Discover Heringen/Helme
Accommodation in Heringen/Helme
Heringen/Helme offers two different starting points for planning a holiday: the architectural history of the Old Castle and marked Nordic walking routes. One topic takes you through several centuries of castle history; the other can be compared by route length and colour marking. This lets you decide whether you are more interested in cultural history or exercise—or whether to include both in your stay.
The Old Castle: building history in several stages
The Old Castle in Heringen was built after 1320 and is one of the earliest castle buildings in Thuringia. After 1568, the Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt had the Old Castle remodelled in the Renaissance style. They expanded the complex with the four-storey west wing, the Schwarzburger Haus, or New Castle.
More than two centuries separate the castle’s early construction from its remodelling after 1568. For those interested in architecture, this sequence offers a chance to compare different periods: the early castle-building phase and the later Renaissance design belong to different chapters in the history of the complex.
Nordic walking: route length and starting point
The Nordic walking park offers a 2.50 km blue-marked route and a 4.25 km red-marked route. Both start and finish at the well-signposted hiking car park on Eichentalsweg in Heringen. The routes therefore share the same starting and finishing point, while their lengths provide a clear distinction.
The red route is 1.75 km longer than the blue one. You can use this difference to choose the route length that suits you; the colour markings help distinguish between the two options. Your day’s plans can therefore be based on two clearly stated distances, without assuming a particular walking time.
When looking for a holiday apartment in Heringen/Helme, these local attractions can also help guide your choice: are you more interested in castle history or in exercising on a marked route? Your answer can help you plan your stay around what matters most to you.
In the wider destination of Nordhausen
In the wider destination of Nordhausen, the Karst Hiking Trail runs 56 kilometres through the district of Nordhausen from east to west. It also explores the gypsum karst landscape of the southern Harz, stretching from Lower Saxony through northern Thuringia to Saxony-Anhalt. The distance within the district and the trail’s wider course give two different perspectives on this hiking landscape.
The Harz Narrow Gauge Railway is a rail connection from Wernigerode in the north of the Harz to Nordhausen in the southern Harz foothills. Alongside the hiking landscape, it offers a different way to explore the Nordhausen region.
The “From Grain to Spirit” tour at the Echter Nordhäuser Traditional Distillery offers a cultural perspective: it takes visitors through the historic complex and includes a tasting of the distillery’s own premium spirits and liqueurs. Availability depends on the date, so check your preferred date in advance.
The Burggasthof Hohnstein serves upscale traditional German cuisine and regional specialities amid the historic ruins of Hohnstein Castle. From the terrace, you can look out over Neustadt and the southern Harz. Check whether the restaurant is currently open before planning a visit.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Harztor, Nordhausen, Neustadt/Harz, Ellrich, Windehausen, Hamma, Hesserode, Hainleite.
Back to the main travel overview: Nordhausen.
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