Johannisburg castle - Mespelbrunn Castle - Miltenberg

Route: Frankfurt - Johannisburg castle - Mespelbrunn Castle - Miltenberg - Frankfurt
Duration: 9 h
Firstly we will visit the Johannisburg Palace, until 1803 the second residence of the archbishop-electors of Mainz. The massive four-winged complex, built from 1605 to 1614 under Archbishop-Elector Johann Schweikard von Kronberg, is one of the most important examples of palace architecture from the German Renaissance era. For this new building, the Strassburg architect Georg Ridinger retained only the keep of the original medieval castle, which became the fifth tower. At the end of the 18th century, the interior of the palace was redesigned in the Neoclassical style from plans by the architect Emanuel Joseph von Herigoyen. The following sections of the palace are open to visitors: an art gallery with works by Lucas Cranach the Elder (a branch of the Bavarian State Painting Collections), the Palace Church with the Renaissance altar, pulpit and portal sculptures by Hans Juncker, the Vestment Chamber with vestments from the former Main Cathedral treasury, the Princely Apartments with Neoclassical furnishings and the Municipal Palace Museum. Next we will visit to Mespelbrunn Castle, the predecessor of it was just a simple, unfortified manor house next to a small lake, built shortly after 1412 by Hamann Echter. At the time the area was a wild and unexploited virgin forest, used as a hideout by bandits and Hussites. So, already in 1427, Hamann's son rebuilt the house into a fortified castle with walls, towers, and a moat. Between 1551 and 1569 the castle was reconstructed by Peter Echter of Mespelbrunn, and his wife Gertrud of Adelsheim, giving it its a Renaissance-styled home. To this date, it is still a private residence of the family of the Counts of Ingelheim. They live in the southern wing of the castle, they moved out of the main rooms which are open to the public. Next we will visit to the Miltenberg – The Pearl Of The Main River, documented for the first time in 1237, the city looks back on a lively past. Viniculture, wine trade, river traffic and fishery, as well as wood and stone industries were the most important growth engines of trade and craft. The favourable location at the old trading artery Nuremberg – Frankfurt and the staple right very early led Miltenberg into economic flowering periods. There you will see its magnificent half-timbered houses, e.g. at the Old Market Place, better known as „Schnatterloch“ – or looking at the „Gasthaus zum Riesen“ (The Giant), Germany’s oldest royal inn. The „Schwarzviertel” (Black Quarter), the oldest part of town, nestles between the Main River and the mountain Greinberg. It proves to be the perfect setting for spooky stories and scary legends, which you will enjoy during our city tour. After free time we return to Frankfurt.
Price: per person