Castles belong to the Rhine, but also to the Main.

However, because they were not transformed into romantic dream castles, they often found and still find much less attention there.

The function and form of the high medieval mansions can be experienced much more authentically, especially on the river square around the Spessart.

Against their walls, which radiate strength and a will to assert themselves, the reshaped Rhine castles appear playful and ahistorical.

Thanks to extensive restoration and exposure work in recent years, the walls could now receive more attention.

Where the castle ruins of Collenberg and Freudenberg disappeared behind dense vegetation, their sandstone red shines invitingly over the banks today.

To crown the renewal that started in Wertheim and Miltenberg, the Henneburg near Stadtprozelten now dominates the Main valley again after five years of renovation.

With the ivy curtain down, all walls secured and blasted, the main stages of construction are easy to understand.

The core of the castle dates back to the early 12th century, when a promontory protected by deep cuts in the terrain was cleverly used for the location - towered over by the keep with the unusual basic size of ten meters square.

Now increased by a viewing platform, it can be climbed over narrow steps.

After frequent changes of ownership, but never destroyed, the castle came to the Teutonic Order in 1320, either as a gift or as a gift, and thanks to the income from the Stadtprozelten office, which has 32 villages, it was expanded into a mighty fortress with a 260-metre-long bastion.

In addition, the men of God built a second tower.

This is now just as easy to walk on as the wall walk on the endangered north side.

Instead of a flashlight or lighter, electric light now illuminates the corridor embedded in the masonry.

The municipality of Stadtprozelten ensures that this remains the case and that maintenance and care are guaranteed.

She rented the system from the Free State of Bavaria, which also carried out the general overhaul.

The lord of the castle is therefore now the mayor, who, in the form of the current one, is committed to his magnificent walls with advice and action on request - his telephone extension can be found at the gate.

Directions

Starting at the train station in Stadtprozelten, you go through the underpass to the shoreline and walk 300 meters to the freely usable car park in front of the Main ferry.

It continues on a poplar-lined bike and footpath to Faulbach, with dense meadows surprising you shortly before.

The track embankment, which has been tunnelled several times, is approaching the development.

If you skip the town center, choose the passage marked with a red diagonal line to Bahnhofstraße.

For a detour to the heart of Faulbach, stay on the bank until you change to Kirchgasse.

It connects to two churches that house a similar miraculous image.

The late Gothic original is in the Old Parish Church, while the modern Church of the Annunciation opposite received a gold-framed replica.

Back on the main street, under the archway of the former town hall, you will soon find a connection to the path marked with the diagonal line at Bahnhofstraße.

On it, between numerous homes, it goes outside.

Instead of going directly to the next station, Breitenbrunn, which can be shortened, the sign on the right offers a loop over the nature-protected Grohberg.

For Spessart conditions, it is characterized by exceptional sandy dry grassland, which attracts rare butterfly species in particular.