
Lohr am Main
Spessart City Tours
Produced by : © 2025
Produced by : © 2025
Lohr am Main is a charming town in northwestern Lower Franconia. It sees itself as the “gateway to the Spessart”, because it lies on the eastern slope of the Spessart Mountains, where the Lohrbach flows into the Main.
It looks back on a varied history. In the old town center, there are numerous half-timbered houses from the 16th and 17th centuries, picturesque squares and a sandstone fountain.
In Lohr, a connection to the fairy tale Snow White was also found towards the end of the last century. According to local tradition, this story was inspired by Maria Sophia von Erthal, who lived in the city, as well as the harsh living conditions of the population in the Spessart.
The Spessart Museum, which is housed in the Kurmainz Castle, presents the history of the region, of Lohr and the quite interesting associations with the fairy tale of Snow White, among other things, in changing exhibitions.
Our route to Lohr leads from the campsite in Neustadt am Main along the river until you see the Mainlände on the right: a large, inexpensive parking lot. The car is well parked and the walk to the old town takes about 10-15 minutes.
The route between the old, lovingly restored houses is already very diverse, and depending on the time of day and day of the week, you will meet other visitors and locals here. This continues until you reach a large square at the back of the Old Town Hall, in front of which stands a large stone fountain. On the right-hand side, tables and chairs under sunshades invite you to stop at the inn or the wine tavern next to it.
You will come across Snow White in many places in Lohr. Whether as a sculpture with and without dwarfs, or as a sticker on some cars. Sometimes she can also be found “really” alive, when she distributes - of course non-toxic apples.
But what is the story behind the omnipresence of this fairy-tale character?
Dr. Karlheinz Bartels (1937-2016), a pharmacist and historian from Lohr, Werner Loibl (1943-2014), the former director of the Spessart Museum, and master shoemaker Helm uth Walch (1932-2013) found the historical connections between history and the history of fairy tales at their regulars' table at the Weinhaus Mehling in the second half of the 1980s. Now, however you look at it, this link can be found – delving into the history of the region with the help of the fairy tale is interesting and explains many things that would otherwise remain very theoretical.
Exploring the Spessart region from Lohr and using the Grimm fairy tale of Snow White as a guide takes us into the forest of the Hochspessart, to the places and castles up the Sinn river, to hiking trails or paths that make wonderful bike routes.