Kannawurf – Castle, Renaissance Garden and Cycling Tour

Kannawurf lies close to the left bank of the Wipper and combines this riverside setting with castle history and a Renaissance garden. There is also a cycling tour that passes through the town. This brings together a range of interests: the river, the Renaissance and an active outing. Which of these themes shapes your trip may also guide your choice of travel dates.

Castle History and the Renaissance Garden

Kannawurf Castle was built in the Renaissance style in 1562/1565 under the direction of Georg II Vitzthum von Eckstädt. The date, the named director and the architectural style provide a specific point of reference for the town’s history. Anyone interested in Renaissance architecture will find a clearly defined historical theme here, setting Kannawurf apart from a mere place name.

The Renaissance garden at Kannawurf Castle was completed in 2020 and is open at all times. The garden therefore offers a point of interest in its own right, alongside the building’s history. The castle and garden are linked by name and their Renaissance connection, but remain two distinct topics for planning a trip: one is a building, the other a garden. Its completion in 2020 adds a specific date in the town’s more recent development to the older building history.

Cycling Through Kannawurf

The family-friendly Tour de Frömmschdt cycling tour takes place every year on the third Saturday in August. It starts at the market square in Sömmerda and goes via Leubingen, Griefstedt, Büchel, Etzleben, Gorsleben, Kannawurf and Kindelbrück to Frömmstedt. Kannawurf is therefore one of several named places linked by the route. Some sections run along agricultural tracks and cycle paths beside roads.

This tour offers a different reason to plan a trip than the castle and garden: it passes through several towns and takes place on a set date in August. If you would like to include the cycling tour, you can plan your stay around the third Saturday of the month.

Nature and Sights in Kindelbrück

West of the town of Kindelbrück lies the Gründelsloch, a karst fissure spring and a water-filled sinkhole said to have no bottom. The almost perfectly circular pool is about 22 metres in diameter and 9 metres deep. The spring discharges approximately 15,600 litres of water per minute and is considered the strongest spring in Thuringia. The Gründelsloch’s shape, dimensions and water volume make it a striking natural attraction in Kindelbrück. The town gates are also among its sights.

For an active outing, Kindelbrück also offers the “Way into the Stone Age.” Completed in summer 2022, it branches off the Unstrut Cycle Route near Griefstedt and leads to Kindelbrück alongside an extensive wildlife enclosure. The SSG Kindelbrück outdoor swimming pool is not open to the general public; visitors can use it by ringing the bell and becoming day members. The club pool has beach areas, a football pitch, a large sunbathing lawn and slides. Check the current access arrangements before visiting.

Plan Your Stay

If you are planning a cycling outing, time your stay to coincide with the event; this date does not affect a visit to the garden. This gives you two different planning options: a garden visit at a flexible time and a cycling experience on a fixed date.

Discover more destinations: Buttstädt, Kölleda, Straußfurt, Gebesee, Guthmannshausen, Großrudestedt, Bilzingsleben, Elxleben an der Gera.

Back to the main travel overview: Sömmerda.