Palatinate Forest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Julian-Beekmann-Fotografie-31.jpg\")
<\/a>Bizarre rock formations and slender pine trees in the Palatinate Forest. Photo<\/em>: Beekmann<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nGermany\u2019s largest contiguous forest area and the North Vosges reserve on the French side of the border form the country\u2019s only transnational Biosphere Reserve, to which even wolves and lynxes have made their return. The Palatinate Forest<\/a> is a unique nature reserve. Numerous hiking trails invite you to explore it. A trail network of around 10,000 kilometres has something for everyone on offer\u2014for experienced hikers as well as for families with young children with or without a pram<\/a>. There are designated bouldering areas as well as mountain bike trails. And don\u2019t worry\u2014if all the exercise in the fresh air has made you really hungry, you\u2019re sure to take refuge in one of the 80 mountain huts, some of which welcome you even in the most seemingly tucked away parts of the forest and have been deemed UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage sites since 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nForest bathing in the Palatinate:<\/strong> Pack your hiking pants!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nModern paper-chasing in the forest near Bellheim<\/strong>: Treasure hunting with just a few tools and a phone<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nGerman Wine Route<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/WSD_Deutsche_Weinstra\u00dfe_3-1024x668.jpg\")
<\/a>Play of colours around the German Wine Route in autumn. Photo<\/em>: VRRN<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe German Wine Route<\/a> catches the sun along the gentle hills of the Palatinate Forest gradually giving way to the plains here. This area offers ideal conditions for grapevines to thrive\u2014but also for plants that are more typical of the Mediterranean climate. Figs, kiwis, lemons and pine trees thrive, and the early almond blossom heralds the arrival of spring in Gimmeldingen and beyond, every year anew. The German Wine Route is one of the oldest tourist roads in the country. It runs along the edge of the Haardt low mountain range\u2014across slopes and hills and through numerous wine villages passing vineyards and almond trees. On the last Sunday of August each year, the road is closed to motorised traffic to accommodate 300,000 pedestrians, cyclists and inline skaters. If you don\u2019t want to wait for that one day, you can explore the cycle path alongside the Wine Route, which is part of the ring route in the system of Regionalpark routes in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. There is always a wine festival somewhere between March and October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Gartenakademie Rheinland-Pfalz botanical college:<\/strong> The Fruits of Change<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe path of poems in Edenkoben<\/strong>: Strolling with poetry<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Rhine Rift Valley and the Rheinniederung lowlands along the river<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/F\u00e4hre033.jpg\")
<\/a>Living in rhythm with the Rhine. Photo<\/em>: Buck<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Rhine has shaped the region in scenic, historic, economic and cultural terms. The Upper Rhine Plain <\/a>unfolding to the left and right of its course is a place where opposites meet. The major towns of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen are located here, and population density there is just as high as the traffic density. This is mainly down to the straightening of the Rhine in the 19th<\/sup> century, which enabled the conduct of industry and intensive agriculture close to the river on the one hand and unique biotopes to emerge and to be increasingly renaturalised in the meanders of the original course of the river on the other. Forests with sand dunes make a natural habitat for numerous endangered animal and plant species. The Rheinniederung conservation area has comprised many wildlife refuges such as the Rei\u00dfinsel island in Mannheim or the Ketscher Rheininsel island since 2005. Gravel and sand have been and are still being quarried in a number of places, which has resulted in the development of quarry lakes. The lowland meadows are thus part of the blue scenery of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region offering a wide range of opportunities to experience wildlife, water sports and camping. If you want to make full use of the area\u2019s diversity, get in the saddle and follow the Rheinachse route along the EuroVelo 15 long-distance Rhine Cycle Route\u2014and perhaps come across old Emma, a ferry that traverses an arm of the meandering original river course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nA ferry trip on the Altrheinf\u00e4hre Emma near Mannheim:<\/strong> A decent talk with Emma<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Bienwald<\/strong>:<\/strong> Of forests, dunes and mussels<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nBergstrasse road<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"Baum](\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Julian-Beekmann-Fotografie154_klein.jpg\")
<\/a>Early heralds of spring\u2014magnolias close to the Bergstrasse road. Photo<\/em>: Beekmann<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nJust like the German Wine Route at the western side of the plains, the Bergstrasse road<\/a> catches the sun along the slopes of the Odenwald on its eastern side. It stretches from Wiesloch to Darmstadt and is one of the sun terraces of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. It is part of the UNESCO Geo-Naturepark Bergstrasse-Odenwald. Fertile loess soils make the landscape one of Germany\u2019s richest fruit gardens with vineyards and orchards. Nowhere else in Germany does spring begin so early, which is why a hike along the Bl\u00fctenweg\u2014the blossom trail\u2014is worthwhile even in March. If you prefer a more challenging hike, take the neighbouring Burgensteig long-distance trail along the numerous castles, which offers significantly more ascents\u2014but also even greater views. Many gardens and parks along the Bergstrasse invite you to take a stroll. Come with us to the F\u00fcrstenlager landscape garden in Bensheim or the medicinal herb garden of Weinheim Castle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe F\u00fcrstenlager landscape garden: <\/strong>Saunterin<\/a>g<\/a> Just for Fun in the Summer Breeze<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Weinheim castles herb garden:<\/strong> The green pharmacy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nOdenwald low mountain range and Neckartal valley<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/JBF-2.jpg\")
<\/a>Dilsberg mountain on the edge of the Odenwald near the Neckar river. Photo<\/em>: Beekmann<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n500 million years of changing geological history have left their mark on the Odenwald<\/a>. Its landscape is accordingly diverse. There is the crystalline part, whose mountains and rigid clefts sit on granite rock. And there is the Bunter part with its plateaus and long, striking valley incisions. The Bunter formations of the steep slopes along the Neckar river are particularly impressive. Over thousands of years, the river has carved narrow loops through the rock here. Castles, ruins and idyllic towns line its course. To discover them, you can hike along the Neckarsteig, a long-distance trail from Heidelberg to Bad Wimpfen, or leisurely glide past them on the river. On the other side of the Neckar is the gentle, but no less exciting, neighbour of the mountain range: the Little Odenwald.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nPaying a visit to Dilsberg mountain near Neckargem\u00fcnd:<\/strong> Crossover, Castle and Chocolate<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGliding along the Neckar on one of the Weisse Flotte<\/em> ships<\/strong>: Culture cruise<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nKraichgau <\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/91A1096-Kopie.jpg\")
<\/a>The Lobenfeld monastery church amidst a thousand hills. Photo<\/em>: Wiesinger<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Kraichgau <\/a>is nicknamed the land of a thousand hills. The landscape here flows in gentle waves between the Neckar and Enz rivers and the Rhine Rift Valley. The soil is fertile, which is why the Kraichgau has been populated and cultivated since antiquity. The region is considered one of Germany\u2019s granaries, but fruit and wine are grown here as well. Castles and palaces, half-timbered villages and local history museums, traditional festivals and local customs bear witness to a long, varied history. The Kraichgau is one of the oldest cultural regions in Europe. However, the museum of technology and the Klima Arena centre on climate change in Sinsheim take a look into the future instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nA journey into the past in the monastery church in Lobenfeld<\/strong>: The Chronicler<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Technik Museum in Sinsheim:<\/strong> Airborne and infernal machines<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nBauland<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Adventon_001-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>From woods to fields: the Bauland. Photo: Buck<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Bauland region<\/a> is a wide hilly landscape alternating between woods and fields, offering wide-open views time and again. Less Mediterranean than other landscapes in the Metropolitan Region and much less populated, the Bauland is colloquially known as the \u2018Baden Siberia\u2019. This byname was originally used in a derogatory way, but the humorous locals have long used the term themselves. Agriculture has always played an important role in the Bauland, and the region is known as the origins of the Gr\u00fcnkern, the \u2018green grain\u2019. To the east, towards the Taubertal valley, there is the Madonnenl\u00e4ndchen\u2014literally the \u2018Madonna region\u2019\u2014 with numerous wayside shrines that depict the Virgin Mary and tell stories from another era. Visitors can travel even further into the past tracing the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes fortification, which runs through the east of the Metropolitan Region via Walld\u00fcrn and Osterburken, and has been a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFollowing a speciality:<\/strong><\/strong> Everything for the green grain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Madonnenl\u00e4ndchen<\/strong><\/strong>: Witnesses made of stone<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe different landscapes of the region are summarised as \u201cDie Pr\u00e4chtigen 10\u201c (the magnificent 10) and their further development is promoted in various committees and working groups of the Metropolitan Region. Click here to read more about the magnificent 10: Rhine-Neckar Regionalpark<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Germany\u2019s largest contiguous forest area and the North Vosges reserve on the French side of the border form the country\u2019s only transnational Biosphere Reserve, to which even wolves and lynxes have made their return. The Palatinate Forest<\/a> is a unique nature reserve. Numerous hiking trails invite you to explore it. A trail network of around 10,000 kilometres has something for everyone on offer\u2014for experienced hikers as well as for families with young children with or without a pram<\/a>. There are designated bouldering areas as well as mountain bike trails. And don\u2019t worry\u2014if all the exercise in the fresh air has made you really hungry, you\u2019re sure to take refuge in one of the 80 mountain huts, some of which welcome you even in the most seemingly tucked away parts of the forest and have been deemed UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage sites since 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forest bathing in the Palatinate:<\/strong> Pack your hiking pants!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Modern paper-chasing in the forest near Bellheim<\/strong>: Treasure hunting with just a few tools and a phone<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The German Wine Route<\/a> catches the sun along the gentle hills of the Palatinate Forest gradually giving way to the plains here. This area offers ideal conditions for grapevines to thrive\u2014but also for plants that are more typical of the Mediterranean climate. Figs, kiwis, lemons and pine trees thrive, and the early almond blossom heralds the arrival of spring in Gimmeldingen and beyond, every year anew. The German Wine Route is one of the oldest tourist roads in the country. It runs along the edge of the Haardt low mountain range\u2014across slopes and hills and through numerous wine villages passing vineyards and almond trees. On the last Sunday of August each year, the road is closed to motorised traffic to accommodate 300,000 pedestrians, cyclists and inline skaters. If you don\u2019t want to wait for that one day, you can explore the cycle path alongside the Wine Route, which is part of the ring route in the system of Regionalpark routes in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. There is always a wine festival somewhere between March and October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Gartenakademie Rheinland-Pfalz botanical college:<\/strong> The Fruits of Change<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The path of poems in Edenkoben<\/strong>: Strolling with poetry<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Rhine has shaped the region in scenic, historic, economic and cultural terms. The Upper Rhine Plain <\/a>unfolding to the left and right of its course is a place where opposites meet. The major towns of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen are located here, and population density there is just as high as the traffic density. This is mainly down to the straightening of the Rhine in the 19th<\/sup> century, which enabled the conduct of industry and intensive agriculture close to the river on the one hand and unique biotopes to emerge and to be increasingly renaturalised in the meanders of the original course of the river on the other. Forests with sand dunes make a natural habitat for numerous endangered animal and plant species. The Rheinniederung conservation area has comprised many wildlife refuges such as the Rei\u00dfinsel island in Mannheim or the Ketscher Rheininsel island since 2005. Gravel and sand have been and are still being quarried in a number of places, which has resulted in the development of quarry lakes. The lowland meadows are thus part of the blue scenery of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region offering a wide range of opportunities to experience wildlife, water sports and camping. If you want to make full use of the area\u2019s diversity, get in the saddle and follow the Rheinachse route along the EuroVelo 15 long-distance Rhine Cycle Route\u2014and perhaps come across old Emma, a ferry that traverses an arm of the meandering original river course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A ferry trip on the Altrheinf\u00e4hre Emma near Mannheim:<\/strong> A decent talk with Emma<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bienwald<\/strong>:<\/strong> Of forests, dunes and mussels<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just like the German Wine Route at the western side of the plains, the Bergstrasse road<\/a> catches the sun along the slopes of the Odenwald on its eastern side. It stretches from Wiesloch to Darmstadt and is one of the sun terraces of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. It is part of the UNESCO Geo-Naturepark Bergstrasse-Odenwald. Fertile loess soils make the landscape one of Germany\u2019s richest fruit gardens with vineyards and orchards. Nowhere else in Germany does spring begin so early, which is why a hike along the Bl\u00fctenweg\u2014the blossom trail\u2014is worthwhile even in March. If you prefer a more challenging hike, take the neighbouring Burgensteig long-distance trail along the numerous castles, which offers significantly more ascents\u2014but also even greater views. Many gardens and parks along the Bergstrasse invite you to take a stroll. Come with us to the F\u00fcrstenlager landscape garden in Bensheim or the medicinal herb garden of Weinheim Castle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The F\u00fcrstenlager landscape garden: <\/strong>Saunterin<\/a>g<\/a> Just for Fun in the Summer Breeze<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Weinheim castles herb garden:<\/strong> The green pharmacy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 500 million years of changing geological history have left their mark on the Odenwald<\/a>. Its landscape is accordingly diverse. There is the crystalline part, whose mountains and rigid clefts sit on granite rock. And there is the Bunter part with its plateaus and long, striking valley incisions. The Bunter formations of the steep slopes along the Neckar river are particularly impressive. Over thousands of years, the river has carved narrow loops through the rock here. Castles, ruins and idyllic towns line its course. To discover them, you can hike along the Neckarsteig, a long-distance trail from Heidelberg to Bad Wimpfen, or leisurely glide past them on the river. On the other side of the Neckar is the gentle, but no less exciting, neighbour of the mountain range: the Little Odenwald.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paying a visit to Dilsberg mountain near Neckargem\u00fcnd:<\/strong> Crossover, Castle and Chocolate<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gliding along the Neckar on one of the Weisse Flotte<\/em> ships<\/strong>: Culture cruise<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kraichgau <\/a>is nicknamed the land of a thousand hills. The landscape here flows in gentle waves between the Neckar and Enz rivers and the Rhine Rift Valley. The soil is fertile, which is why the Kraichgau has been populated and cultivated since antiquity. The region is considered one of Germany\u2019s granaries, but fruit and wine are grown here as well. Castles and palaces, half-timbered villages and local history museums, traditional festivals and local customs bear witness to a long, varied history. The Kraichgau is one of the oldest cultural regions in Europe. However, the museum of technology and the Klima Arena centre on climate change in Sinsheim take a look into the future instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A journey into the past in the monastery church in Lobenfeld<\/strong>: The Chronicler<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Technik Museum in Sinsheim:<\/strong> Airborne and infernal machines<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bauland region<\/a> is a wide hilly landscape alternating between woods and fields, offering wide-open views time and again. Less Mediterranean than other landscapes in the Metropolitan Region and much less populated, the Bauland is colloquially known as the \u2018Baden Siberia\u2019. This byname was originally used in a derogatory way, but the humorous locals have long used the term themselves. Agriculture has always played an important role in the Bauland, and the region is known as the origins of the Gr\u00fcnkern, the \u2018green grain\u2019. To the east, towards the Taubertal valley, there is the Madonnenl\u00e4ndchen\u2014literally the \u2018Madonna region\u2019\u2014 with numerous wayside shrines that depict the Virgin Mary and tell stories from another era. Visitors can travel even further into the past tracing the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes fortification, which runs through the east of the Metropolitan Region via Walld\u00fcrn and Osterburken, and has been a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following a speciality:<\/strong><\/strong> Everything for the green grain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Madonnenl\u00e4ndchen<\/strong><\/strong>: Witnesses made of stone<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The different landscapes of the region are summarised as \u201cDie Pr\u00e4chtigen 10\u201c (the magnificent 10) and their further development is promoted in various committees and working groups of the Metropolitan Region. Click here to read more about the magnificent 10: Rhine-Neckar Regionalpark<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nGerman Wine Route<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>The Rhine Rift Valley and the Rheinniederung lowlands along the river<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Bergstrasse road<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Odenwald low mountain range and Neckartal valley<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Kraichgau <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Bauland<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>
\n\n\n\n