Limes Cycle Path

From Bad Hönningen am Rhein to Nastätten

The first 75 kilometers of the Upper Germanic Limes pass through Rhineland-Palatinate. Beginning at the Rhine at Bad Hönningen and Rheinbrohl, it runs through the outer heights of the Westerwald to the mountain range of the Hintertaunus. Along this route, 132 watchtowers, 9 small forts and 9 cohort forts were located. As the Limes in Rhineland-Palatinate is mainly located in the forests of Westerwald and Taunus, the walls and ditches, the remnants of Roman watchtowers and the protection devices of some of the forts are still visible in many sections of the Limes. They are accessible via the Limes Hiking Trail. In the forest at the fort Holzhausen, for instance, one of the best preserved forts of all of the Limes can be seen. In addition, in Rhineland-Palatinate there are seven reconstructed watchtowers along the German Limes Road. The watchtowers were built between 1874 and 2004 according to the current state of research at the time of their construction. This is why the watchtowers differ from one another in regard to their appearance. The foundation walls of several forts and baths were preserved. At some places, the wooden palisade was reconstructed and the wall and ditch were renewed. At important stations along the hiking trails, information boards explain the Limes monument while the finds from the sites can be seen in the museums.

From Walldürn to Halheim

The 164-km-long-Baden-Württemberg section of the Limes recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site dates back to the rule of the Roman emperors Antoninus Pius (138-161 AD) and Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD). Traces of the ancient border system can be found in scenic places of varying nature, as the Odenwald, the Hohenlohe plain, the Swabian-Franconian Forest and the Alb foreland. 30 towns and boroughs in six dis-tricts (Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, Landkreis Heilbronn, Hohenlohekreis, Landkreis Schwäbisch Hall, Rems-Murr-Kreis and Ostalbkreis) are situated along this world-renowned monument.

340 watchtowers as well as 16 big and 17 small forts are known in addition to the proper borders. The Baden Württemberg Limes belongs partly to the Upper Germanic Limes (101 km) and partly to the Rhaetian Limes (63 km).The border between the provinces Germania Superior (“Upper Germania”) and Rhaetia met with the Limes in the Rotenbach valley between the towns of Lorch and Schwäbisch Gmünd (in the Ostalbkreis district). Numerous museums and reconstructions transport a vivacious image of the ancient border system.

There is an older Roman boundary more to the West and South which is not part of the UNESCO World Heritage. It runs from the river Main through the Odenwald mountain range to the banks of the river Neckar (this part is called the “Odenwaldlimes”), after-wards alongside of the river Neckar to the borough of Köngen (the so-called “Neckarlimes”) and, finally, across the Swabian Jura mountain range to the Nördlinger Ries landscape (the so-called “Alblimes”). Due to its many visible remains, this boundary is widely known as well and the destination of many antiquity enthusiasts.

In addition to the numerous Roman attractions, highlights in the landscape are lined up side by side along the 208-kilometer route in Baden-Württemberg. The route through Baden-Württemberg leads over mountain ranges and plateaus, crosses the deep valleys of the twin rivers Jagst and Kocher and leads through the Rems Valley and the Kocher Valley. Demanding routes - e.g. from Pfedelbach to Welzheim - alternate with more flat sections, for instance between Lorch and Schwäbisch Gmünd.