The Fraenkische Saale, a river flowing from near the Bavaria-Thüringen border to the Main River by Gemuenden am Main, is a jewel. Its quiet, gently flowing waters, offer low-key activities for families and friends along its shores, and on its waters, from hiking and biking to canoeing and rafting. This is an area famed for rest and relaxation, and there are several well-known spa towns along the river. From Bad Koenigshofen near its headwaters to Bad Neustadt, Bad Bocklet and Bad Kissingen, all are on the Fraenkische Saale as it heads to the Main. While the Main River is extremely well-known for its vineyards and wine, the Fraenkische Saale, connecting the wine districts of the Maindreieck and the Mainviereck, doesn’t do too badly either in that regard.
Part of the attraction for me was the opportunity to cycle along yet another river bicycle trail. Germany seems to excel in developing these trails, and the Fraenkische Saale Radweg (Bike Trail) was just another example of excellence in riverside cycling trails. The other part of the attraction for me was the chance to explore the terroir and the wines in relatively unknown wine corner of Franconia.
The Fraenkische Saale Radweg is about 125 kilometers, but the vineyards, Franconia’s and by extension Bavaria’s, concentrate in a short 28-kilometer-long stretch of the river and its side valleys. This made exploring them relatively easy work on a weekend. Hence, I decided to begin at Bad Kissingen, the northern and eastern-most point of my ride, one fine morning.
As a spa town, Bad Kissingen has a great variety of dining and lodging options to choose from. In addition, it is a lovely small town, with stately green spaces filled with curving paths along the river. The buildings are classic “German spa” and there is almost always something to attend, be it art exhibits, local festivals, or open-air concerts. I found it an excellent town to stage from, especially as the trail wove through its classic parks and gardens as it passed through town.
Once out of town, the trail led for a few kilometers through woods, then along fields bordering the river to Euerdorf. It proved a quiet interlude, with just nature for company. South of the Euerdorf the vineyards of Ramsthal begin.
The river really does twist and turn. At Trimberg, there are more vineyards, and a castle ruin came into view. Here I crossed the river first time since leaving Bad Kissingen. But henceforth, the trail was constantly crossing the Fraenkische Saale on a series of well-maintained bridges, providing plenty of opportunities to photograph the picturesque little river. While this left me without a clear sense of where I was after so many river crossings, I was never lost, as the trail was so well marked.
Before I knew it, I rode into Hammelburg, center for viticulture in this area. This town has a history of wine making which goes back centuries, in part due to the old abbeys. The vineyards on the hills loom over the town to the north. To the west lie the final vineyards of this wine-producing area of northern Franconia. They are in the hills above the city districts of Obereschenbach and Untereschenbach , my end destination, which was between the two sets of vineyards. While they are overseen by another picturesque castle ruin, they are not overlooked by lovers of Franconian wine!
