Discover Nidderau: Nature, trails and local history

Explore Nidderau through its natural monuments and trails, as well as its historic town centers. The different route layouts, distances and sights provide guidance for planning your trip. Local history can also be seen in the various districts—from archaeological evidence to distinctive architectural ensembles.

Nature and trails in Nidderau

The Wartbaum on the Hohe Straße above Nidderau is a distinctive natural monument and a historic vantage point. The site is freely accessible year-round, and visiting is free of charge. If you would like to learn about the field flora reserve at the Wartbaum on a guided tour, Nidderau’s Environmental Office offers individual tours; please register by email.

The Hohe Straße Regional Park Route is 38 kilometers long and signposted in both directions. For the most part, it follows the course of an old trade route and intersects with the Nidderau railway cycle path and the Bonifatius Route. The route description thus combines a historic course with named junctions within the city.

The 16.9-kilometer Spessart Trail “NidderAuenFährte” starts at Eichen station. It passes through Nidderau’s natural forest and meadows, offers views as far as Frankfurt, the Taunus and the Spessart, and returns along the Nidder. Part of its route lies within the Wetterau bird sanctuary.

The Huguenot and Waldensian Trail is also relevant for route planning: it is a Council of Europe cultural long-distance cycle route. Its Main-Spessart regional loop passes through the Nidderau districts of Eichen, Windecken and Heldenbergen.

For choosing a route by distance, the trails mentioned can be easily distinguished: the nature trail has two independent loops, each about three kilometers long. The NidderAuenFährte covers 16.9 kilometers, while the 38-kilometer Hohe Straße Regional Park Route offers a considerably longer route.

The nature trail runs through the Windecken and Ostheim districts. Its interactive stations invite visitors to experiment, touch and smell. It starts at the information board by the playground on Mühlberg in Windecken. If you would like to include a scale model of the solar system along your route, you can find one on the Planet Trail: it leads from the Willi-Salzmann-Halle in Windecken along Konrad-Adenauer-Allee to the Catholic church in Heldenbergen. The walk is informative for all ages.

There is also an overview map for walking and jogging at the large forest car park near the burial forest. It shows marked routes of varying lengths. As parking arrangements may change, it is a good idea to check shortly before setting off.

Another perspective is offered by the Main-Kinzig regional loop of the Hessian Apple Wine and Orchard Route, which passes through Nidderau. The loop is currently being revised. Its route passes natural meadows with fruit trees, teaching gardens and educational trails, cider presses and restaurants, direct sellers, natural monuments and other sights.

Local history in the districts

In Erbstadt, the Pfaffenhof is located on what is now Hauptstraße. This almost square architectural ensemble is a distinctive element of the area’s local history. In Windecken, important Iron Age burial grounds provide evidence of a much earlier past.

Windecken’s old town lies in the Katzbach valley and is bordered to the north by the Nidder. Despite extensive destruction during the Thirty Years’ War, its medieval layout has been almost entirely preserved. The Hexenturm and the town wall are among the culturally and historically significant monuments there. The Hexenturm is also considered a landmark and a building that helps shape local identity.

The historic center of Heldenbergen is defined by the Catholic church. Its architectural character includes, among other things, the rectory, two old school buildings, half-timbered houses and farmsteads. The homes of craftspeople, day laborers and agricultural workers are also part of this historic center. Together, these varied buildings offer a tangible sense of the different functions and groups of residents that form part of local history.

Nidderau brings together several different points of interest: routes with clearly stated lengths and itineraries, a natural monument with free access, and historic centers and buildings with diverse historical connections. When planning, you can choose whether to spend your time mainly on a trail, on nature and landscape, or on the history of individual districts.

Discover more destinations: Hammersbach, Maintal, Gelnhausen, Freigericht, Schlüchtern, Biebergemünd, Bruchköbel, Erlensee.

Go to the main travel overview: Main-Kinzig District.