Bad Frankenhausen/Kyffhäuser: Panorama and History

Bad Frankenhausen lies at the foot of the Kyffhäuser in a floodplain landscape of fields, pastures and orchards. In the town, this landscape meets striking art and a long architectural history. Visitors planning a stay can therefore choose between exploring the town and discovering attractions throughout the wider Kyffhäuserkreis travel region.

Panorama and Architectural History in Bad Frankenhausen

The Panorama Museum presents Werner Tübke’s monumental painting “Early Bourgeois Revolution in Germany.” Its dimensions are extraordinary: the rotunda is 14 metres high and has a circumference of 123 metres; the painting depicts more than 3,000 figures. Visitors can choose a public guided tour or an audio guide. This makes it possible to focus on discovering the work together on a guided tour or viewing it at your own pace with the audio guide.

Another perspective on the town’s history can be found at the Oberkirche, also known as the Church of Our Beloved Lady on the Hill. It was completed in 1382 as a Gothic basilica and financed by the local salt-boiling guild. The combination of its architectural style, precise completion date and named benefactor makes it a distinctive contrast to the monumental painting.

The Hausmannsturm adds to this historical picture: it was a keep built around 1210, with a palas, and formed part of the newly built town wall. A keep was a castle’s defensive tower; the palas was a residential building. To find the tower, take Poststraße; a car park is located by the spa park.

Those wishing to plan additional tours and excursions can find a range of themes and time options in the Kyffhäuserkreis.

More to Discover in the Kyffhäuserkreis

The Barbarossa Cave is located in the wider Kyffhäuserkreis travel region, between the districts of Rottleben and Steinthaleben in the municipality of Kyffhäuserland. It is an anhydrite cave. Five miners discovered it in 1865 in connection with the resumption of copper shale mining. The cave was named after the legend of Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa’s return. Geology, mining history and legend each offer a different way to experience this destination.

The Sondershausen Adventure Mine also invites visitors underground. Guided tours run year-round at a depth of 670 metres; options include an approximately two-hour truck tour through the underground labyrinth. The approximate duration helps visitors fit this experience into a day’s plans. The mine also has the world’s deepest concert hall, which regularly hosts concerts and cabaret performances. Underground, both guided tours and events take centre stage.

The Kyffhäuserkreis offers options for excursions on a range of scales. The Wiehe Model Railway is an exhibition open year-round, covering an area of 12,000 square metres. The Sondershausen Palace Museum has been housed in the former residence of the Counts and Princes of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen since 1923 and features a diverse exhibition spread over three floors. In Westgreußen, the Funkenburg Archaeological Open-Air Museum features the only reconstruction of a Germanic settlement of its kind in Germany, set on a distinctive hill spur above the Helbetal valley. Its educational activities include pottery, baking, wool processing, fish-net knotting and archery.

Routes and Planning by Time Available

Bad Frankenhausen is the starting point and destination of the 37-kilometre Kyffhäuser Trail, a circular route in the Kyffhäuserkreis. Its three stages run from Bad Frankenhausen to the Barbarossa Cave, from there to the Kyffhäuser Monument, and then back to Bad Frankenhausen. The route is certified as a Quality Trail Wanderbares Deutschland, is well signposted and is regularly checked for defects. The stages and total distance provide clear guidance for anyone planning to devote a larger part of their stay to hiking.

A shorter route to consider is the Forest Adventure Trail: it runs for four kilometres between the Rothenburg castle ruins and the Kyffhäuser Monument and has ten adventure stations. When choosing between the two routes, the stated distances and destinations are key: the 37-kilometre circular route starting and ending in Bad Frankenhausen, or the four-kilometre trail between the ruins and the monument.

For people with limited mobility, a shuttle to the monument runs between the car parks and the ticket office from April to October, Saturdays and Sundays, from 10:00 to 17:00. During Thuringian school holidays, it also runs on weekdays. Check the current timetable before setting out. This makes it possible to plan the town’s history, panorama and the region’s varied excursion and route options around your own interests.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Udersleben, Westgreußen, Gorsleben, Bendeleben, Sondershausen, Greußen, Heldrungen, Helbedündorf.

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