Antrifttal between the Reservoir, Village Trails and History

Discover Antrifttal through its water, village hiking trails and historic sites. Antrifttal Reservoir is a key point of interest for visitors seeking relaxation; hiking and cultural attractions complete the picture of this destination. You can tailor your stay to the experiences that interest you most.

Reservoir and Village Hiking Trails

The Seehotel Michaela restaurant is located right next to Antrifttal Reservoir. The nature trail follows the reservoir. It forms part of the Antrifttal village hiking trail, which links Ruhlkirchen, Ohmes, Vockenrod and Seibelsdorf. The waterside route is therefore also part of a trail connecting several villages.

The Bernsburg village hiking trail offers a different route. It is suitable for shorter walks and runs around Bernsburg, a village characterized by half-timbered houses, through shady deciduous forests and along open meadow paths. The route starts and ends at Ruhlkirchen Festival Hall. The trails therefore have different profiles: the nature trail is part of a village hiking route connecting four places, while the Bernsburg trail is suitable for shorter walks.

Churches, Remembrance and Museum

The Catholic parish church of St. Michael in Ruhlkirchen dates back to the 18th century. Also in Ruhlkirchen, a church houses a carved Stations of the Cross; it is richly adorned with statues and paintings. Bernsburg is home to a medieval church. Visitors interested in sacred architecture will find different historical connections in these two villages.

A memorial stone in Ohmes commemorates farmers and citizens from Alsfeld who stood up to the mercenaries during the Thirty Years’ War. It points to a specific episode in the village’s history and complements the religious themes with the remembrance of a historical conflict.

Seibelsdorf is home to a former estate of the Teutonic Order, which now houses the Childhood Memories Museum. Museum visits must be arranged in advance. Here, the estate’s history meets its present-day use as a museum.

More to Explore in the Vogelsberg

The Vogelsberg also offers its own nature and cultural experiences. It is Europe’s largest volcanic region; the Vogelsberg mountain hay meadows are the largest protected areas of their kind in Hesse. In Schotten, the interactive Vulkanium explains volcanism. Its multimedia exhibition explores volcanism and geology in the Vogelsberg; visitors can experience the past firsthand at the hands-on stations and interactive exhibits.

Since 2001, centuries-old cultural heritage around the castle ruins on Ulrichstein’s castle hill has been tended and cultivated in the Vogelsberg Garden using traditional farming methods. Visitors can discover 243 species of wild-growing plants there. The garden thus brings traditional cultivation methods together with a close-up look at the plant life.

When choosing a hiking tour in the Vogelsberg, details about its length and route also help. The Schotten Summit Tour is 14 kilometers long and crosses four peaks in the Oberwald, as well as species-rich mountain meadows, varied woodland and rugged basalt formations. The Ulrichstein Panoramic Tour is a moderately challenging 11.6-kilometer circular route around Ulrichstein, through deciduous forests and a patchwork of small fields and landscapes.

Choose Accommodation to Suit Your Travel Interests

When looking for accommodation in Antrifttal, it helps to decide what you would like to focus on during your stay: the water and nature trail, a shorter walk in Bernsburg, or churches, a memorial and a museum. This way, you can choose according to the experiences you want to shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Lautertal, Freiensteinau, Romrod, Grebenhain, Kirtorf, Feldatal, Gemünden, Schwalmtal

Go to the main travel overview: Vogelsberg.