Hiking Tour "Kleiner Mainzer Höhenweg"

1. stage from Laubenheim to Ebersheim, approx. 10.2 km

2. stage from Ebersheim to "Alten Forsthaus" in Ober-Olm, approx. 8.0 km

3. stage from "Alten Forsthaus" in Ober-Olm via Finthen to Mombach ("Waldfriedhof"), ca. 13.5 km

The path is well signposted, so it's easy to find access to individual stages and information on public transport.

Directions 1. stage:

Laubenheim - "Glockenberghütte am Gauberg" - Ebersheim

Start: train station/bus stop "Im Brühl" in Laubenheim. An information board will lead you directly to the route "Kleiner Mainzer Höhenweg". The path leads you through the old town centre and you will find there already some sights. There is a bronze statue called "Ausschellers und Polizeidieners" in front of "Wiegeheisje" and "Marienhof" (an old summer residence of former bishops of the city of Mainz).  You will continue the route to go through the housing estate area, follow the path "Hohlweg am Heiligenhäuschen" until you reach the path "Erich-Koch-Höhenweg". Once at the top you will then pass "Laubenheimer Höhe" and "Bodenheimer Höhe" to reach the "Glockenbergschutzhütte am Gauberg". That is the place where you can have a break and enjoy the beautiful view. You can see the Rhine, "Laubenheimer Ried", "Taunus", the "Rhine-Main-Area" and even the skyline of Frankfurt as well as "Odenwald" and Rheinhessen's small hills. Rested it goes along a slope above Gau-Bischofsheim to the village boundary. A long staircase guide you to the chapel "Marienkappelle". Then you will follow L 425 next to fields, past a field cross from 1843 to Ebersheim. In the centre of Ebersheim you will find a Catholic church and finally the bus stop.

Directions 2. stage: Ebersheim- Klein-Winternheim - Altes Forsthaus Ober-Olm

Start: Ebersheim church. You will walk now north to another field cross, the highest elevation of the Mainz city area. From here you will have a great view of the Donnersberg, the Soonwald, the Rheingau and Taunus as well as the skyline of Frankfurt. Passing a beautiful rest area with an information board, you first go through the Haybach valley and then along the stream to Klein-Winternheim to Andreasplatz. Here you will find the municipal administration and the Catholic church of St. Andreas, with the bronze statue "St. Andreas". Crossing the main road, under the railway and motorway underpass, it goes uphill through vineyards and fields past Ober-Olm to the Waldgasthaus Ober-Olm. From here you can see the skyscrapers on the Lerchenberg, the ZDF (German television broadcasting), the Mainz publishing house and the Rheingau Mountains with the "Hohe Wurzel". Nearby is the old forest house, our stage goal. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe spent several days there in 1793 during the siege of Mainz.

Directions 3. stage: "Altes Forsthaus" in Ober-Olm - Finthen - Waldthausen - Waldfriedhof Mombach

Start: old forest house "Altes Forsthaus". From here it goes through the Ober-Olmer forest, past the Friedenskreuz to the renatured areas with wooden walkways. Peat-like terrain crosses the path (a stop here is certainly worthwhile) and leads into the Finthen fruit fields, once over the airfield road in Finthen and further through the enchanting fruit fields into the Lenneberg Forest (also called Gonsenheimer or Budenheimer Wald). This very special forest has a sandy bottom and is one of the green lungs of Mainz with its 630 ha. The path goes past the seven ponds (today biotopes), near the "Rheingoldruhe", under the A 60 to the signpost to the "Green House" (exhibition of animal preparations and sale of game products), a bit uphill to the broadway "Allee", the former castle driveway from Heidesheim. Here you will find the next sight, the Waldthausen Castle, its park is open to the public. Once crossed, it goes past the gatehouse and out of the castle grounds. Cross the K 10 to Finthen and the L 422 to Gonsenheim at the crossings. Continue to the "Lennebergkuppe" with its Lenneberg tower, built in 1880, from its platform you have a magnificent view of the Rheingau and the Taunus to the Feldberg. Right next door there is the Lenneberg restaurant, which is ideal for a little refreshment. To the left past the Lennebergturm, there are many steps down to the new, beautiful refuge on the corner of the Wendelinus and Altmünsterschneise. Those who haven't had a break so far, can do a stop here at the latest. At the Mombacher forest cemetery it goes along the fence to the entrance, where you find another information board. A café and a bus stop are close. From here you have two options:

1. Walk past the "Fatzerbrünnchen" and the NSG Mainzer Sand (dune area) to the section's Alpine Club House

or

2. Return by bus (Waldfriedhof stop) without changing trains via the main train station to the starting point of the hike in Laubenheim.