Discover Heringen/Helme
Accommodation in Heringen/Helme
Heringen/Helme offers two different starting points for planning your trip: the Old Castle represents early castle architecture in Thuringia, while the Nordic walking park has two marked routes of clearly different lengths. This gives you the option of deciding whether to focus your stay more on cultural history, an active outing, or both. You can find more experiences in the wider Nordhausen destination.
The Old Castle: early construction and the Renaissance
The Old Castle in Heringen was built after 1320 and is one of the earliest castles in Thuringia. After 1568, the Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt had the castle remodeled in the Renaissance style. They expanded the complex with the four-storey west wing, Schwarzburger Haus, known as the New Castle. This brings two construction phases together in one place: the original early construction and the later remodeling and extension. Visitors interested in history and architecture will find a distinctive cultural highlight to include in their travel plans.
Two marked routes in the Nordic walking park
The Nordic walking park in Heringen offers a 2.50-kilometre blue-marked route and a 4.25-kilometre red-marked route. Both start and finish at the well-signposted hiking car park on Eichentalsweg in Heringen. The routes differ in length and marking colour, but share the same start and finish point. So if you are planning an active outing, you can simply choose the length you prefer without having to consider different starting points for the two routes.
More perspectives in the wider Nordhausen destination
Hiking and gypsum karst
In the wider Nordhausen destination, the Karstwanderweg (Karst Hiking Trail) crosses the district of Nordhausen for 56 kilometres from east to west. Another trail with a different character is the Feuersalamanderpfad (Fire Salamander Trail): part of the Karstwanderweg, it runs below and above the MĂĽhlberg through a gypsum karst uvala in a nature reserve. Along the way are sinkholes, spoil heaps, caves and traces of history. The district-spanning route and a trail featuring these described karst formations offer different options for hikers.
Mining, nature and local history
The Rabensteiner Stollen is the only visitor mine for hard coal in Central Germany. A guided tour explores almost 300 years of Harz hard-coal mining history, passing fossils, authentic workplaces, mined-out seams, mining galleries and the last remaining traces of hard coal. The “Rabenstein-Express” mine train travels 500 metres into the mountain; from there, the route leads into 18th-century mining areas, where the passages are often only 60 centimetres high. Check the current tour arrangements before your visit. For a different perspective on the region, the Südharz Nature Park Information Centre has an interactive exhibition on the gypsum karst landscape and the distinctive features of the southern Harz. The Ilfeld Local History Museum presents the history of Ilfeld and Wiegersdorf.
Food and seasonal activities
The “From Grain to Spirits” tour at the Echter Nordhäuser Traditional Distillery takes visitors through the historic complex: from the mill room to the distilling room, spirits warehouse, office and barrel cellar, and on to the Henriette bar. A tasting of the distillery’s own premium spirits and liqueurs takes place there. Availability depends on the date; check the schedule when planning your tour. The Burggasthof Hohnstein serves refined traditional German cuisine and regional specialities amid the historic ruins of Hohnstein Castle. Its terrace looks out over Neustadt and the southern Harz; check whether the restaurant is open before your trip.
Families can enjoy activities such as “Harztor Wanderkinder” in the wider Nordhausen destination; current offerings may vary. The seasonal Neustadt forest swimming pool has a water slide, a paddling pool and a diving facility with one- and three-metre boards. There is also a playground, along with football, volleyball and table tennis courts. Check the pool’s opening status and facilities before travelling.
Discover more destinations: Auleben, Hamma, Hohenstein, Windehausen, Harztor, Hesserode, SĂĽlzhayn, Niedergebra.
Back to the wider travel overview: Nordhausen.
