Lichtenau Between Cycle Routes, Forest and History
Accommodation in Lichtenau
Lichtenau combines cycling in the Rhine Plain with forest trails and glimpses into history. Five cycling and culinary tours, a forest discovery trail with 15 stations, and sights in Scherzheim offer different ways to shape your stay. Whether you are planning a longer cycling tour, taking a walk in the forest, or interested in the history of the town, you can give these themes different weight when choosing where to stay and what accommodation to book.
Cycling Between the Rhine Plain and Alsace
Lichtenau is situated in the Rhine Plain, making cycling tours through Baden and Alsace possible. The local offering includes five cycling and culinary tours, ranging from 40 to 170 kilometres. This range is a useful guide when planning your tour: decide which distance suits your planned day of cycling. As the offer may change, check which tours are currently available before planning.
The Veloroute Rhein offers a different kind of tour. Its section from Au am Rhein to Lichtenau is designed both for family outings and for sporty long-distance cyclists. The route therefore caters to both group outings and longer, more athletic stages. Detours may be in place during construction work, so check the route before setting off. This makes it possible to distinguish the designated cycling and culinary tours from the regional route by distance and the type of tour you want.
Forest Trails and Landscapes
Lichtenau’s landscape includes Rhine floodplain forests. The nearby Black Forest and Vosges also offer their own landscapes for hiking. One specific option for a forest walk together is the “Komm in die Au nach Lichtenau” forest discovery trail. It passes through the Wörthwald forest between Lichtenau and Grauelsbaum and runs through a nature reserve. There are 15 stations along the trail; information boards and interactive features make it an informative family walk.
The trail therefore has a different focus from the cycling tours: rather than distances, the stations and the forest are the main features along the way. If you are planning a day out with children, you can include this family-oriented walk as an experience in its own right. The Black Forest and Vosges add further hiking areas to the landscape, while the Rhine floodplain forests shape the natural environment most directly associated with Lichtenau.
Fortress, Town History and Scherzheim
Lichtenau’s history dates back to the Middle Ages. Lichtenau Fortress was built around 1298, with a wall, a moat and surrounding masonry. On 14 January 1300, Lichtenau was granted town rights. From 1335 to 1390, the town was the residence of the Counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg and the seat of the county’s secular and ecclesiastical authorities. These dates represent different stages in the town’s history and need not be conflated into a single event. Lichtenau’s moated castle was destroyed at the end of the Thirty Years’ War.
Scherzheim, a district of Lichtenau, also offers historical attractions: the Weinbrenner Church dates from 1810, and historic half-timbered houses are among the sights there. The district thus complements the medieval themes with architectural history from a later period. Visitors interested in architecture can regard these attractions as distinct historical highlights.
Culture in the Wider Destination of Rastatt
In the wider destination of Rastatt, Rastatt Palace offers another Baroque highlight: it was the first Baroque residence built on German soil and was designed after the model of Versailles. The Rastatt City Museum is housed in a Baroque town palace opposite the Residenzschloss. Its permanent exhibitions cover Rastatt’s history over the past 300 years, as well as prehistory and early history. These cultural attractions belong to Rastatt and complement Lichtenau’s local history with a distinctly different focus.
In Lichtenau itself, the Scherzheimer Hoftheater is a cultural venue known for its distinctive setting, sophisticated performances and appearances by internationally renowned cultural figures. If you would like to plan a theatre visit, check the performances for your preferred date. This lets you take your cultural interests into account without conflating them with the historical sights.
Getting Here and Choosing Accommodation to Suit Your Stay
By car, take exit BĂĽhl/Lichtenau from the A5; from there, the route runs for around eight kilometres via Oberbruch and Moos. The Regiolinie connects Lichtenau with RheinmĂĽnster, BĂĽhl and nearby towns every hour. As travel information can change, check the current timetable and route before departure.
When looking for accommodation in Lichtenau, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on: longer cycling tours, a walk on the forest discovery trail, or cultural and historical attractions. You can also factor in whether you will be arriving by car or bus. That way, your choice of where to stay is guided by the experiences you actually want to focus on, rather than by a generalised idea of the destination.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Muggensturm, Steinmauern, Gernsbach, Kuppenheim, RheinmĂĽnster, Durmersheim, BĂĽhlertal, Gaggenau.
To the wider travel overview: Rastatt.
