Staufenberg: Moorland, Forest and Culture

Staufenberg combines nature experiences with places where village history and culture come to life. The Hühnerfeld raised bog, hiking trails in the Kaufunger Wald, a village museum and the medieval village of Steinrode each offer something different.

Moorland and trails in the nature park

The 51-hectare Hühnerfeld is a raised bog on a plateau in the Kaufunger Wald and is part of the 332-hectare Bachtäler im Kaufunger Wald nature reserve. In its wet areas, sphagnum mosses, round-leaved sundew, marsh rosemary and narrow-leaved cottongrass grow. The list of plants shows just how distinctive this wetland habitat is. Hiking trails in Staufenberg pass through the Hühnerfeld nature reserve.

Staufenberg is part of Münden Nature Park. Its landscapes include the Kaufunger Wald and Bramwald, as well as forests, meadows, farmland, mixed beech forests, streams and meadow valleys. The wider nature park region has marked hiking and cycling trails, as well as numerous nature trails. This means you can make nature the focus not only of a hike, but also of a cycling tour or a visit to an educational trail.

The Haferberg is another hiking destination. At 580 metres, it is considered the second-highest mountain in Lower Saxony. Hühnerfeld and Haferberg offer different points of reference when planning a tour: here, the raised bog in the nature reserve; there, a distinctive high point. The trails lead through the landscape and offer several ways to make your stay active.

The Nienhagen barefoot path is in the municipality of Staufenberg and offers a nature experience for all the senses. Along its 2.5 kilometres, the varied surfaces include sand, wood, stone paving, mud, spruce cones, moss, gravel and water. If you’d like to take breaks during your outings, Staufenberg also has shelters, barbecue areas and children’s playgrounds where hikers and cyclists can rest and enjoy a picnic. Two water-treading facilities round out the visitor amenities.

Golf is another option: Gut Wissmannshof, with its championship golf course, lies between Lutterberg and Speele. This gives your search a clear starting point without requiring you to settle on just one kind of experience.

Village history and cultural sites

In Nienhagen, the Gollong House is a village museum in a small half-timbered house opposite the village church. The museum offers insights into traditional village crafts. The house is associated with actor Georg Christian Gollong and ballet dancer Erika Gollong, both of whom spent the second half of their lives there. Its architecture, the history of its crafts and this personal connection offer different perspectives on the village museum.

The medieval village of Steinrode is an educational facility developed on the grounds of the Haus Steinberg Forest Education Centre. The ruins of Sichelnstein Castle offer another cultural highlight: their open-air stage hosts concerts during the summer months. These places represent different themes, from an educational medieval village to summer concert events.

If you’re planning a stay that combines nature and culture, you can consider these options alongside hiking and cycling tours. If village history interests you, explore the Gollong House and its insights into traditional crafts; if you’re looking for a nature-focused experience, consider Hühnerfeld, Haferberg or the barefoot path.

Göttingen: Knowledge, city history and gardens

Göttingen also offers distinctive cultural and nature experiences. At the Forum Wissen, visitors can learn about ongoing research and teaching. Its permanent exhibition, “Rooms of Knowledge,” covers 1,400 square metres. Its twelve rooms contain more than 1,400 objects from the University of Göttingen collections and help visitors understand how knowledge is created.

The Göttingen Municipal Museum has been housed in Hardenberg House, the city’s last surviving aristocratic palace, since 1897. The exhibition “City. Power. Faith. Göttingen in the 16th Century” is currently on display there; check the latest exhibition information before visiting. Guided tours of the permanent and special exhibitions are available for groups and school classes. The Old Botanical Garden was established in 1736 as a “hortus medicus,” or medicinal garden. You can explore its historic greenhouses, tropical vegetation in the rainforest house and the alpine garden. The city forest on Hainberg offers opportunities for walking, hiking and cycling.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Landwehrhagen, Bad Grund (Harz), Walkenried, Brochthausen, Bovenden, Dransfeld, Obernfeld, Friedland.

Go to the main travel overview: Göttingen.