Discover Eichsfeld

Castles, history and culture

Bodenstein Castle was first mentioned in official records in 1098 and stands on a mountain spur in the Ohm Mountains. Guided tours about the history of its former lords, the von Wintzingerode family, are held regularly. You can also visit the small chapel with its baptismal angel. If you are interested in the history of Eichsfeld, the Eichsfeld Museum in Heilbad Heiligenstadt offers a broad introduction to the region: the museum is housed in a Baroque Jesuit college and covers the region’s history, culture, religious life, and folklore across three floors.

Every year on Easter Monday, Dingelstädt holds its hobbyhorse ride around St. Mary’s Church. Preschool children ride wooden horses decorated with bells and colorful ribbons. The Palm Sunday procession in Heilbad Heiligenstadt is another living tradition: it has taken place there every year for more than 400 years and depicts the Passion of Christ in a dramatic procession featuring life-size figures. Since 2017, the procession has been listed in Germany’s nationwide Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Historic half-timbered buildings and architectural highlights can be found in Dingelstädt, Duderstadt, Heilbad Heiligenstadt, and Leinefelde-Worbis. Duderstadt’s medieval ramparts remain completely intact. A stroll takes you beneath old lime and chestnut trees. This is a way to combine local history with time outdoors, without having to follow a specific circular route.

Hiking country and views

The Dün and Iberg hills around Heilbad Heiligenstadt are ideal for extended hikes on certified TOP hiking trails. For a different perspective on the landscape, visit one of the area’s castles and ruins. Scharfenstein Castle has a viewing point on its terrace and a 20-meter-high tower, completed in 2016. From here, enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the Upper Leine Valley, the Eichsfeld Basin, the Ohm Mountains, and the eastern Dün; on a clear day, you can also see the Harz Mountains.

You can explore the extensive remains of Hanstein Castle ruins. Its accessible western tower offers sweeping panoramic views of Eichsfeld and the surrounding forests in clear weather. On a particularly clear day, the view extends as far as the Brocken in the Harz Mountains. The two viewpoints offer different perspectives; the landscapes and conditions described here can help you decide which kind of outing appeals to you most.

Cycling holidays and regional specialties

Leinefelde is the starting point of the Leine-Heide Cycle Route, which runs all the way to Hamburg. If you are considering a cycling trip as part of your holiday, you may want to take Leinefelde into account when choosing where to stay. If you are planning longer hikes instead, Heilbad Heiligenstadt could be a useful base for exploring the trails on the Dün and Iberg hills. When looking for a holiday apartment in Eichsfeld, it helps to first consider which of these interests you would like your stay to focus on.

Regional cuisine is also part of Eichsfeld’s character: air-dried sausage is a local specialty known well beyond the region. Scharfenstein Castle also demonstrates how the whisky presented there is blended to its own recipe, mashed, and fermented. It matures for three years in selected oak barrels and can be sampled at a whisky tasting. Alongside nature, architecture, and traditions, local products and how they are made offer another way to explore the region.

Places in Eichsfeld

More town and village pages in this Eichsfeld overview: Deuna, Wachstedt, Helmsdorf, Lindewerra, Büttstedt, Mackenrode, Dingelstädt, Geismar, Bodenrode-Westhausen, Schimberg, Hohengandern, Lutter, Wahlhausen, Sonnenstein, Kirchworbis, Küllstedt, Uder, Teistungen, Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Schönhagen, Kleinbartloff, Gernrode, Berlingerode, Volkerode, Martinfeld, Breitenworbis, Niederorschel, Leinefelde-Worbis, Asbach-Sickenberg, Marth, Bornhagen, Buhla, Haynrode and Am Ohmberg.

For the full travel overview: Thuringia.