Klings – Rhön Circular Trail, Wood Art and Village Church

A hiking trail featuring art and local dialect, a neo-Romanesque village church and a legendary lime tree nearby give Klings several specific points of interest. The Klings Rhön Circular Trail runs across a plateau above the premium hiking trail “DER HOCHRHÖNER.” The church adds local history to the hiking focus; the lime tree is a destination in its own right outside Klings. The wider travel destination of Kaltennordheim offers further cultural and hiking options.

The Klings Rhön Circular Trail: Hiking with Wood Art and Local Dialect

The Klings Rhön Circular Trail is 7.9 km long; its starting point is the community center. Before setting off, check the local signage for any changes that may have been made since. The distance provides a specific point of reference for planning your day’s hike.

The trail is part of the “Rhöner Wood Art Routes” and passes sculptures on the themes of nature and hiking, as well as Rhön dialect stelae. The “Wanderrast” sculpture by Kerstin Genschow, a master wood sculptor from Klings, also stands along the circular trail. The wood art and stelae offer different points of interest: along the route, you’ll encounter Rhön dialect alongside motifs of nature and hiking.

Village Church and Witches’ Lime Tree

Klings village church was rebuilt in the neo-Romanesque style and reconsecrated in 1879. Its year of construction and architectural style give this cultural landmark a clearly defined historical context. Alongside the themed circular trail, the church’s construction history and reconsecration offer distinct aspects of local history.

About 4 km from Klings, the Witches’ Lime Tree stands near the state border between Hesse and Thuringia. The tree is around 800 years old and features in many legends. As a destination outside the village, it adds another distinct point of interest in the surrounding area to the local sights.

More Cultural and Hiking Destinations in the Wider Travel Destination of Kaltennordheim

Two churches in the wider travel destination of Kaltennordheim can be distinguished by their construction history. St. Kilian’s Church in Kaltennordheim was built in the 14th century as a successor to a wooden church. St. Nicholas Church in Kaltennordheim was built in 1597 as the town’s second and larger church. A medieval successor building and a later second town church thus offer contrasting historical points of interest.

The museum barn at the Kaltennordheim Local History Museum displays historic agricultural equipment and scenes of rural life. These include baking, milk processing and food storage. The exhibits focus on the tools and activities of life in the countryside in earlier times, complementing the religious architecture with themes from everyday life.

The Rhön circular trails in Kaltennordheim also offer different planning details. The Kaltennordheim 1 Rhön Circular Trail is 11.0 km long, takes around four hours and is easy to moderate; it starts, among other places, at Kaltennordheim Town Hall. The Kaltennordheim 2 Rhön Circular Trail also starts at the town hall and initially follows the Felda through the town. In places, it runs through the approximately 50-hectare Große Hardt nature reserve. For Trail 1, the distance, approximate duration and difficulty level help with planning your day; for Trail 2, the initial section along the Felda and the stretch through the nature reserve shape the route description.

The Amtshaus was built from 1752 to 1754 on the grounds of the former Merlinsburg in Kaltennordheim. Another way to explore Kaltennordheim’s history is the “Auf alten Spuren” (“In the Footsteps of the Past”) guided town tour: available on request, it visits places including St. Kilian’s Church, the historic old town and the surviving town wall.

The “Heiratsmarkt” (“Marriage Market”) in Kaltennordheim takes place at Whitsun and is still held every year. The market was first held in 1563; in the 19th century, it developed into a folk festival in the Thuringian Rhön. If you’re planning to attend, check the date for the relevant year.

Discover More Destinations

Mihla, Dankmarshausen, Tiefenort, Frankenroda, Stadtlengsfeld, Buttlar, Creuzburg, Vacha

Back to the main travel overview: Wartburg.