Meißenheim – Baroque Church and Paths Along the Old Rhine Arm

Meißenheim is part of a cross-border leisure region with Neuried, Schwanau and neighboring French municipalities in the Grand Ried of Alsace. The Protestant Baroque church on Winkelstraße was built in 1766 and features a pulpit and an altar made of stucco marble with Rococo cartouches.

Culture and History

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 were held in the church; Albert Schweitzer also performed there.

Behind the church, the Friederike Brion grave marks the place where Goethe’s youthful love found her final resting place in 1813. Numerous half-timbered houses are visible in the townscape. The house at Friedrichstraße 1 dates from 1827, while the property opposite bears the year 1780.

East of the church stands the Curt Liebich Monument, erected in 1929. It commemorates 54 soldiers from the area who fell in the First World War and was conceived as a memorial for peace. The Christophorus Chapel is located at Riedhofsee; a Way of the Cross with 14 stations encircles the lake.

Nature and Paths

The promenade along the Mühlbach is a local recreational destination. The Mosquito Trail is a marked hiking trail approximately eight kilometers long. It includes a wooden bridge, a ford and a rest area at the old Rhine arm. The trail also passes the Pfahl. Until the 19th century, people from Meißenheim boarded boats there bound for Strasbourg.

The Anniversary Loop Trail is a 26-kilometer cycling and hiking route that begins at the Meißenheim sports hall. It follows the Rhine forest and the old Rhine arm and passes a landing stage dating from the 19th century. Information boards are dedicated to the Heidengrab and the Hexebruck. There are several stopping points along the route, including seating areas.

In the harbor area at the RMKS gravel plant, touring cyclists have access to a partially bilingual overview map. The Ried leisure region on the Rhine side offers cycling, inline skating, horseback riding, canoeing and swimming lakes, as well as cultural activities.

Therapeutic horseback riding at the Gnadenbrot and Therapy Farm in Meißenheim focuses on interaction with horses, as well as joy, friendship, trust and safety.

For Meißenheim, travel dates, the location within the town, room category and cancellation conditions can be considered together with personal plans centered around the Baroque church and Mosquito Trail. Those planning several days can read the information for each offer according to their own priorities and distinguish between a stay focused more strongly on culture and one focused more strongly on trails. The relevant factors are the personal travel dates and the preferred focus for the time in Meißenheim. The length of stay and the price composition can also be taken into account when reading an offer.

More places:Kappel-Grafenhausen, Ringsheim, Schuttertal, Neuried, Hofstetten, Lauf, Durbach, Nordrach.

To the higher-level travel overview: Ortenau District.