The Odenwald is an unpopulated region, reserved for centuries as an elite hunting domain. The myths and legends associated with the forest run through even the name, which may imply a connection to Odin and the old gods. The region is held together by the river Main, which forms its main axis of travel.
The Odenwald is a hilly, forested region that sits astride the Main Valley, as it cuts through the Rhön mountains. It has a rugged and densely forested landscape that largely prevented the region’s development.
Historically this meant that the Odenwald served as one of Europe’s largest hunting preserves, the exclusive domain of the Frankish, Carolingian, Salian, and Staufen Emperors, among others.
However, undeveloped does not mean there is nothing to see here. The city of Aschaffenburg was one of the main seats of power for the Prince-Archbishops of Mainz, and they turned it into a symbol of their strength. Enough survived WW2 to make it worth an afternoon trip. Many other palaces and castles of the Bishops dot the landscape. It was not just Mainz competing for control, the Dukes of Hessen-Darmstadt, the Counts of Erbach, and Rieneck, among others, all competed for the region’s wealth.
