“Why is that weather vane crooked?” I wonder if that’s the question passersby asked themselves when they first laid eyes on the Fähncheskreuz. The Fähncheskreuz is the first Regional Park project of Wiesbaden. This old field cross marks the turnoff from Elisabethenstrasse down to Kostheim. From there you have a magnificent view over large parts of the Rhine-Main area.
This is no ordinary cross. The Fähncheskreuz features a figure of Jesus on a sandstone base. It was erected back in 1697. A metal weather vane sits atop the cross. Its tilted position is what catches the eye. It gives the wayside cross its name. The name “Fähncheskreuz” literally translates to “Little Flag Cross”.
The Fähncheskreuz was built using local materials. Stone and wood from the service tree were used. Way back then people in strictly Catholic areas erected field crosses like this. They marked important or dangerous spots.
The Fähncheskreuz sits on a hill of the same name. It is located on the historic Elisabethenstrasse. This route also called the Steinerne Strasse dates back to Roman times. It once connected Mogontiacum which is Mainz. Mogontiacum was the capital of the Roman province of Germania Superior. It connected Nida as well which is a Roman city in Frankfurt.
Today the old Roman road is still in use or built over. It exists as Elisabethenstrasse the A66 Casteler Strasse and Heerstrasse in Frankfurt.
The area around the field cross is expansive. Its location makes it an attractive viewpoint. You can see the Taunus ridge with the Hohe Wurzel in Rheingau. The view extends over the Rhine-Hessian hills to the Donnersberg. To the left of the Rhine valley you can even spot the Odenwald.
The Fähncheskreuz has an interesting history. In 1697 a stone wayside cross was erected at the intersection of Steigweg. It was named “Fähncheskreuz” because of a metal weather vane on it. The large base of this cross dates back to 1783. It was erected by the mayor and land collector Franz Kaltenbach and his wife Gertrud. Nikolaus Krimmel had the “Fähncheskreuz” renovated in 1862. The stonemason Adam Frisch did the work.
In early July 1895 the upper half of a Roman tombstone was recovered from under the cross. It dates from the late 1st century AD. This tombstone of a soldier with a Latin inscription probably came from the Roman cemetery of “Castellum Mattiacorum”. That is today’s Mainz-Kastel. The stone was transported to the “Fähncheskreuz”. It was probably used for its foundation. In 1926 the Kostheim Farmers Association renovated the Fähncheskreuz. At the end of 1981 the “Kostheim Local History Association” had the cross fitted with a weather vane again. The old one had disappeared. Later the old weather vane was found again. It is kept in the “Kostheim Local History Museum”. So if you are interested in seeing the original weather vane you now know where to look.