Höhn: Nature and Culture in the Broader Destination of Windhagen

Nature and Hiking in the Windhagen Destination

The municipality of Windhagen comprises twelve individual settlements across an area of 1,494 hectares. It lies in the north of the Rhine-Westerwald Nature Park, just under 30 kilometres southeast of Bonn. The nature park provides the landscape setting for routes that pass through open areas, meadows and sections of woodland. Windhagen also has numerous well-signposted hiking trails that connect to long-distance and main hiking routes such as the Rheinsteig and Westerwaldsteig.

The approximately 7-kilometre circular Windhagener Weg (W2) starts in the centre near the church and follows the outskirts through open fields, meadows and patches of woodland. At the end of one section, it reaches Windhagen-Hohn on the main road. Check trail conditions before setting out. The W1 Windhagen–Stockhauser Weg circular route offers a different landscape: it starts at the church in the village centre, leads to Stockhausen and loops back to the starting point. Woodland and meadow paths pass through quiet little stream valleys and scattered settlements in the municipality and its surroundings.

The Ameisenweg also starts in the centre of Windhagen and passes a small park with ponds and unusual goat willows. Three options are described for the rest of the route: continue to the Pfaffenbachtal, go through the Bockental or return via Rehwinkel. The routes therefore differ not only in name, but also in the landscapes and destinations they take in.

Village Life and Wool Craft in Hohn

In Hohn, a district of the broader destination of Windhagen, a recurring tradition is part of village life: every 1 May, residents choose a village king or queen in the small village square. Hohn’s main street in the broader destination of Windhagen is characterised by beautifully landscaped courtyards, renovated old buildings and half-timbered houses with large gardens.

In Hohn, a district of the broader destination of Windhagen, Butzelhof Sheep Farm offers wool workshops. Participants learn how to prepare washed raw wool for further processing using wool combs, hand carders and a carding machine. Course dates and arrangements may change; check current dates in advance. Children’s birthday parties can also be held outdoors at Butzelhof with the sheep, which can be petted, fed and cuddled. These require arrangements in advance.

A directory for 2024/25 lists a farm shop, sheep and goat dairy products, and a wide range of wool products and pelts at Butzelhof Sheep Farm in Hohn, a district of the broader destination of Windhagen. The directory also lists piebald mountain sheep. The range may change.

Chapels and History in Windhagen

The Hallerbach Chapel of the Holy Trinity was completely renovated as early as 1450 and is probably much older. Its white-plastered structure, about 6 metres long, ends in three sides of an octagon. A slate-roofed bell tower rises above the gabled roof; it houses a 50-kilogram bronze bell cast in 1852 by Schippang in Neuwied. The Catholic parish church of St Bartholomew in Windhagen also makes its own architectural statement: built in 1869–1870 to simplified plans by Vincent Statz of Cologne, it forms the centre of the village.

Since 2018, information boards at eight locations so far in the municipal area have explained the significance and history of the monuments at each site. If local history is the focus of your stay, you can combine these stops with visits to the chapels and churches. The hiking trails offer a different focus: W2 passes fields, meadows and patches of woodland, while W1 runs through stream valleys and along woodland and meadow paths. When planning your time, you can choose how to balance scenic impressions, village life and architectural history.

Discover more destinations: Linz Am Rhein, Linkenbach, Elgert, Waldbreitbach, Asbach, Roßbach, Dattenberg, Isenburg.

Go to the broader travel overview: Neuwied.