The Mainschleife near Dettelbach

From the railway station, you are drawn directly down the railway path to the banks of the Main, which you will only leave for short detours today. You walk past the sports field and under trees, while the water of one of Germany's most beautiful rivers flows by on your right.

Behind the allotment gardens and a field, you turn away from the river for a detour up Schlossstraße to your first intermediate destination: the Ebracher Hof.

As the address suggests, the Ebracher Hof is also known as the castle. It was built in 1624 by Abbot Johannes Dressel from the Cistercian monastery of Ebrach. It was a magnificent estate and monastery courtyard for the monastery's wine-growing needs. With its richly structured Renaissance gable and elaborately decorated stone portal, the building is still reminiscent of a castle today.

Around 100 years after its construction, Abbot Wilhelm Söllner had some rooms and the house chapel lavishly stuccoed in the Rococo style. In 1734, the large, terraced garden was created in the Baroque style with several fountains, where today, in addition to trees, flowers and bees, vegetables are grown and art is exhibited.

Monks lived at Ebracher Hof until secularisation in 1803, when church property was expropriated. After this, the estate initially fell to the Electorate of Bavaria, but was auctioned off as private property the very next year. Over time, Ebracher Hof changed hands several times until Gabriele Brandner's parents acquired the property in 1961 and founded a retirement home, which their daughter still runs today. In 2016, the castle was refurbished in line with its listed status and has been barrier-free ever since.

The mikvah, a ritual bath for the Jewish citizens of Mainstockheim from the 19th century, which has been preserved to this day, bears witness to the fact that a Jewish wine merchant was once among the many owners.

You have walked up Schlossstraße and are now walking along the castle wall back to the Main. Now you continue along the riverbank at the foot of the vineyards towards Dettelbach. The only major ascent today awaits you at the sewage treatment plant. You climb up to Josefshöhe, where a breathtaking panoramic view awaits you.

The Temple of St Joseph was built in 1892 by the winery owner Johann Knauer and is also the logo of the winery today. The temple in the Mainstockheim mountains is a stepped complex with the figure of St Joseph with child. From under the romantic canopy, there is a marvellous view of the Dettelbacher Mainschleife and the Steigerwald.

Have you spotted the six large stone sculptures yet? They were created at the second international sculpture symposium in Dettelbach, "Panta Rhei", and have been erected on the sculpture trail along the Main. You will have the opportunity to take a closer look at the works of art along the way.

Now it's back to Mainstockheimer Straße and down to the riverbank and the Dettelbach Sculpture and Leisure Park. Here you can refresh your tired feet in the Kneipp pool while looking at art.

The park on the Main hiking and cycling trail is a public meeting place for Dettelbach residents and Main tourists alike. Most of the colourful sculptures set up here are works by local artist Roger Bischoff. In between, there are walking paths, green spaces and trees, an event pavilion and seating.

In 2009, the Kulturhistorischer Kreis Dettelbach e. V. first presented its idea of a sculpture and leisure park to the town council. The sculpture park opened in 2012, and in 2015 a multi-generational water play area with several dams and an integrated Kneipp pool was added in a second construction phase. It was built in 1500 hours of voluntary work by volunteers from the Kulturhistorischer Kreis Dettelbach e. V.

You are now very close to the beautiful medieval town of Dettelbach with its colourful half-timbered houses. From the park, it is only a few minutes to the picturesque old town centre with its historic town wall.

The old town centre of Dettelbach is still surrounded by a largely preserved town wall with towers, gates and the remains of moats. It dates back to the turn of the 16th century. At that time, the town was granted town and market rights by Emperor Frederick III.

The fledgling fortifications experienced their first military conflict during the German Peasants' War in 1525, but during the Thirty Years' War they were no longer able to withstand the modern artillery and the population opened their town to the Protestant Swedes without a fight in 1631.

The appearance of the castle changed constantly over the following centuries. For example, many of the small wall extensions and some of the once probably 52 towers disappeared. In 1872, three of the five medieval gates were demolished because they hindered the increasing traffic of carts. In the following decade, a circular park was laid out in the south for the local population.

The spirit of the times finally changed in the 20th century. The value of the ring wall as an architectural monument was recognised. Today, it still surrounds almost the entire old town centre of Dettelbach. A particularly large number of the 30 or so remaining towers can be seen along the eastern city wall between the former Neutor and the Faltertor, the more important of the two remaining gates.

A typical example of the development of the wall towers is the so-called Rössnerturm at Östliche Stadtmauer 3. The defence tower was converted into a residential building in the 19th century by adding a half-timbered extension. The so-called Mainstockheim Tower at Stadtgraben 6 is considered to be the oldest surviving remnant of the town fortifications and is said to date back to the middle of the 15th century. The men's tower was the town prison until the 19th century. Today, together with the Faltertor gate, it is a popular photo motif.

Now head back down to the Main. Keep your eyes peeled for the sculptures. The last one greets you near the Main ferry, with which you cross over to Mainsondheim. On the other bank, walk up the road "Zur Mainfähre" to reach Mainsondheim Castle.

Mainsondheim was founded around the year 700 and is the only district of Dettelbach on the right bank of the River Main. Its castle and the associated estate formed the economic centre of the village for centuries. The castle still dominates the village today.

It was built in the 15th century by the Fuchs von Dornheim family, who are documented to have had a noble residence in Mainsondheim as early as 1320. Over the centuries, various noble families ruled over Mainsondheim, which also led to the castle building being remodelled several times.

Today's appearance is largely attributed to the late Gothic period and dates back to the 18th century, when the barons of Mauchenheim called Bechtolsheim came into possession of the estate. They still live there today, so the castle itself is not open to the public. The estate with its large arable fields was turned into a golf course in the 1980s.

You start from the Schlossweg in a southerly direction. Your route takes you between the river and the golf course towards Albertshofen. Things can get a little livelier at the motorcross track, but otherwise you will experience the famous Main-Weinland idyll on this stage too. In Albertshofen, you cross over once again on the Main ferry.

By the way, couples have been able to get married on the Main on board the Chris-Tina for over ten years. On the Mainstockheim bank, take the familiar route along the water back to Buchbrunn-Mainstockheim railway station.