Weitblick, Wald und Wallfahrt - Europäischer Kulturweg Alsberg

Two variants of the Alsberg cultural trail - developed by the Archaeological Spessart Project - bring hikers closer to the history of Alsberg's cultural landscape. The 2 km walk leads past the pilgrimage church with panoramic views. The 10 km forest walk, on the other hand, follows the traces of the Alsberg quarry, the border line with the oldest boundary stones in the region and the former NATO camp and current Alsberg golf course. Marking: yellow EU ship on a blue background.

Alsberg is the smallest district of Bad Soden-Salmünster, which lies 500 meters above sea level on a high plateau in the Spessart. The Spessart village of Alsberg once offered all the necessary conditions for settlement: a clearing island in the middle of large forests - perhaps founded by glassmakers, a forestry building, a hunting farm and a small church with a great history. Today, the 18-hole golf course blends harmoniously into this cultural landscape.

The local history probably began as a clearing village in the High Middle Ages. In the border area between the major "players", Fulda Abbey, Würzburg Abbey and Mainz Archbishopric, the Hutten family of low nobility succeeded in expanding their own possessions, primarily by founding new estates. Alsberg, first mentioned in 1313, fits well into this picture. The location of the village is characterized by nutrient-poor and stony soil, which is why other factors played a role in its foundation, such as a glassworks or iron mining. We encounter both at the golf course station. For the production of glass or iron, proximity to wood as an energy source is essential, which is why the surrounding Spessart forest was the most important location factor. A side branch of the Lords of Hutten had the following in mind: a small castle in neighboring Hausen and a burial place in the pilgrimage church in Alsberg - similar to the Echter family with Mespelbrunn Castle and the Hessenthal pilgrimage church. But things turned out differently. Alsberg was sold with Jossgrund and Orb to the Archbishop of Mainz in 1540. It remained Catholic, became Bavarian from 1814 to 1866, then Prussian and finally Hessian from 1946.