Zellingen: Main, Churches and Hiking Trails

Main River Landscape and Nature

Zellingen and Retzbach are considered to be villages on opposite banks of the Main. Green hills and beech and oak forests shape the route from the Main valley towards Duttenbrunn. Following renaturation, the G´springsbach stream and the newly redesigned Riedbach spring invite visitors to spend time in a natural setting. Rare bird species have visited and settled in the redesigned areas around Im G´spring. The Im G´spring water trail connects to the Main Cycle Route and can be visited by cyclists and day-trippers.

Churches and Local History

St. George’s Church in Zellingen was created in 1786–1787 by converting a two-storey wing of a castle. In Retzbach, the pilgrimage to the Maria im grünen Tal pilgrimage church has been documented since 1229. In Duttenbrunn, St. Margaret’s Church is considered the market town’s oldest building. These examples differ in their historical context: structural conversion, pilgrimage history and status as the oldest building.

Hiking Trails and Health Garden

The Retzbach–Karlstadt section of the Main Hiking Trail passes through vineyards and woodland above the Main valley and includes bird and plant nature trails. In 2021, the hiking trail network around Markt Zellingen was expanded by five additional circular routes. Themed information boards along the routes cover sights, history, viticulture, flora and fauna. Hikers can therefore choose between different options: a section of the Main Hiking Trail and the additional circular routes around Markt Zellingen. Check the conditions on your chosen route before setting out.

The municipality is associated with the Retzbacher Benediktusberg vineyard site. The Retzbach Health Garden has a bocce court, outdoor fitness equipment, a Kneipp pool, a biblical garden and a medicinal herb garden, a grass maze and a meditation pavilion. Individual facilities may occasionally be unavailable.

Getting There and Camping

Zellingen can be reached by car from the A3, A7, A70, A71 and A81 motorways. There is a campsite in Zellingen directly on the Main; check availability and facilities before you travel.

Main-Spessart in a Wider Context

In the wider context of the Main-Spessart destination, the Main Hiking Trail is around 500 kilometres long in total. Just under 100 kilometres of it run through the Main-Spessart district, connecting Karlstadt, Gemünden a.Main, Lohr a.Main, Rothenfels and Marktheidenfeld. The Spessart Nature Park offers everything from short walks to multi-day hikes. The Spessart Trails bear the “Wanderbares Deutschland” quality seal. For regional planning, the Spessart-Mainland tour portal offers routes with excursion tips, as well as tour information with elevation profiles, map sketches and sights, available to download and print as PDFs. Karlstadt, one of the places connected by the Main Hiking Trail, was founded around 1200; its old town, surrounded by walls, towers and gates, preserves buildings and structures that have stood for more than seven centuries. Archaeological cultural trails explore the Spessart landscape and share information about the history of the Main-Spessart region.

Discover more destinations: Weibersbrunn, Neuendorf, Sailauf, Gössenheim, Obersinn, Hasloch, Karlstadt, Obernburg Am Main

Back to the overview of the wider destination: Main-Spessart.