The Einhard Basilica and Seligenstadt Monastery offer contrasting historical perspectives, from the Carolingian era to Baroque monastic life. For planning your trip, there are also the Einhard Trail, connections across the Main and the Odenwaldbahn railway.
Carolingian era and Baroque monastic life
The Einhard Basilica is one of the most significant churches from the Carolingian era on German soil. Einhard had the three-aisled church built around 830 as a burial place for the early Christian martyrs Marcellinus and Peter. It is also the only Carolingian church north of the Alps where liturgical services are still held today.
Today, Seligenstadt Monastery is presented as a Baroque ensemble with a magnificent garden, offering an impressive insight into monastic life in the 17th and 18th centuries. A tour of the exhibition rooms, especially the prelature, brings the monastery’s 18th-century furnishings to life. The former monastery complex is one of the few in Hesse to have survived almost completely intact; a monastery wall around 700 metres long surrounds it. The Carolingian history of the church and the later monastic furnishings thus represent distinct historical periods.
Museum and architectural history
In the wider Offenbach travel destination, the RegioMuseum in Seligenstadt presents prehistoric and early history, local customs and crafts. Its collections also include 15th- to 18th-century painting and sculpture, as well as the history of the town and Seligenstadt Abbey. The Palatium in Seligenstadt was built on the Main during the Hohenstaufen period and was probably constructed by Emperor Barbarossa as a hunting lodge. This cautious attribution is part of its architectural history: Barbarossa is considered a possible patron.
Choose your route along the Einhard Trail
The 60-kilometre Einhard Trail connects Seligenstadt and Michelstadt. It is marked with a white “E” on a red background and can be hiked in either direction. In the Odenwald, the trail splits; the branch via Höchst is shorter and easier and is also suitable for cyclists. The two routes join again near Mosbach and lead hikers and cyclists to Seligenstadt.
For navigation, the key distinctions are the trail’s length, markings and route options: the Einhard Trail can be tackled in either direction, while the branch via Höchst offers a shorter and easier option along the split route. This branch is also specifically described as suitable for cycling. The routes meet again near Mosbach and lead from there to Seligenstadt.
Main Cycle Route in the wider Offenbach travel destination
In the wider Offenbach travel destination, Mainhausen, Seligenstadt, Hainburg and MĂĽhlheim lie on the Hessian Lower Main section of the Main Cycle Route. The route follows the Main from its sources to its mouth through the landscapes of Franconia and Hesse, with regional points of interest along the way. Its varied course avoids major traffic routes and is signposted to an exemplary standard. The Einhard Trail and the Main Cycle Route offer different points of reference: one focuses on the connection between Seligenstadt and Michelstadt, while the other follows the Main through larger landscapes.
Getting there and brewery tour
The Odenwaldbahn connects Seligenstadt with the Odenwald, Hanau and Frankfurt. Check the current timetable for your travel date. The Seligenstadt passenger and car ferry connects the Hessian and Bavarian banks of the Main; before travelling by ferry, it is also worth checking the latest operating details.
Glaabsbräu in Seligenstadt offers brewery tours that end with a tasting of a Glaabs beer. Check booking and operating details before your trip.
Discover more destinations: Dreieich, Mühlheim am Main, Rödermark, Dudenhofen, Offenbach am Main, Rodgau, Egelsbach, Obertshausen.
Go to the wider travel overview: Offenbach.
