Discover Hedersleben: Monastery, Churches and the Bode Cycle Path

Hedersleben lies south of the Hakelsattel, where the river valleys of the Bode and Selke meet. The town brings together the history of a Cistercian convent, churches, a nature trail and access points for hikers and cyclists. This lets you choose different focuses, such as cultural history, a walking route or the Bode Cycle Path. You can then choose where to stay based on what best suits your own plans for each day.

Monastery History and Churches

In Hedersleben, the lords of Hakeborn built a Cistercian convent on older walls and dedicated it to Saint Gertrude of Nivelles. The convent offers cultural activities for interested visitors. If a particular activity matters to your trip, check the current dates in advance.

The churches also provide historical landmarks within the townscape. The convent church was built in 1846; the Protestant Church of St. Trinitatis dates from 1753. These construction dates offer two distinct points of reference for exploring Hedersleben’s churches. The Hederslebener Hof community center is also home to a children’s museum, another cultural attraction in the town.

On Foot or by Bike

A nature trail is one of Hedersleben’s attractions. The historic walking trail that runs through the town offers a different focus: a linden tree on Magdeburger Straße is one of its stops. This brings a nature-focused attraction and an explicitly historic route together as distinct points of interest.

For cyclists, the Bode Cycle Path is a specific point of reference. The route leads to Hedersleben, where it crosses the Selke. If you are planning your stay around a cycling tour, you can take this river crossing into account when planning your stage.

A Culinary Connection to the Monastery

The Hedersleben Monastery apiary produces honey from flowering herbs and plants. This gives the monastery’s history a culinary dimension: the honey’s origin and the plants it comes from offer a topic of their own. Together with the cultural activities and historic churches, this shows how different interests can lead visitors to explore the monastery.

The Harz as a Wider Travel Destination

The Harz offers its own nature and cultural attractions. The Harz National Park has eight visitor centers and national park houses offering information about the park, hiking tips, exhibitions and film screenings. The national park also offers guided hikes and excursions with rangers, experts, national park guides and national park forest guides. Its 560 kilometers of signposted trails lead to particularly scenic viewpoints. The national park covers 24,732 hectares, around ten percent of the entire Harz region.

There are different ways to explore the Harz on foot, too: the Harzer Wandernadel hiking badge scheme links 222 stamping stations across the Harz; those who collect every stamp earn the title “Harzer Wanderkaiser” (Harz Hiking Emperor). For cultural and historical discoveries, Quedlinburg in the Harz is home to more than 2,000 half-timbered houses spanning eight centuries, forming one of Germany’s largest designated historic areas. The Upper Harz Water Management System offers a different perspective; it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since August 2010. Today, it includes 107 preserved ponds, 310 kilometers of water channels and 30 kilometers of underground waterways.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Oberharz am Brocken, Huy, Wernigerode, Schwanebeck, Güntersberge, Halberstadt, Ditfurt, Harsleben.

Go to the main travel overview: Harz.