Geocache:
Tour of Seligenstadt
Seligenstadt!--Viel Freude an den Schätzen im historischen Seligenstadt!
(Enclosed: Instructions for the GPS device)
START at the fountain on Market Square
Before you start you should know that Seligenstadt used to be the last
stop of a merchants‘ caravan before they reached Frankfurt. Guess how
far away Frankfurt is. ( 1 mile = 1,6 kilometers; 1n kilometer = 0,6 mile)
Right – it’s about 30 km away. Imagine having to walk that far in only one
day with a packed carriage.
When they made a stop here in Seligenstadt, first-timers had to drink one
litre of wine out of a huge spoon to prove they were real merchants. In
honor of those brave men we celebrate the “Geleitsfest” every four years
during which the drink out of the spoon is done.
Count the golden paving stones in front of the city hall next to the
fountain. Which number is on the 6th stone from the bottom?
A(457) 1631
B(433) 1708
C(469) 1725
N 50°
02.781
E 008°
58._ _ _
The number in brackets must be put in the gap – and will guide you to the
next stop.
1
Look at all those old houses right here in Steinheimer Straße. They were
already there before the Steinheimer Gate Tower was built. Even the
bakery “Haas” is still there – the building with the Pretzel sign.
But let’s have a look at the Gate Tower again. Walk around it and find out
how long it took to finish it:
A(568) 6 years
B(541) 4 years
C(595) 2 years
N 50°
02.750
E 008°
58._ _ _
2
There’s another big tower. The reason why this tower isn’t made of bricks
and wood is that stone was a better protection against burning arrows.
Make a guess what the tower was used for and what its name is:
A(706)
Pulverturm (Gun Powder Storage Tower as a part of the
town fortification
B(766)
Water tower as a part of the Palatium
C(790)
Fortified tower (Bollwerkturm) as a part of the sewage
plant
N 50°
02.631
E 008°
58._ _ _
3
You’ve already reached the next stop of our tour. Do you think it’s got a
funny name? Why don’t you read what the inscription in the wall says:
Hier kannst du lügen, bis sich die Balken biegen”, meaning at this place
you can tell lies like there is no tomorrow. Just try! Why don’t you just sit
down and enjoy a cup of ice-cream and the beautiful scenery.
What’s the name of the restaurant above the “bench of lies”?
A(174) Landgasthof Neubauer
B(670) Mainterrasse
C(902) Zum Anker
N 50°
02.669
E 008°
58._ _ _
4
The huge ruin in front of you is called „Palatium“. 800 years ago there was
no internet or TV, but how did emperors know what was going on in other
parts of the empire? That’s why emperors travelled from place to place to
look after their people. In small palaces like the “Palatium”, all across the
empire, they found a temporary home for themselves and their families
Now move on to the two big tables / boards behind the fence. What is the
name of the person(s) shown on the left one in the top left corner?
A(722) Friedrich 1. Barbarossa
B(346) Karl der Große
C(922) Einhard und Emma
N 50°
02.627
E 008°
58._ _ _
5
Can you see the ferry? For many years it has helped people to get across
the Main River. Do you know the name of the federal state you can see on
the other side?
Right! It’s Bavaria! Did you know that the Main River once was the border
between the Romans and the Germanic peoples? On our side the Romans
were safe because it was difficult for their enemies to cross the river.
But let’s now have a look at the ferry…
How is it fixed to the shore /quay?
A(456) with an anchor
B(913) with a button
C(760) with a rope
N 50°
02.535
E 008°
58._ _ _
6
You are right in front of a fountain, but if you look around you’ll find
yourself standing in our „Klostergarten“ (cloister’s garden). There are lots
of different kinds of flowers and beds, arranged in a special pattern.
The „Klostergarten“ belongs to our cloister / monastery. A long time ago
many Benediktinermönche (monks) lived here after the rules of St.
Benedikt. Some of these monks had special jobs, such as an “Abt”, who
was their leader, a “Cellerar”, who knew all about food, and a “Bursarius”
who was responsible for their money.
But now take a look at the fountain right in the middle of „Klostergarten:
What do people throw into the fountain for good luck?
A(334) empty bottles
B(730) coins / change
C(601) (Euro) notes
N 50°
02.535
E 008°
58._ _ _
7
You should know that these monks didn’t only work and pray for
themselves but for all the people living around the monastery. That’s why
they grew different kinds of herbs (to be used as medicine) and spices.
Right here they created a “chemist’s garden” which is still there. Do you
see all those herbs and shrubs? But be careful, toxic plants are labeled
with a skull.
Did you know that Valerian wipes your sadness away while Blackberry
leaves will cure diarrhea? Horseradish will ease your cold and tea made
from Caraway and Lavender will soothe your tummy.
Now go find „Schnittlauch“ (Chives) in the chemist’s garden in order to
answer the next question:
What is its original name?
A(555) Allkarte Schnittobuan
B(309) Anethum graveolens
C(659) Allium Schoenoprasum
N 50°
02.541
E 008°
58. _ _ _
8
You are right in front of the monastery’s mill. If you look around, you
might see a small burrow. And you know what? It once was the
millstream which propelled the millwheels. If you have a closer look,
you can even see them. To see the mill in action, you have to ask for
special guided tours. In addition, you can taste the delicious monastery
bread made in the wood oven every Thursday.
You want to find out the next coordinate? Then count the windows in the
roof on the millwheel side and add the number of millwheels.
A(673) 6+3 --> 9
B(221) 5+2 --> 7
C(886) 4+6 --> 10
N 50° E 008°
02.577 58._ _ _
9
Look, this is the symbol of our town: the Basilika, made of red stone. Do
you see the two statues in front of the entrance? These are the two saints
Marcellinus and Petrus. If you want you can go inside the church to have a
look.
Let us go back to the statues:
What does Marcellinus carry in his left hand (from his perspective)?
A(563) a chalice / goblet
B(559) a bowl
C(661) a twig
N 50°
02.601
E 008°
58._ _ _
10
Now you have reached another point of interest. This is the “Rote
Brunnen” – the “Red Well”. It is said that the stork pulls the babies out of
the well. If you look into the well, you will see two babies (so-called
“Bobbelche”) chiseled in stone.
You have to take a look around for the next question.
Do you know what the white houses with the dark wooden beams are
called?
A(886) Tippi
B(396) half-timbered house
C(843) clay hut
N 50°
02.762
E 008°
58. _ _ _
11
You have reached „Klaa Frankreich“ – Little France. It is named after
French people who were welcomed to Germany as workers after many
Germans had died of the plague after the Swedish War. Do you see the
little fountain?
Which number / year is in front of the sentence: „Anwohner von Klaa
Frankreich und die Stadt Seligenstadt“
A(510) 1996
B(609) 1753
C(351) 1893
N50°
02.654
E 008°
58._ _ _
12
And now you’re on Market Square again! If you’re right on time or simply
wait for a while, you will hear the chime of the bell every quarter of an
hour – and the carillon once an hour. The city hall was rebuilt in 1823 by
the Grand Duke of Darmstadt. And if you look closely enough, you can see
an emblem at the “Haus Sonne” on the left side of the city hall.
But now look at another emblem / coat of arms: Turn around and look at
the „Frankfurter Hof“
Which animal is shown on the emblem?
A(654) a horse
B(415) a badger
C(514) an eagle
N 50°
02.635
E 008°
58. _ _ _
13
Now it’s high time to tell you the story of Einhard. Einhard, who could
both read and write, was working at the court of Emperor Karl. Unluckily,
he fell in love with Karl’s daughter Emma – which the Emperor shouldn’t
know about as he wanted Emma to marry a nobleman. But eventually Karl
found out and banned the two lovers who then fled to Obermulinheim.
Many years later Karl got lost while hunting and accidentally found shelter
in Einhard and Emma’s house – but he didn’t recognize the two. But for
fear of being caught Einhard climbed into the attic and watched what was
going on. And if you have a really close look you can still see him: right
underneath the roof he is looking out the window. Emma, in contrast, was
not afraid and prepared her father’s favourite meal: pancakes. When Karl
took the first bite, he recognized his daughter right away, as only his
daughter could make such good pancakes. For sheer joy he shouted:
“Selig sei die Stadt genannt, da ich meine Tochter wieder fand” (“Selig” be
the town in which I found my daughter again.). From then on
Obermulinheim was called Seligenstadt.
Answer the next question to get the key / password to the treasure:
Look up to Einhard and count the words in Emporer Karl’s famous
exclamation (see above).
A(Keyword: Eierpfannkuchen)
11
B(Keyword: Einhard)
10
C(Keyword: Obermulinheim)
12
The keyword is:_____________
And now head for the tourist info. Tell them the
keyword and you will finally receive a reward.
In case it is closed, put his sheet with the
keyword and your address on it into the office’s
mailbox and the reward will be sent to you.
But hey – don’t tell the keyword to anyone, ok?
Tourist-Info der Stadt Seligenstadt
Aschaffenburger Straße 1, 63500 Seligenstadt
Telefon: 06182/87177 – Telefax: 06182/87170, www.seligenstadt.de – @-mail:
[email protected]
Öffnungszeiten:
Mai bis September
Oktober bis April
Mo - Fr
10.00 – 18.00 Uhr
Mo – Fr
10.00 – 17.00 Uhr
Sa
10.00 – 16.00 Uhr
Sa
10.00 – 13.00 Uhr
So
12.00 – 16.00 Uhr
So
14.00 – 16.00 Uhr
2013.Seligenstadt
For more info: www.unser-seligenstadt.de