Hünfeld: Fairy Tales by the Lake, Forest and Culture

Hünfeld offers a variety of ways to spend the day outdoors or enjoying culture: at Haselsee, a fairy-tale trail leads to life-size figures; Stadtwald Praforst has trails and recreational activities; and several museums explore different subjects. When planning your trip, you can first decide whether to focus on fairy tales and water, activities in the forest, a cycling route or culture.

Fairy-Tale Trail and Recreation at Haselsee

In Hünfeld, the Brothers Grimm Fairy-Tale Trail circles Haselsee in the Seefläche Haselgrund recreation area. Along the trail are five life-size figures and groups of figures, created by five different artists. The fairy-tale motifs give the walk a specific focus: if you would like to explore stories such as those of the Town Musicians of Bremen or the Frog Prince, storytellers can be arranged for groups on special request. The stories are then told in front of the figures.

The Haselsee recreation area also includes a children's playground, where pedal boats and rowing boats can be hired. This means you can accommodate different interests during a stay by the lake: follow the fairy-tale figures, plan to hire a boat or spend time at the playground. If you are travelling with children, the figures and the stories told about them can provide a shared theme, while the other facilities offer additional activities.

Exploring Stadtwald Praforst

Stadtwald Praforst has signposted hiking trails and a fitness trail for different kinds of exercise. There is also a cycling network. The trail signs provide practical guidance for anyone who prefers a marked hiking route; on their own, however, they say nothing about the trails' length or difficulty. The forest also has a pond, a fishing spot, a miniature golf course and a children's playground.

Those who would like to play golf will find a course in the forest with both an 18-hole and a 9-hole course. These two options differ in the number of holes; no further information about their length or duration is implied. There is also a campsite and the “St. Hubertus” Praforst forest restaurant in Praforst. When choosing your holiday apartment or house, it may help to weigh up the activities you want to do each day: hiking and cycling, a game of miniature golf, golf or time by the water each give your stay a different focus.

Cycling through the Hessian Skittles Region

The 27-kilometre Kegelspiel cycle path starts in Hünfeld and runs through the Haun Valley via Burghaun and Eiterfeld to Rasdorf. The route therefore passes through the Hessian Skittles Region, a unique mountain formation in the Kuppenrhön. For most of its length, the cycle path follows the track of the former Hünfeld–Wenigentaft railway line and has only very gentle gradients. If you would like to include a longer bike ride in your trip, you can take the 27 kilometres into account when planning your day and consider the places along the route described here.

Museums and Architectural History

Hünfeld offers several specific places of interest for anyone interested in cultural history. The Konrad Zuse Museum Hünfeld, with its displays on the history of the town and district, is at Kirchplatz 4–6. The Railway Museum at Gartenstraße 5 and the Keltenhof Mackenzell at Zum Germanendorf 12 are branches of the Konrad Zuse Museum. The Museum Modern Art Hünfeld is at Hersfelder Straße 25. Their different names and locations offer several themes for your cultural itinerary, from the history of the town and district to railway and Celtic heritage, as well as modern art.

The Church of St. Boniface, belonging to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), is also part of Hünfeld's architectural history. Architect Arnold Güldenpfennig of Paderborn built it between 1897 and 1900 as a cruciform, three-aisled basilica in Neo-Romanesque forms. The church was consecrated by Bishop Adalbert of Fulda on 6 April 1900. Another cultural feature is “Das Offene Buch” (The Open Book), a project by the town of Hünfeld that has been developing into an open-air museum since 1996.

If you would like to include other places in your travel plans in addition to Hünfeld, you can also discover Großenlüder, Flieden, Burghaun, Kalbach, Bad Salzschlirf, Ehrenberg, Hilders and Schenklengsfeld.

For the overarching travel overview: Fulda.