Hohengandern

The Green Belt along the municipal boundary

The “Green Belt of Thuringia” National Natural Monument runs in stretches along the western and northern municipal boundary of Hohengandern. This connection to nature has a clear geographical setting: the Green Belt follows sections of the municipal boundary and thus forms a distinct thematic focus alongside the historic buildings. If you are interested in nature, it offers a different perspective on Hohengandern from the one provided by the village church or the Three-Country Stone. Its linear course along the municipal boundary is an important feature of the area.

From the first documented mention to the Three-Country Stone

Hohengandern was first mentioned in a document in 1376 under the name Hohngandern. The village church provides a later architectural reference point: its nave was built in 1856 in late Neoclassical forms. The documented mention and the year of construction offer different perspectives on the village’s history—one through the recorded name, the other through the architecture of a specific part of the building.

The Three-Country Stone of Hesse, Thuringia and Lower Saxony offers another historical perspective. The Kingdoms of Prussia and Hanover and the Electorate of Hesse originally met there. After the end of the Second World War, it marked the meeting point of the American, British and Soviet occupation zones. The shift from the former territories under different rulers to the occupation zones illustrates how the region’s political status changed over time.

Further perspectives in the wider Eichsfeld travel destination

The wider Eichsfeld travel destination offers other distinct themes. Housed in Heilbad Heiligenstadt’s Baroque Jesuit college, the Eichsfeld Museum provides information on the region’s history, culture, religious life and folklore across three floors. Regular guided tours at Bodenstein Castle, first mentioned in a document in 1098 and situated on a promontory of the Ohm Mountains, explore the history of the castle’s former lords, the von Wintzingerode family. Visitors can also see the small chapel with its baptismal angel.

The Dün and Iberg hills around Heilbad Heiligenstadt offer a landscape-focused perspective. They provide good conditions for extended hikes on certified TOP hiking trails. Scharfenstein Castle adds viewpoints to the region’s other attractions: there is a viewing point on the terrace, as well as a 20-metre-high tower completed in 2016, offering sweeping views of the Upper Leine Valley, the Eichsfeld Basin, the Ohm Mountains and the eastern Dün. On a clear day, the view extends as far as the Harz Mountains. The museum, hiking trails and viewpoints are therefore quite different from the historical connections found in Hohengandern itself.

Choose the focus that suits your trip

When choosing a holiday apartment, it helps to first decide on the focus of your trip: would you like to concentrate on Hohengandern itself, its local and border history, and the Green Belt, or explore the wider Eichsfeld and its other cultural and landscape attractions? This distinction links your choice of destination to your interests without attributing regional attractions to Hohengandern.

Discover more destinations: Kleinbartloff, Am Ohmberg, Asbach-Sickenberg, Geismar, Volkerode, Teistungen, Gernrode, Wachstedt.

Back to the wider travel overview: Eichsfeld.