Manubach: Hiking, Half-Timbered Houses and History
Accommodation in Manubach
In Manubach, hiking, local history and an unusual sugar collection offer distinct points of interest. The St. Oswald Loop is a specific hiking option; the church, half-timbered houses and history of fortifications shape the village’s historic character. The Zuckerstübbche adds a collection devoted to sugar. When looking for a hotel in Manubach, you can consider your planned focus: hiking the loop or taking a closer look at the village’s cultural history.
Hiking and Landscape
The signposted St. Oswald Loop is a 10.7-kilometer circular hike around Manubach. It passes through meadows, fields, woodland, vineyards, fallow land and goat pastures. Viewpoints, benches, a shelter and a picnic area offer places to rest along the way. While the church and half-timbered houses illustrate the village’s architectural history, the circular hike takes you through changing landscapes.
The Wiesen am Hirtenborn nature reserve covers around 253 hectares and includes parts of Manubach, Oberdiebach, Oberheimbach and Weiler bei Bingen. It protects and develops extensive, semi-natural open land and adjoining woodland in the Binger Wald as a connected biotope complex.
Church and Historic Village Character
St. Oswald is a late Romanesque church and is considered an outstanding example of an old village church. The simple hall church has no choir; as a result, the worship space is close to the congregation, and the interior has a Reformation character. The Gothic pews were made by the woodcarver Erhard Falckener from Abensberg. Together with the old school from 1832, the old rectory from 1780 and the half-timbered houses on Schadenbach, St. Oswald forms the center of the village.
Numerous well-maintained half-timbered houses stand around the church and at the upper end of Manubach. They date from the mid-16th century to the early 19th century. Most have their gables facing the street. Inscriptions are often found on the sill beams, and wine paintings beneath the gable eaves. Along with their age, their façade orientation and decorations help shape the village’s appearance.
Fortifications, Vineyards and World Heritage
From the 14th century onward, Manubach was fortified with walls, towers and an outer thorn hedge. No remains of the former fortifications survive, but street and field names still refer to them. St. Oswald was also once fortified and could serve as a refuge and fortified church in times of need.
Since 2003, Manubach has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Middle Rhine Valley. The vineyards associated with the village are St. Oswald, Mönchwingert, Heilgarten and Langgarten.
The ZuckerstĂĽbbche
The ZuckerstĂĽbbche opened in 2017 and grew out of a 40-year passion for collecting sugar. Its core collection comprises around 130,000 different sugar cubes, sugar packets and sugar sticks. The collection also includes promotional items, historic sugar-making tools, sugarloaves and stories about sugar. Visits are possible by prior arrangement; admission is free. Please arrange your visit in advance.
Discover more destinations: Ludwigshöhe, Lörzweiler, Bingen Am Rhein, Engelstadt, Waldalgesheim, Ober-Hilbersheim, Appenheim, Sprendlingen.
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