Oberursel (Taunus): Sculptures, City History and Cycling Routes

Oberursel (Taunus) displays its history throughout the city: in the highly visible St. Ursula’s Church, art in the city centre and fountains that tell of Oberursel’s close ties to water. There are also themed trails and guided tours that focus on agriculture, city history and traces of Celtic life. This makes it easy to plan your stay around different interests, with city explorations, cycling routes and selected activities in the wider Hochtaunus region.

Church, Sculptures and Fountains in the City

St. Ursula’s Church, with its tower known as Hohe Wacht, is the city’s landmark and can be seen from far away. Numerous sculptures are scattered throughout the city centre, forming a sculpture trail. It runs from the railway station along Adenauerallee and through Rushmoor Park and Lomonosov Park. Rather than leading to just one work of art, the trail connects several public art locations with different stops around the city.

The fountains also reflect a distinctive theme of the city: Oberursel’s close connection with its water—the “stream”—is evident in numerous newly created, restored or reinstated fountains. Those interested in culture and local history will find not just a single landmark, but a variety of traces in the public realm.

Agriculture and Cycling Routes

At the Weißkirchen Ost U3 station, the Agricultural Culture Axis illustrates agricultural production using maize as an example. A blue pipe system demonstrates cultivation processes, while a red system playfully and entertainingly shows what happens after the harvest and the many ways products are used and marketed. Together, the two installations trace the journey from cultivation to use and marketing.

Cyclists can find their way around, too: signposted regional cycling routes run throughout the city and point towards neighbouring towns and beyond. They follow paths with little or no motor-vehicle traffic. This makes it easy to combine cycling with the city’s cultural sites, without every outing having to be the same kind of experience.

Discover the City’s History on Guided Tours

On the first Saturday of every month, a walking tour of the old town offers insights into Oberursel’s history. Those interested in earlier periods can also plan a guided tour of the Heidetränk Oppidum, offered on the second Saturday from April to October and taking visitors to traces of Celtic life. Check the latest dates and tour arrangements before your visit.

Another perspective is offered by a two-hour tour with Maren Horn and Angelika Rieber. It runs from the monument to the Franco-Prussian War on Adenauerallee to the Old Cemetery. There, the focus is on the different periods represented in the park-like cemetery, notable gravesites and their history. For this tour, too, it is advisable to check the latest dates and arrangements.

Museum and Nature Park Exhibition

The Vortaunus Museum is located on the market square. After extensive renovations, it opened in the summer of 1987 as a modern regional museum. Its themes include soapbox cars, city history, industrial history and the Middle Ages. The range of topics therefore extends from a familiar everyday object to the development of the city and its industry.

The Taunus Information Centre in Oberursel has an interactive exhibition about the landscape’s distinctive features and the habitats of the Taunus Nature Park. It complements the city-focused themes with a look at nature and the landscape.

More Destinations in the Wider Hochtaunus Region

In the wider Hochtaunus region, the Hochtaunus Therapeutic Climate Park offers its own setting for hiking. It covers around 20 square kilometres and extends across Schmitten im Taunus, Glashütten, Königstein im Taunus, Kronberg im Taunus and Oberursel (Taunus). The park has 12 gateways and nearly 30 trails; check the latest trail information when planning individual hikes.

One specific example in the Hochtaunus region is the Windeck (WE2) therapeutic climate hiking trail in Königstein im Taunus: an easy 3.33-kilometre circular route starting and ending at the Windeck car park. It runs mostly sheltered from the wind and sun around the Großer Feldberg, the highest mountain in the Taunus. For longer routes, the Hochtaunus Limes Experience Trail follows the route of the Limes Hiking Trail or the Limes Cycling Route. It runs for more than 30 kilometres from Glashütten to Ober-Mörlen.

The Hessenpark Open-Air Museum is also in the wider Hochtaunus region, in Neu-Anspach in the Hochtaunuskreis district. Its family trail shows children and adults together how people lived and worked in the past. Alongside Oberursel’s city-focused themes, there are therefore other distinct excursion destinations to choose from, each offering a different focus.

Discover more destinations: Schmitten, Wehrheim, Glashütten, Grävenwiesbach, Friedrichsdorf, Kronberg, Königstein im Taunus, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe.

Go to the wider travel overview: Hochtaunus.