Discover Eichsfeld

Castles, museums and historic towns

Bodenstein Castle was first mentioned in official records in 1098 and stands on a mountain spur in the Ohm Mountains. Guided tours on the history of the former lords of the castle, the von Wintzingerode family, are offered regularly; you can also visit the small chapel with its baptismal angel. Check current tour dates before your visit.

Explore the remains of the extensive Hanstein Castle ruins. Its accessible west tower offers sweeping panoramic views over Eichsfeld and the surrounding forests in clear weather; with good visibility, you can see as far as the Brocken in the Harz Mountains. At Scharfenstein Castle, a terrace viewpoint and a 20-metre-high tower completed in 2016 provide additional vantage points. From there, the panoramic view takes in the Upper Leine Valley, the Eichsfeld Basin, the Ohm Mountains and the eastern Dün Hills, reaching as far as the Harz Mountains in clear weather.

There are also different ways to discover the region’s urban history. The Eichsfeld Museum is housed in Heilbad Heiligenstadt’s Baroque Jesuit college and covers Eichsfeld’s history, culture, religion and folklore across three floors. In Duderstadt, the completely preserved medieval ramparts invite you to take a stroll beneath old lime and chestnut trees. Half-timbered architecture and other architectural features also shape the Eichsfeld towns of Dingelstädt, Duderstadt, Heilbad Heiligenstadt and Leinefelde-Worbis.

Hiking trails and cycling routes

The Dün and Iberg hills around Heilbad Heiligenstadt offer ideal conditions for longer hikes on certified TOP hiking trails. For a longer bike tour, Leinefelde is the starting point of the Leine-Heide Cycle Route, which runs all the way to Hamburg. These different kinds of route experiences may be the deciding factor when planning: consider whether you’d like to take individual hikes or make a cycling route the focus of your trip.

Traditions and regional specialities

In Dingelstädt, the Steckenpferd-Reiten hobby-horse parade takes place around St Mary’s Church every year on Easter Monday. Preschool children ride wooden horses decorated with little bells and colourful ribbons. Heilbad Heiligenstadt has held an annual procession on Palm Sunday for more than 400 years. It depicts the Passion of Christ in tableaux with life-size figures; since 2017, the procession has been listed in Germany’s nationwide inventory of intangible cultural heritage.

Air-dried sausage is a regional speciality, considered a hallmark of Eichsfeld and known beyond the region. At Scharfenstein Castle, you can also learn how the whisky served there is blended, mashed and fermented according to its own recipe. It matures for three years in selected oak casks and can be sampled at a whisky tasting. Check in advance whether you can reserve a place at the tasting.

A look at Thuringia

In the wider destination of Thuringia, Wartburg Castle near Eisenach offers a historical landmark of its own: it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is associated with Martin Luther’s translation of the New Testament. The Hainich is also part of this broader picture; in 2011, it was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of Germany.

Choose accommodation to suit your travel plans

If you’d like to combine several interests, consider whether hiking, castles, urban history, traditions or regional cuisine should take centre stage. Search for accommodation based on the experiences that will shape your trip. This lets you decide which themes guide your plans, rather than trying to squeeze every possibility into a single itinerary.

Discover more destinations: Mackenrode, Kirchworbis, Uder, Teistungen, Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Schönhagen, Kleinbartloff, Gernrode, Berlingerode, Volkerode, Martinfeld, Breitenworbis, Küllstedt, Niederorschel, Leinefelde-Worbis, Asbach-Sickenberg, Marth, Bornhagen, Buhla, Haynrode, Am Ohmberg, Deuna, Wachstedt, Dingelstädt, Geismar, Bodenrode-Westhausen, Schimberg, Hohengandern, Lutter, Wahlhausen, Sonnenstein, Helmsdorf, Lindewerra, Büttstedt.

Go to the overview of the wider destination: Thuringia.