. Description and map of route 3 "between Mainspitze and Mönchbruch" and route 10 "Through the Hessian Ried between Groß-Gerau and Kühkopf" are on the RMV page "Rhine-Main Pleasure" to find.
Swimming
There are many quarry ponds in the Rhine valley, some of which are used as bathing lakes. People like to visit, for example
- Biblis recreational lake with a large sandy beach and surf school · Tel .: 06245/7769 · and the
- Riedsee near Leeheim, which with 24 hectares was also created by gravel mining.
- LampertheimBiedensand baths - Indoor swimming pool, outdoor swimming pool and bathing lake
In addition, there are generous ones in some cities and towns Outdoor pools, as in
- Lorsch Tel .: 06251 - 57368 or in
- Bürstadt Tel .: 06206 - 75802
- Viernheim - Outdoor swimming pool: Tel .: 06204 - 912524, indoor swimming pool: Tel .: 06204 - 989231
- Stockstadt am Rhein - outdoor pool -heated-
miscellaneous
- hikes - e.g. B. in the floodplain protection areas on the Rhine (see section Tourist Attractions)
- Boat tour with the Primuslinie, the Frankfurter Schifffahrtsgesellschaft from Mainz / Wiesbaden over the Rhine to the Erfelder Altrhein. Here the Kühkopf is circled (no shore leave). On the way back there is a 2 ½ hour stop in Oppenheim; For information see www.primus-linie.de.
kitchen
Strawberries and asparagus are a specialty from the Hessian Ried.
security
There are no particular abnormalities in terms of crime.
You should only be prepared for increased attacks by mosquitoes from the end of May, especially in the floodplain areas.
climate
- Weather forecast - Weather station "Bensheim" of Meteomedia AG by Jörg Kachelmann with 4-day forecast
literature
- Northern Ried cycling map with Mainz - scale 1: 30,000, 2nd edition - ISBN 978-3-931273-45-3 , Price: 7 euros. The map is accompanied by a 16-page booklet with tour suggestions from the local ADFC (General German Bicycle Club). The sheet cut of the map can be downloaded here as a PDF file can be viewed. The map is also available directly from Meki Landkarten Verlag available.
- Cycling map of the southern Ried with Bergstrasse and parts of the Rhine-Neckar area - scale 1: 30,000, 2nd edition,ISBN 978-3-931273-46-0 , Price: 7 euros. The map is accompanied by a 16-page booklet with tour suggestions from the local ADFC (General German Bicycle Club). The sheet cut of the map can be downloaded here as a PDF file can be viewed. The map is also available directly from Meki Landkarten Verlag available.
