Meißenheim combines Baroque church art and traces of its history in historic buildings with hiking and cycling opportunities by the water. The town’s history is reflected in specific buildings and memorial sites; the routes vary in length and type of activity. This lets you choose whether to focus your stay on cultural history or outdoor activity.
Church, Organ and Local History
The Evangelical Baroque Church on Winkelstraße was built in 1766. Inside, it features a stucco-marble pulpit and an altar with Rococo cartouches. The Silbermann organ came to Meißenheim in 1776. It is considered the only formerly single-manual organ in Baden built by the Strasbourg Silbermann workshop. Concerts by famous composers have been held in the church; Albert Schweitzer also performed there.
Behind the Baroque church is the grave of Friederike Brion, who was laid to rest there in 1813. She was Goethe’s first love. East of the church stands the Curt Liebich Memorial, erected in 1929 for 54 soldiers who fell in the First World War and designed as a peace memorial. The historic townscape also includes numerous visible half-timbered houses. The house at Friedrichstraße 1 dates from 1827; the property opposite bears the date 1780.
Ried Trails and Water
At Riedhofsee, a Way of the Cross with 14 stations circles the lake; it belongs to St. Christopher’s Chapel. The Bachpromenade is a local recreation spot right by the Mühlbach. For a marked hiking route, try the Schnakenpfad: it is about eight kilometres long and leads, among other places, over a wooden bridge and through a ford. There is a small place to sit by the old Rhine arm. The trail also passes the Pfahl. Until the 19th century, people from Meißenheim boarded boats there for Strasbourg.
For a longer option, the Jubiläumsrundweg is a cycling and hiking route of around 26 kilometres. It starts at the Meißenheim sports hall, runs through the Rhine forest and along the old Rhine arm, and passes a landing stage dating from the 19th century. Information boards explain the history of the Heidengrab and the Hexebruck. There are several places to stop along the way, including places to sit. If you mainly want to hike, the Schnakenpfad is designated as a hiking trail; the Jubiläumsrundweg combines cycling and hiking.
More Activities and the Wider Region
At the harbour area of the RMKS gravel works, cyclists can find an overview map that is partly bilingual. Therapeutic riding at the Gnadenbrot and Therapy Farm in Meißenheim centres on interaction with horses, as well as joy, friendship, trust and security. If you plan to take part, check availability with the provider before travelling.
Meißenheim is part of a cross-border leisure region that includes Neuried, Schwanau and neighbouring French municipalities in the Grand Ried of Alsace. Activities in the Ried leisure region on the Rhine side include cycling, inline skating, horse riding, canoeing and swimming in lakes, as well as cultural activities. At the level of the wider destination, Ortenaukreis lies between the Rhine and the Black Forest. There are 23 nature reserves there, covering a total area of around 3,110 hectares; they extend from the Rhine plain to the higher elevations of the Black Forest.
Discover more destinations: Gengenbach, Willstätt, Nordrach, Wolfach, Mahlberg, Oberkirch, Oppenau, Lauf.
Back to the main travel overview: Ortenaukreis.
