Discover Mainhausen

Mainhausen combines early settlement history with the Kurmainzer Herz Cultural Cycle Route and aviation at Zellhausen airfield. The Zell Hill is at the heart of the town’s history; the cycle route links other places along a route designed as a day trip. You can tailor your trip to suit different interests: history, a longer cycle tour, or the types of aviation on offer. When looking for a holiday apartment in Mainhausen, it is helpful to first decide which of these interests best fits your days away.

Early history around Zell Hill

Zell Hill, an exceptional archaeological site, is located within the municipality of Mainhausen-Zellhausen. It is one of the most important early medieval settlement sites in the Rhine-Main region. Anyone interested in the history of early settlements will find a specific historical focal point here in Mainhausen. The Kurmainzer Herz Cultural Cycle Route adds further stops and a biographical thread: Käthe Paulus’s birthplace in Zellhausen is the route’s thirteenth stop.

The Kurmainzer Herz Cultural Cycle Route

The cultural cycle route connects Seligenstadt, Karlstein, and Mainhausen via 16 stops. The route is around 35 kilometres long and designed as a day trip. In Mainhausen, the numbering gives you a clear guide to several stops: the Kilianus Bridge is the seventh, and the Mainflingen riverbank is the eighth stop. Next come the Bongsche clay pit as the tenth stop, the Häuser Schlösschen as the eleventh, and the Mainflingen radio transmission station as the twelfth. Käthe Paulus’s birthplace in Zellhausen is stop 13.

Since 1989, the Kilianus Bridge has connected Mainflingen in Hesse with Dettingen in Bavaria. This bridge for pedestrians and cyclists replaced an earlier ferry crossing over the Main. So at stop seven, the focus is not only on a numbered point along the route, but also on a change in how the Main is crossed: today there is a bridge, whereas there used to be a ferry here. Together with the named stops along the riverbank, at the clay pit, and in Mainflingen, the Mainhausen section is easy to distinguish within the day trip.

Aviation at Zellhausen airfield

At Zellhausen airfield, LSV Seligenstadt-Zellhausen e. V. offers gliding, ultralight aviation, and powered flight. This adds another area of interest to the historical and cycling perspectives. As the activities on offer may change, it is advisable to check the current range before making specific plans. This can help you decide whether you are mainly interested in local history, the numbered stops along the cultural cycle route, or the different types of aviation.

Mainhausen in the wider Offenbach destination

Within the wider Offenbach destination, the MainRadweg runs past Mainhausen on its 530-kilometre route from Bayreuth to Mainz. It was officially opened in July 2006. In the Offenbach district, Mainhausen, Seligenstadt, Hainburg, and Mühlheim on the Hessian Lower Main are also situated along the MainRadweg. Compared with the approximately 35-kilometre cultural cycle route, designed as a day trip, the MainRadweg offers a much longer route. This is a useful distinction for planning your trip: a limited day trip with 16 stops versus a long route between two far-apart endpoints.

Culture and regional cuisine are also part of the wider Offenbach destination. In Seligenstadt, the Einhard Basilica is considered one of the most important churches of the Carolingian period on German soil and is now a landmark of the town. The RegioMuseum there showcases, among other things, prehistory and early history, arts and crafts, paintings and sculptures from the 15th to the 18th centuries, and the history of the town and abbey. On the Town and Offenbach District regional loop of the Hessian Apple Wine and Orchard Route, local establishments invite visitors to enjoy Hessian specialities; apple wine in a ribbed glass is typically Hessian. These themes complement Mainhausen’s focus with cultural and culinary interests in the wider Offenbach destination.

Find a holiday apartment to suit your travel plans

When looking for a holiday apartment in Mainhausen, first decide what you want your days away to focus on: early medieval history at Zell Hill, the stops along the Kurmainzer Herz route, or a cycling tour on the longer MainRadweg. If culture and food in the wider Offenbach destination are also of interest, the sights of Seligenstadt offer additional options. This way, your search is guided by the kind of trip you have planned rather than by a general idea of what a stay might involve.

Discover more destinations: Hainburg, Rodgau, Neu Isenburg, Mühlheim am Main, Heusenstamm, Langen, Obertshausen.

View the wider travel guide: Offenbach.