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Ancient roads covered major long-distances and there are many other historic roads of significant value.
In Europe, with the exception of the Roman roads, the paths were not always fixed and at times depended on the topology and geography of the land. In the early Middle Ages, valleys were often filled with thick lowland forests and other obstacles, such as rivers. Therefore, people preferred to travel at higher elevations along the European watersheds.
Antsanvia was a trade road from Mainz to Thüringen. Due to the outstanding field of view from the Rhön mountains, they became sites for hilltop castles in the Middle Ages. One example is Hauneck Castle (Burg Hauneck) on the Stoppelsberg, the ruins of which can still be seen. It served to oversee and protect traffic on the ancient road, the Antsanvia, as well as protecting the villages in the Haune Valley.
The Elisabethenstraße went from the from Mainz-Kastel through Hofheim am Taunus to the Oppidum Nida and further into the Wetterau ; see also Bundesautobahn 66
The Old Salt Route or Alte Salzstraße (Hanseatic League) - salt trade route from Lüneburg to Lübeck
The Rennsteig connecting road between the different independent small countries in Thuringia, for regular border traffic; it is still a culture and language border. Long Distance Hilltop walk over Thuringia Forest, Slate mountain of Thuringia and Frankenwald, from Hörschel at river Werra (near Eisenach) to Blankenstein at river Saale
The Via Regia, or King's road, was from Frankfurt am Main to Görlitz in SW Poland. The Via Tolosana - last Pilgrim route on the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela
The German Wine Route, or Wine Road, is the oldest of Germany's tourist wine routes. Located in the Palatinate region of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, the route was established in 1935.
The Amber Road (Bernsteinstraße) was a amber trade route from Lithuania to northern Italy.
The Hellweg was an ancient east-west route through Germany, from the Rhine east to the mountains of the Teutoburger Wald, reaching from Duisburg, at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, to Paderborn, with the slopes of the Sauerland to its south
The Ortesweg was a renowned path from Marburg to Bamberg.
The Hærvejen (German: Ochsenweg) was the Army Road.
The roads in Upper Saxony, the Electorate of Saxony, included the Old Dresden to Teplitz Post Road, the Old Freiberg to Teplitz Post Road, the Franconian Road, the High Road, the Kulmer Steig, and the Salt Road to Hallstadt in Salzkammergut and to Halle an der Saale and Reichenhall.
The Via Pythia, or Pythian road, was the route to Delphi which was revered throughout the Greek world as the site of the omphalos stone, the centre of the earth and the universe.
The Appian Way of the Roman Empire was a service road from Rome to southeast Italy. Watling Street, originating in Roman Britain, was an Imperial service road from the areas of Dover through London to Wroxeter in Shropshire.
In Asia, the Silk Road was an important spice trade route from the Mediterranean via Syria, Iran, Pakistan to China. In Southern Asia, the Khyber Pass was an all-season mountain "pass" connecting Afghanistan to western Pakistan.
The Grand Trunk Road on the Indian subcontinent was the main road from modern day Bangladesh to northern Pakistan.
The Royal Road of the Persian Empire empire was a service road from Turkey to Iran. The Aleppo to Baghdad Road (Middle East/Ottoman Empire) was the main road from Syria to Iraq.
In the Inca road system, the Camino Real located in Peru was a road connecting the Inca Empire throughout the Andes.
In the American Old West, the Oregon Trail was a vital 19th century pioneer route from Illinois to Oregon. The Santa Fe Trail was also a major commercial/military artery from Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In more modern times, the U.S. Route 66 in the USA was a 1930s route from Chicago to Los Angeles of notability. Also the Blue Ridge Parkway, located in North Carolina and Virginia, is a 20th century National Parkway.
In Canada, the Carlton Trail was a fur trade route from SW Manitoba to Fort Edmonton in Alberta. The more recent Trans-Canada Highway is a highway running the full width of Canada, near the south border. The Yellowhead Trail is of note too.