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In the cherry village to Ockstadt

Travelling length: four kilometres
Pure walking time: one hour, 75 metres height, different road state  

There are places in the Wetterau which have made a special name, as for example clear castle by the Celt's prince or Steinfurth by the roses to themselves. Ockstadt is famous for his cherries. One can walk, actually, always. However, for Ockstadt there are two special recommendations: The aesthete walks at the end of April at the beginning of May during the period of bloom. The gourmet prefers June and July if the Ockstädter fruits have matured.

It is no nice development that more and more consumers and female consumers believe to have to have all products any time, even if the supermarkets to this need can follow. Who compares once a fresh Ockstädter to cherry to the supermarket product, will be cured of such false-escorted needs. Even if the Ockstädter product is a little more expensive than the supermarket product to be economical a little bit more, is worthwhile in multiple regard.

Who buys home products, avoids mad routes of transport, provides for the fact that these products are also still grown tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. And he helps in the fact that also tomorrow and the day after tomorrow still blossoming fruit meadows transform the Ockstädter slope into a sea from white blossoms.

In Ockstadt tells to walk to saunter more and to enjoy with relish the wide views about the capital town mountain Fried and the whole Wetterau up to the Spessart and bird's mountain.

Ockstadt was mentioned 817 first in a document, already today the preparations run for the annual celebration 1200. While Ockstadt has developed during the past 1200 years to a blossoming community, the other places which were mentioned in the same time first have set. Brook Eitzen, home Hüfters or paste home are such examples. A chapel reminds of the village Hollar only, we will get to know them on our hike.

We leave the car in the swimming-pool and run Pfingstbrunnenstrasse dorfauswärts where we bump into the Whitsun well which is hidden behind an iron door. This well feeds the Ockstädter swimming-pool which may lead, therefore, also the name "Source water swimming bath". At the end of the hike we should convince ourselves of this special quality of the Ockstädter source bath water.

Geologically the Taunus also begins here, directly in the end of the town in western direction, with the gradient. If one deeper dug, one would bump without fail into the typical Taunus quartzite. The special climatic favorable situation of the cherry mountain lying before us has made Ockstadt only him what it is today. The slope rubble rubble material from the more than 400 million year old quartzite and the loess depositions of the storms, during the last ice age about 11,000 years ago, provide for the fact that the cherry trees can develop admirably.

The positive agricultural location suitability has favoured in former times already the wine-growing. In case of more exact consideration of single plots let themselves put out even former vineyard - terraces. The cherry cultivation is proved from the end of the 18th century in Ockstadt. Today the fruit and horticulture association counts Ockstadt about 40,000 cherry trees in the district, there there come 25,000 other fruit-trees, predominantly apples, plums and pears. The tree wealth spreads on 500 owners by whom 20 are understood as intensive fruit farmers and other from 20 to 30 than so-called amateur fruit farmers, so people who maintain her fruit-tree properties regularly and strictly.

Admittedly, there are also in Ockstadt serious changes. Old highly born kinds like Hedelfinger, Haumüller or Germersdorfer give way new down born, lighter to be harvested and longer yield to bringing kinds like Burlat, Kordia or Regina. The sales of the cherries mostly occur about wholesaler and in smaller graduation also through the direct selling in the street or to private customer. However, one cannot live on the cherry cultivation, for it the risks are too big. They begin with the frost during the period of bloom and reach about the hail up to the rain during the harvest time which brings the fruits for burstting and decayed.

We go from the well from by meadows and cherry trees at leading way further straight ahead to us after approx. 600 m on the left side an ancient Speierling can marvel at. With his family extent of more than four metres is valid to the "thickness of Ockstadt" as thickest for his kind in Germany. His age is estimated at approx. 200 years. Then we turn on the right, cross an economic way and remain on our meadow way between the fruit-trees. At the next crossroad we follow a tarred way to the right in the direction of place. We come first to a crossroad with a field cross. With the inscription: Man“ preserves us o „from flash and tempest - the Ockstädter fruit farmers ask in favour of her most valuable good.

The cherry, by the way, should already have grown in the Neolithic Age here at this point. However, the Stone Age people will not have pursued indeed thus a sensitive tree care as she is usual today and also necessary. On the field cross we go to the left to pause at the next crossroad first of all and to direct the splendid view at mountain Fried, the whole Wetterau and in the horizon bird's mountain and Spessart.

Before we turn to the right in the direction of place, we make a small excursion on the left the Hollarkapelle, the last relic which reminds of the village of the same name which was probably left open during the Thirty Years' War. The chapel itself was established on the foundation walls of the old church in the early 18th century and today is used with pleasure for baptisms and weddings.

Now we go back to the place, take the second street to the right (in the swimming-pool) and soon are back in the car.

Now in Ockstadt, however, also to many other places in the Wetterau there are the good Ockstädter cherries, simply wonderfully!

There nowhere are more so splendid Speierlinge like in the district Ockstadt. Here an especially imposing copy which is possibly quite 200 years old.

Of the „Ockstädter of cathedral“, in the background the Friedberger town church.

Hollar chapel

Thus cherries must look