The best traffic-free bike rides in Main-Taunus-Kreis

This is not just a weir, but a sliding weir

The Main, with a total length of 527 kilometers, is the longest right tributary of the Rhine and one of Germany's most important rivers. It originates with its two headwaters (White and Red Main) in Bavaria and flows in characteristic loops from east to west. Its long journey ends at the so-called Mainspitze, where it flows into the Rhine exactly between Ginsheim-Gustavsburg and the Wiesbaden district of Mainz-Kostheim, directly opposite Mainz's old town.

The route is one of my favorites for several reasons. a) Great view, b) quiet c) practically always in the sun during the day (if the clouds play along).

My personal highlight of today's tour through new areas! The renaturalized Sulzbach stream in the tranquil park (despite being in the heart of Frankfurt and adjacent to the A66 motorway) is truly inviting and perfect for relaxing and taking a breather. It's always amazing what hidden gems Frankfurt has to offer!

The Main-Taunus Arboretum is a park-like woodland landscape of approximately 76 hectares located between Eschborn, Schwalbach, and Sulzbach. It was established in the early 1980s as compensatory reforestation for the expansion of Frankfurt Airport on the site of a former airfield. Today, over 600 species of trees and shrubs from the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere grow here. Instead of individual display trees, complete forest communities have been planted, allowing visitors to experience a small "botanical world tour" through forests from Europe, North America, and Asia along its walking paths. The freely accessible arboretum combines nature experiences, environmental education, and recreation and is considered one of the most important tree collection areas in the region – a tranquil, green contrast to the nearby metropolis of Frankfurt.

Especially during the summer months, and particularly on weekends, the paths along the Nidda river are very busy.

The sculpture "The Circle" opens to the east, towards the light. Sculptor Thomas Link defines this direction by the axis from the sound stele in the center of the circle to the pair of steles outside. These cast long shadows, with a bright line at their center. The sound stele opposite opens to the wind, transforming the moving air into sound. The panoramic trail is part of the regional park's circular route and connects the Bad Weilbach park with the wine village of Wicker over a distance of almost 1.5 kilometers. On clear days, the view extends as far as the Odenwald forest. In the Middle Ages, the "Kasteler Landwehr," the border and defensive fortification protecting the territory of the Electorate of Mainz, ran along this route. In the summer of 1998, five artists created five large stone sculptures along the panoramic trail. The regional park society invited not only Thomas Link from Issing near Munich, who created the circle of stones from basalt, to this plein air sculpture symposium. Hubert Maier, Gerard Höweler, Georg Hüter, and Ingrid Hornef also used the six-week project period to create charismatic works. The goal of the international open-air artists' workshop was not only to enhance the inspiring surroundings with monumental objects. The public also had the opportunity to engage in conversation with the artists during the creative process. This participation and understanding of the artists' thoughts during the creation of the objects ensured the project's great success. Link, for example, explains: "What the eye sees in the surroundings—the movement of grasses and leaves—is simultaneously experienced by the viewer as a sound that swells and recedes with the breath of the wind." The spheres rest around a central point. They bear semi-circular depressions, whose positions indicate directions in space. "This sphere is dedicated to the earth, to the interplay of darkness and incoming light." Each sphere is part of the whole and yet stands alone. Beyond this, the view extends into the landscape, changing from place to place in a circular pattern. “The stones rest, gathered around the center,” they point to direction and space: “Into this structure, humankind enters and finds its place.” None of the stones, not even those of the other artists, are placed by chance along the path. All reflect the landscape in which and for which they were created. It is about knowledge and feeling, about culture and nature, about noise (including aircraft noise) and silence, about the hustle and bustle of life and about finding peace. [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated sentence fragment:] [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated sentence fragment:] [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated sentence fragment:] [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated sentence fragment:] None of the stones, not even those of the other artists, are placed by chance along the path. All of them reflect the landscape in which and for which they were created. It is about knowledge and feeling, about culture and nature, about noise (including aircraft noise) and silence, about hurried life and about finding peace. [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated sentence fragment:] ...

This forest, dubbed the northernmost pine forest in Europe (though I'm not an expert, I'd guess it's *Pinus pinea*), was probably a mistake. In the 19th century, the Kapellenberg hill was reforested, and these pines were planted on its barren, rocky southern slope. The city's 1878 accounts mention 11,500 young *Pinus* saplings – without specifying them further. Did *Pinus pinea* sound much more like a pine tree to the buyer than *Pinus sylvestris*? In any case, the Mediterranean plants seem to thrive here, attracting many a surprised glance from passersby.