Discover Neukirchen: Fairy-Tale House, Crafts and Water World

Neukirchen brings together fairy-tale imagery, crafts and places of remembrance with water-based activities. At the historic market square, a thick blonde Rapunzel braid hangs from the upper storey of a small half-timbered house at the Fairy-Tale House. This distinctive sight leads to a theme that continues in the fairy-tale scenes on display. The Local History Museum, by contrast, focuses on workshops and traditional crafts. When planning your trip, you can consider these cultural attractions alongside the indoor swimming pool and seasonal introductory Kneipp courses as different highlights.

Fairy Tales, Crafts and Remembrance

The Fairy-Tale House features vivid fairy-tale scenes and treasures, some of which are more than 150 years old. If you would rather listen to the stories, you can hear a fairy-tale storyteller or reader there by appointment. Arrange this activity in advance and check current availability.

The two neighbouring buildings of the Local History Museum are located behind St. Nicholas Church at the market square. The museum showcases workshops representing more than ten traditional crafts. Rather than focusing on a single craft, it presents a wide range of trades. Another historical theme in Neukirchen is the commemoration of the city’s Jewish families: Since 2014, Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) have been laid each year in memory of families who were persecuted, expelled or murdered during the Nazi era.

Indoor Swimming Pool and Seasonal Kneipp Courses

During the summer months, certified health consultants Silke and Holger Arndt offer introductory Kneipp courses. As the programme is seasonal, it is best to check what is currently available before making plans. The indoor pool at the Badewelt Neukirchen offers a different experience: the water temperature is 28°C in both the swimming pool and the children’s paddling pool. If this is important for your visit, check the current information in advance.

When looking for accommodation in Neukirchen, you can start by deciding what you would like to focus on during your trip: would you like to centre it on fairy tales and crafts, or also set aside time for water-based activities and the seasonal courses?

Explore More of the Schwalm-Eder District

The Schwalm-Eder district includes upland landscapes around the Knüll, Kellerwald and Habichtswald ranges. There are also a variety of cultural attractions: the Malerstübchen Museum in Willingshausen explores 19th- and 20th-century art history and displays paintings featuring Schwalm traditional dress. It also exhibits rural Schwalm embroidery, knitting and spinning crafts. Guided by an expert, visitors can attend talks on the artists’ colony and its artists, Schwalm customs and crafts, and white embroidery.

The Schwalm Museum in Schwalmstadt-Ziegenhain displays pottery and ceramics traditionally used in the region in a reconstructed pottery workshop. Its collection also includes a large model of Ziegenhain Water Fortress, showing its condition in 1761 after it was shelled during the Seven Years’ War. At the Breitenau Memorial, a permanent exhibition in the tithe barn commemorates events of the Nazi era. The memorial’s educational programme includes guided tours, walks, talks and readings.

There are excursions to suit different distances. The Steinkammergräber loop near Fritzlar-Lohne is an easy 4.90-kilometre circular route designated Nature Park Circular Trail L1. The Schwalm Cycle Route is around 100 kilometres long and leads to where the Schwalm joins the Eder shortly before Felsberg in the Schwalm-Eder district. It runs mainly along paved or surfaced paths through river landscapes featuring meadows, fields, villages and half-timbered towns. Felsberg-Gensungen and Schwalmstadt-Treysa train connections are listed as travel options for the cycle route; check current timetables when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Asterode, Schrecksbach, Jesberg, Melsungen, Schwalmstadt, Bad Zwesten, Edermünde, Guxhagen.

Return to the main travel overview: Schwalm-Eder district.