🔹 #Radtour Stage 3 🔹 #Cycling on the Maincyclepath
🔹 Timeline to the MainRadweg
00:00 Departure from the camp in Sand am Main
00:32 Zeil am Main
02:25 Haßfurt
06:02 Mainberg
10:18 Schweinfurt
15:04 Bergrheinfeld and Garstadt
16:33 Wipfeld and St. Ludwig
19:35 Volkacher Mainloop
20:37 Fahr
21:53 Maria in the vineyard
23:13 Volkach
25:26 Nordheim, Sommerach,
27:40 Schwarzach
28:18 Schwarzenau and Camp Mainblick
From the campsite in Sand am Main we start the 3rd stage on the MainRadweg. After a few kilometers we reach Zeil am Main.
The Main Cycle Path continues along the B 26 to Haßfurt.
In Haßfurt we come across the Knights' Chapel, the oldest pilgrimage church in the Diocese of Würzburg.
From Haßfurt we drive past Wülflingen, Obertheres, Untertheres, the Ottendorf lock, Gädheim, Schonungen, Mainberg and come to Schweinfurt. Since Schweinfurt is also called the city of industry, you will find a number of industrial and technological monuments along the Gutermann Promenade. e.g. the historical manual slewing crane or the roller defense monument. We continue cycling through the Main in the direction of Bergrheinfeld.
The cycle path leaves the Main for a short distance and leads to Bergrheinfeld. On the left site of the Main we see the Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant. It operated from 1982 to 2015.
We cross Garstadt towards Wipfeld. In Wipfeld we will take the ferry to the other site of the Main. At the next crossing we make a detour to the nearby monastery of St. Ludwig. First, St. Ludwig was a spa, the so called Ludwigsbad. Later, the Benedictines founded a monastery here and today the Antonia Werr Center, a youth welfare facility, is located there.
On the cycle path alongside the road, we ride along the district road in the direction of Stammheim. The Museum of Military and Contemporary History is located directly on the cycle path.
The best grapes in the Franconian wine country grow on the slopes, because we are on the Volkacher Mainschleife, which is known for viniculture. It stretches around 20 km below Wipfeld via Volkach to Schwarzenau. The Main loop is part of the Main triangle.
The climate on the Mainschleife not only favors the cultivation of wine, but also the cultivation of fruit and vegetables. The ferry connection between Fahr and Untereisenheim, which still exists today, probably gave the place its name Fahr.
A special place in the middle of the vineyards is the pilgrimage church Maria im Weingarten. The pilgrimage church became famous for the impressive carving "Madonna in the Rosary", one of Tilmann Riemenschneider's last great works.
Volkach is at the apex of the Main loop. The pretty town hall is located on the market square in the old town. It is a typical Franconian Renaissance building with a high roof and a stepped gable.
In the 1950s, the Main Canal was built between Volkach and Gerlachshausen, bypassing the Main loop. If you want to shorten the route, you can continue along the canal. In Sommerach the alternative route meets the main route again.
We continue to follow the Main Cycle Path on the main route in a wide arc and reach Nordheim.
In Nordheim there is also a ferry connection across the Main to Escherndorf with a special feature. Because here those who want to marry can tie the knot for life.
We continue along the beautiful wine island and we reach Sommerach, a small wine-growing village on the southern Main loop.
At the mouth of the Schwarzach, one of the oldest monasteries in Franconia was founded in 788, the Benedictine Abbey of Münsterschwarzach. The mighty building of the abbey church towers over the Main valley with its four massive towers.
The cycle path leads from Schwarzach to the district of Schwarzeau. Here we have chosen a beautiful campsite, the "Camp Mainblick". Overall it is a well-kept facility. Generous parking spaces are available with a view of the Main.