The Odenwald Tree gives Kimbach a distinctive hiking focus: the steep-stemmed oak, more than 300 years old, stands at the edge of the forest and is a destination for many hikers. At the same time, the village lies in a side valley of the Mümling, surrounded by meadows and forests. Those choosing their stay around specific hiking themes will find both a walk to a natural monument and a named trail that climbs uphill to Kimbach.

Hikes with Clear Destinations

The “Natural Monuments – Oaks Along the Way” hike runs from Momart via Kimbach to Bad König and, in Kimbach, to the more than 300-year-old steep-stemmed oak known as the Odenwald Tree. It thus combines a focus on natural monuments with a clearly named sequence of villages. The tree is also a prominent landmark on the Georg Vetter Trail: the trail climbs uphill to Kimbach and passes the Odenwald Tree at the forest’s edge.

The Georg Vetter Trail is dedicated to Bad König landscape painter Georg Vetter and starts in Bad König right by the Georg Vetter Museum. It leads out of town between gardens and meadows to the cemetery with its centuries-old cemetery chapel, which Vetter often used as a subject for his drawings. Along this trail, the focus is therefore not only on the Odenwald Tree, but also on the connection to the painter and the subject he often depicted.

An easy Nordic walking tour offers a different point of reference: it is 4.8 kilometres long and leads from the cemetery along field and forest paths in the Kimbach valley to the Gesundheitsbrunnen (Health Spring). If a specific distance is important for your planning, you can use this figure to gauge the tour. By contrast, the hikes to the Odenwald Tree focus on the natural monument and the named places.

Valley, Stream and History

The landscape around Kimbach is characterised by meadows and forests in the Mümling’s side valley. The Kimbach rises above the village and flows into the Mümling in Bad König. These waterways help orient you in the landscape, without limiting the trails to a single stretch of the valley. The surrounding heights are also part of the picture: the Roman Odenwald Limes ran there. A stay in Kimbach thus brings together the natural landscape and a historical connection.

Bad König: Additional Cultural Highlights

Bad König offers further historical landmarks. The Old Castle dates back to 1559 and was the former residence of the Counts of Erbach-Schönberg. It stands on higher ground at the southern end of Schlossplatz; its broad, many-windowed façade and its size define the square. The ground floor of the castle houses two exhibition rooms of the local history museum.

Bad König’s historic town centre has also had an open-air theatre since 1985, hosting outdoor events. Together with the castle and other historic places in the town centre, it forms a distinct cultural focus, clearly separate from the hiking destinations in Kimbach.

Plan for Nature Enthusiasts

The “Kimbacher Runde” takes place at the Odenwald Nature Conservation Centre on the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. This open discussion and working forum focuses on all aspects of nature conservation in the Odenwald. If you would like to include it in your travel plans, check the current event date in advance.

For the broader travel overview: Bad König.