The garden of the two riverbanks was opened in 2004 as part of a cross-border project between Kehl and Strasbourg on the occasion of the state horticultural show.

There are areas of parkland with flower beds spanning more than 50 hectares on both sides of the Rhine. On the German side of the river, visitors can stroll along the Rhine promenade in the shade of large trees or relax on the endless lawns. The garden is open to the public and is particularly beautiful with its changing display of flowers and plants through the different seasons.

There are plenty of playground facilities to keep the children amused. Even very young children will enjoy playing at the water playground (in summer). The Passerelle des Deux Rives bridge linking the two riversides takes pride of place in the midst of these attractions. A fine piece of architecture, this pedestrian and cycle bridge connects the two sides of the Rhine.

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Climb up the Weißtannenturm white fir tower to its full height of 44m to see the wonderful panoramic view over Kehl and the Rhine over to Strasbourg. There is no charge for climbing the tower.

The Passerelle des Deux Rives bridge over the Rhine was designed by the Parisian architect Marc Mimram, and this Franco-German collaboration is central to the garden of the two riverbanks.

The imposing structure is almost 400m long and was built as a cross-border project as part of the 2004 state horticultural show. Forming a seemingly effortless arch, it spans the Rhine which is the official border here between Germany and France. The border is invisible to pedestrians and cyclists on the Passerelle des Deux Rives as they can cross freely in both directions. It takes about 20 minutes to cycle from Kehl to the cathedral in Strasbourg (approx. 6km) along cycle paths with good signposts en route.

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There is a viewing platform over the Rhine in the middle of the bridge where you can get a bird’s eye view of the great river and pause for a moment to admire its might. With an average flow of 2300 cubic metres per second, the merchant ships glide down the Rhine at impressive speed.

Built for the cross-border state horticultural show and opened in 2004, the silver fir tower stands tall at a height of 44m in the garden ot the two riverbanks. Around 70 tons of wood were used to build the imposing tower.

The reward at the top is a spectacular view of the entire garden and further afield to the Black Forest and across to the Vosges mountains on the French side of the Rhine. Buildings in the distance, such as the European Parliament and of course the cathedral in Strasbourg, can be easily recognised by their distinctive shape.

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Anyone who loves romantic sunsets should climb the 210 steps of the silver fir tower in the evening. Photographers (amateurs and professionals alike) will also be rewarded after the climb. The reflection of the wooden structure in the water of the Old Rhine is a commanding sight and so it is also possible to capture very beautiful pictures of the tower from the ground.

The water playground is an inviting place for young and old to play by the water well into the autumn. It is particularly refreshing in the summer heat. The water playground in Kehl between the Rhine and the Old Rhine is a very popular attraction for children.

A strip of water leads over to the Old Rhine, emulating the original natural course of the Rhine before it was straightened. Features guaranteed to delight the children include water fountains, little pools and various gadgets. Adults sit cooling their feet in the water or wade in up to their calves, treading water along Kneipp principles. The Wasserspielplatz water playground is surrounded by slides, climbing frames and sandpits. There is something for every age group to enjoy.

For teenagers and the young at heart, there is a skate park near the water playground. Outdoor fitness equipment is available at the foot of the silver fir tower.

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While the children are playing, the parents can relax on the spacious lawns or enjoy some refreshments at the adjacent beer garden.

The Kneipp water-treading basin for the arms and the maze for young and old are ideal on hot summer days. Both facilities are just a stone’s throw away from the Wasserspielplatz water playground on the Rhine flood plain.

The R(h)einlabyrinth maze (Rosa Carbonell Labyrinth) has a diameter of 17 metres while the water-treading basin measures 3x10 metres. The water is about 12 degrees. There are also two smaller pools for cooling the arms.
The facility is a gift from the Bürgerstiftung Kehl Kehl Community Foundation to the citizens of the town and to everyone who visits Kehl.

The rose garden is just five minutes from Kehl town centre. It is a peaceful place and right next to it is the open-air stage on the Old Rhine. The small playground at the other end of the rose garden is popular with families, providing pleasant shade and welcome relief on hot summer days. 

Patrons at the pavement cafés and restaurants adjacent to the garden enjoy the refreshments served at the outside tables, looking across the rose garden to the white columns and tower of the St Nepomuk Catholic church.

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The open-air stage by the rose garden is used to host a series of cultural events in the summer months. The Kultursommer auf der Seebühne am Rosengarten, as the series of events is called, is a varied programme of entertaining concerts and fun shows. Admission to all the events is free.

Fresh and regional produce is for sale every Tuesday and Friday at the Kehl weekly market. Florists bring their flowers to sell at their colourful market stalls. Regional farmers sell fresh fruit and vegetables. There are vans selling fish and meat along with other traders who add to the variety of the extensive and diverse range. With its many food stalls, the market is a popular meeting place at lunchtime for those who live and work in the town.

The statue of “mother Kinzig” in the centre of the market square commemorates a tragic time in the town. The metal sculptures “Mutter Kinzig” and “Vater Rhein”, or “Mother Kinzig” and “Father Rhine” respectively, stood opposite each other on the entrance gate to the railway bridge for almost ten years until the bridge was blown up in a bombing raid in 1870. Both statues sank in the Rhine. Years later, the “Mother Kinzig” statue was rediscovered during excavation work and now stands on the market square as a reminder of the Franco-Prussian War. To this day, however, there is still no trace of “Father Rhine”.

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The market square is also a popular place on days when the market is not on. People meet in one of the many cafés and restaurants and at the pavement tables outside. Children can let off steam on the play equipment that has been installed in the square. It is a pedestrian zone completely free of cars and a delightful place in summer with a wide choice of eateries and pleasant places to sit under the cool shade of the tall plane trees.

The Baden cuisine is very diverse and is influenced by nearby Alsace and Switzerland. If you visit the Hanauerland region, you should definitely try the local cuisine. Flammkuchen, or tarte flambée as it is known, is very popular on both sides of the Rhine. Other typical Baden dishes include Schiefele pork shoulder with potato salad, Wurstsalat sausage salad with “Brägele” fried potatoes or “Bibbeleskäs” soft cheese with “Brägele” fried potatoes or lamb’s lettuce with bacon and “Kracherle” croûtons. A “Bollesupp” dumpling soup is also a popular starter. This is beef broth with dumplings made of minced meat, sausage meat or beef marrow, depending on the recipe.

Those with a sweet tooth might find “Apfelkiechle” apple fritters to be a good choice. During the carnival season at Shrovetide, bakeries traditionally sell “Scherben” wafer-thin fried pastries and “Striebele” deep-fried waffle strips.

The HanauerLandMarkt market is held every year in September on the market square in Kehl and the focus is on the region. A varied supporting programme, traditional crafts and colourful market stalls selling regional products attract visitors from the surrounding area. The Kehl shopkeepers open their stores on the Sunday, enticing people who love shopping. One special highlight of the HanauerLandMarkt market is the traditional parade through the centre of Kehl on the Sunday.

The market stalls sell all kinds of home-made items, from liqueur, honey and home-baked goods right through to knitwear. Visitors can learn how straw shoes are made or how baskets are woven, for example, and can enjoy the hustle and bustle on the market square as they stroll through the town centre with its autumn decorations.

Useful information

The Hanauerland district includes the town of Kehl and surrounding area and, on the French side, the region north of Strasbourg. The name is derived from the former county under the dominion of Graf Hanau-Lichtenberg.

Anyone venturing out of the town centre of Kehl will find that the villages in the area surrounding Kehl are also worth a visit. In the different villages you will often see the timber framing typical of the region, with the knee wall construction being the most common type of half-timbered house in the Hanauerland region. In former times the upper part of the knee wall-type or half wall-type houses was mostly used only used for storage. Next to the house there was often a tall barn in which tobacco was dried. The cultivation of tobacco was known to be one of the main sources of income for farmers in the Ortenau district.

The churches in Kehl are predominantly Protestant, although Kehl belonged to Strasbourg when the diocese was established.

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The church “Maria, Hilfe der Christen” in Kehl-Goldscheuer is particularly worth a visit. Having fallen into a state of complete dilapidation, it was renovated in 2010 with fresh design input from street artist Stefan Strumbel.

Anyone out and about in the area around Kehl is advised to visit the village of Kork and its “Schloss” or castle. It is not really a castle, but the former county office of the Grafschaft Hanau-Lichtenberg. The factory owner Ernst Kiefer lived in the former office building in the intervening years. Kiefer was also referred to in common parlance as the “Fürst vom Hanauerland” or the Prince of Hanauerland. So the castle had the right occupant. Since 1978 it has been back under the ownership of the Epilepsiezentrum Kork Kork Epilepsy Centre.

The region around Kehl is perfect for cycling. There is an excellent network of flat cycle paths and a multitude of interesting tours in flat terrain. A trip to the forts (former fortifications) on both sides of the Rhine, the Rhine Cycle Route, or a cycle tour along the river Kinzig are just a few of the many options.

For ambitious cyclists or e-bike owners, there are plenty of more challenging cycle paths towards the Black Forest. There are excellent cycle paths leading right into the centre of Strasbourg for those who want to visit the city. It takes about 30 minutes to reach the historic city centre of Strasbourg by bike.

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We have compiled a list of selected cycle routes for you. The Tourist-Information Kehl tourist information office in Kehl also has a wide range of resources for bicycle tours and its own cycling maps with suggested tours.