Miltenberg

Miltenberg sits in a bend of the Main between wooded sandstone hills, with one long main street of timber-framed houses running below the castle. The Gasthaus zum Riesen claims continuous operation as an inn since 1411 and describes itself as the oldest princely inn in Germany, with a documented list of guests including emperors. The Schnatterloch, a gap in the houses framing a view up to the castle, is the town's standard image. A Roman fort stood here on the Limes frontier, and a stone marked with an inscription, the Toutonenstein, was found nearby. Sandstone quarried locally was shipped down the Main for centuries.

History

Ring ramparts on the Greinberg and the Bürgstadter Berg were in use from the Neolithic but date mostly from the late Bronze Age, and in the 150s the Romans moved their frontier forward, making the Main the border from Miltenberg northwards; the Altstadtkastell of 2.7 hectares held a cohort, the southernmost on the Main, which in 190/1 was a mixed unit of 480 men, while the smaller Miltenberg-Ost fort marked where the Limes met the river, and the Romans built at least two sanctuaries of Mercury on the Greinberg. After the Romans left, the population fell until the Franks came after 500 AD, a Carolingian church probably stood south of the old fort in the 9th century, and a walled settlement there, probably the civitas Walehusen, was wrecked in 1247 (Wikipedia, Miltenberg).

What you'll find

• The Gasthaus zum Riesen - an inn trading since 1411.
• The Schnatterloch - a framed gap in the houses looking up to the castle.
• The timber main street - a continuous run of framed facades.
• The Roman traces - Limes frontier remains and stones in the museum.

When to go

April to October; the town is on a river cruise route and busiest at midday. Christmas markets run in December. The castle keeps limited winter hours.

Things to know

The town is essentially one street, walked in an hour. Cruise groups arrive in blocks. The castle climb is steep.

Nearby

Aschaffenburg lies downriver; the Odenwald rises south.

Key facts