The best road cycling routes around Oestrich Winkel

"I don't know what it means..." or the 70s hit "Loreley...ley...ley... below you flows the Rhine". What's exciting is that the legend of the Loreley probably has an older origin, but it was actually brought to life by the poet and Goethe acquaintance "von Brentano". Later it was incorporated into the Rhine Romanticism and immortalized by Heinrich Heine in his perhaps most famous poem (even though the Nazis later struck out the name Heine below it and titled it "Unknown Poet" - speechless).

One of the oldest medieval stone bridges in Germany. The short stop is worthwhile for anyone who wants to discover a piece of history on their bike tour.

With a total length of around 1,233 kilometers, the Rhine is one of the longest, most historically significant, and economically important rivers in Europe. The river originates in the Swiss Alps, where it is formed from the two headwaters, the Vorder- and Hinterrhein. After flowing through Lake Constance, it plunges down at the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen and then, as the High Rhine, forms the border between Switzerland and Germany. Further on, as the Upper Rhine, it flows through the Upper Rhine Plain past major cities such as Karlsruhe and Ludwigshafen, as well as directly past the region of Mainz and Wiesbaden. In this area, the river makes a sharp turn west at the so-called "Rhine Knee" (Rheinknie) before reaching the spectacular Middle Rhine. This section between Bingen and Koblenz – known as the Upper Middle Rhine Valley (Obere Mittelrheintal) – has been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2002 due to its density of castles, historic vineyards, and the legend of the Loreley rock. Via the Lower Rhine (Niederrhein) and the metropolitan regions of Cologne and Düsseldorf, the Rhine finally continues into the Netherlands. There it divides into a widely branched delta and finally flows into the North Sea near Rotterdam. As an international waterway, the Rhine is the logistical backbone of Western Europe. It connects major industrial centers and seaports directly with the hinterland, and is used annually by tens of thousands of cargo ships for the transport of coal, ores, containers, and chemical goods. In addition to its industrial function, the Rhine Valley serves as a lifeline for tourism, as a rich source of energy through hydropower plants, and as a valuable natural and recreational area for millions of people.

Absolutely cool route 🚴‍♂️

The new Drusus Bridge, still visible today, was built 100 years later under Archbishop Willigis (975-1011). This bridge was destroyed by the French in 1689. It was rebuilt by 1772. In March 1945, a special command blew up the bridge arch in front of the advancing troops of the Allies. Today, the 1000-year-old Drusus Bridge, in new splendor, once again shapes the cityscape of Bingen.

The Drusus Bridge owes its name to the Roman general Drusus, who is said to have built the first wooden bridge over the Nahe. It probably originated in the decade before Christ's birth, but was probably in a different location. At that time, Drusus fortified the left bank of the Rhine border of the Roman Empire by building fortifications and may have had a convenient path built across the Nahe. The wooden bridge was destroyed in 70 AD. The current stone bridge is a construction from the 11th century.

Great route for cycling

Beautiful route in both directions.