The best walks and hikes in Main-Taunus-Kreis

The Paulinenschlösschen is a historic, listed building in Bad Soden am Taunus, located directly on the edge of the old spa park. Its history began in 1847 when Duchess Pauline of Nassau had the three-story estate built as her personal summer residence. The Duchess had previously spent a very successful spa stay in the town in 1841 and subsequently decided to build. In addition to the main house, the original property included spacious utility rooms, gardens, agricultural land, and a coach house opposite. As early as 1855, the Duchess sold the estate to the physician Dr. Georg Thilenius. He converted the small palace into a spa guesthouse, which enjoyed an excellent reputation in the following decades and attracted high-ranking guests. In the 1870s and 1880s, Princess Bismarck and her daughter, among others, stayed here. In 1909, the town of Bad Soden finally acquired the building. After the Second World War, the house took a new direction and was used as an upscale restaurant from 1950 onwards, establishing itself as a well-known meeting place for gourmets, especially in the 1970s. After extensive renovations, the Paulinenschlösschen today serves a practical purpose and houses the central citizens' office of the town of Bad Soden.

The Hochheim vineyards are world-famous and beautiful. When during the Victorian era (mid, late 19th century) Riesling from Germany was the most coveted and expensive wine in the world (even ahead of Burgundy and Bordeaux), it was also the latest "craze" in England. Due to the German roots of the English royal house and the connections to Hochheim, "Hochheimer" became synonymous with German Riesling. As the English tended to pronounce "ch" as "k", "Hochheimer" quickly became "Hockheimer" and ultimately a short form "the Hock". Hock is still a fixed term in English, traditional wine bars today.

The Obermühle is a wonderful building. Nestled in a valley and surrounded by history (Roman kilns and, a dark part of history concerning witch hunts). It is a listed building and dates from the 15th century, but was operated until the 1970s. The building is private, but there is also a holiday apartment there: https://www.obermuehle-traiser.de/

It's always nice to let your gaze wander over the vineyards.

Apart from the Kastanienhof, whose opening hours must be strictly observed, there is no refreshment stop on the route. It would be nice if there were a marking of the Regiomaten (Dattenbachstrasse Ehlhalten and Niederjosbach Parkplatz on the left shortly before the train station).

Beautiful path! Gladly again!

From Schneidhain you have a great view of the castle ruins. A sight that is worth it.

Source & Course: The Silberbach stream rises in the High Taunus mountains near Schloßborn (municipality of Glashütten). From there, it flows southeast through the wooded Silberbach Valley. Mouth: It flows into the Schwarzbach stream, which in its upper reaches, up to its confluence with the Daisbach stream in Eppstein, is often still referred to as the Dattenbach. The mouth of the Schwarzbach lies between Glashütten-Schloßborn and Eppstein-Vockenhausen. Special Features: The Silberbach Valley is considered ecologically valuable and is managed by the BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany) Königstein-Glashütten branch. The name may historically suggest a stony streambed or former mining attempts. Recreation: A popular hiking trail is the Silberbach Loop, which leads from Dattenbach Valley, passing, among other things, the Atzelberg Tower.