Rhön-Grabfeld

Rhön-Grabfeld is a district (Landkreis) in Lower Franconia.

Kreuzberg mountain

Understand

It includes the towns of Bad Königshofen im Grabfeld, Bad Neustadt an der Saale, Ostheim vor der Rhön, Bischofsheim an der Rhön, Fladungen and Mellrichstadt.

Get around

The next major international airport is Frankfurt Airport, some 150–170 km from Rhön-Grabfeld. Erfurt Airport is a little closer (110–125 km), but sees far less flights. Transfer by public transport from either airport is tedious, taking at least 3 hours from Frankfurt.

The district is served by regional express trains on their way between Würzburg (1 hr) and Erfurt (1 hr 15 min), as well as local trains between Schweinfurt (30–50 min) and Meiningen (30 min), all stopping in Bad Neustadt (Saale) and Mellrichstadt. In Würzburg you may change from/to ICE high-speed trains on the Frankfurt–Nuremberg–Munich/Vienna line, in Erfurt there are transfers from/to Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden.

Rhön-Grabfeld is crossed by the A71 motorway (Erfurt–Schweinfurt).

See

Kreuzberg monastery

Marketplace in Bad Neustadt

• 1 Burg Brennhausen. castle surrounded by moat and lake (updated Mar 2017)
• 2 Kreuzberg (Rhön) (sacred mountain of the Franconians) (near the town of Bischofsheim an der Rhön). At 928 m (3,045 ft) high it is the highest elevation of the Bavarian part of the Rhön mountains. Kreuzberg Monastery is just below the summit and is a pilgrimage for Christians and beer drinkers. (updated Mar 2017)

Buy

• 1 Karmeliter Bräu, Ludwig-Elsbett-Straße 5-7, 97616 Salz bei Bad Neustadt (im Ortsteil Salz), ☏ +49 9771 1323. Former monastery brewery founded in 1348 and thus one of the oldest still existing breweries of Bavaria, since 1923 as a family enterprise led: breeds Pils, Helles, Dunkles, Märzen and Radler. The brewery farm was moved to the district Salz, brewery sightings only on request, brewery inn is the Rathschenke in the town centre. 

Eat

Cafe in Ostheim

Drink

• 1 Privatbrauerei Peter (Ostheimer Bürgerbräu), Nordheimer Straße 14, 97645 Ostheim vor der Rhön, ☏ +49 9777 9101-0. The brewery produces Pils and Schwarzer Peter (dark beer), it was threatened by bankruptcy in the middle of the 1990s, the rescue brought the invention of the Bionade: 
• 2 Streck Bräu, Ludwig-Jahn-Straße 11, 97645 Ostheim vor der Rhön (at the north-western edge of the town towards Oberwald), ☏ +49 9777 9265. The brewery Streck has existed since 1718 and produces pils, light, wheat, dark, export, organic beer, three beer mixes and several sodas. In the shop, there are articles about the beer. Brewery visits on Wednesday at 14:00 in the courtyard of the brewery, at the latest on the previous day, advance registration required. 
• 3 Rathschenke, Roßmarktstraße 36, 97616 Bad Neustadt an der Saale, ☏ +49 9771 2692. Good home cooking, fish dishes. 
• 4 Pax Bräu (Brauerei), Rathgeberstr. 7, 97656 Oberelsbach (near the church, in the centre), ☏ +49 178 80 68 958. A one-man brewery established in 2007. Breweries are made from whiskey malt and smoked malt as well as wheat beer, both of which are made from organic raw materials. The beer is sold in the one-litre bottle. Brewery visits on request. 
• 5 Brauerei Lang, Charlotte-von-Kalb-Straße 13, 97633 Waltershausen, ☏ +49 9762 92 92. W-F from 17:00, Sa from 14:00, Su from 10:00. The only brewery in the area Grabfeld. Brewed is Pils, yeast wheat, Lager, Bock and special beers like the dark "Franconian copper beer". Brewery tours by arrangement. There is Franconian cuisine in the inn. 
• 6 Rother Bräu, Birkenweg 2, 97647 Roth v. d. Rhön, ☏ +49 9779 81010. Locally oriented family brewery, organic beers, mixers and sodas are produced. Brewery view every Monday at 11:00. Öko Bier & Apfel, organic beer and apple, is a mixture of 65% beer organic drink and 35% apple juice from biologically controlled cultivation, alcohol 3.1% vol. 

Sleep

• 1 Klostergaststätte, Klosterbrauerei Kreuzberg, Kreuzberg 2; 97653 Bischofsheim/Rhön, ☏ +49 9772 9124 - 0, fax: -45. Daily 08:00-20:00, until 21:00 deposit back. The Klosterbrauerei brews only for the serving in the monastery and for the direct sale. The Kreuzberg beer is probably for many the most important attraction in the monastery. It is brewed with a little more of the original wort and tastes best in its kind on the Kreuzberg itself.The kitchen offers hearty Franconian and Bavarian dishes. The traditional brotzeit to one Maß (one litre) of Kreuzberg beer is the portion cheese, but there are also more cold and hot food, the portions are certainly more than adequate, the prices but still quite cheap. On nice days (especially in late summer and early autumn), the monastery restaurant is often crowded in the afternoon. Before the drinks and the food issue long queues form, and the seats are scarce. Weather permitting beer garden; On Sundays and public holidays during the main worship services. The monastery is closed from the end of October until shortly before Christmas. Accommodation in the monastery is possible. 

Go next

• Meiningen, 20–40 km north (30 min by train) – former residence of a petty principality with Baroque palace and court theatre
• Bad Kissingen, 20–40 km south (30–50 min by train via Ebenhausen)
• Schweinfurt, 40–55 km south (30–50 min by train)
• Haßberge, 55 km southeast (1 hr by train via Schweinfurt)
• Fulda, 55 km northwest (1½ hr by bus and train via Gersfeld)