Habichtswaldsteig

Starting at the market square in the historic half-timbered town of ZierenbergThe trail winds its way up and down the hills, passing over the Dörnberg with its alpine path, through juniper heaths, and over the Hoher Dörnberg with its former Chatti settlement. Cattle pastures and a dry grassland with Boer goats add variety to the hike. The trail leads to the Silbersee (Silver Lake) and through beech forests whose colors change with the seasons to the pasture at the Hercules monument. Here, the trail continues below the... Herkules, the landmark of Kassel, standing with a magnificent panorama of the largest European Mountain Park and the Kassel Basin rewards.

The view of Kassel, the Grimm city where the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm spent important years of their lives and collected a large part of their fairy tales, transitions to a wooded landscape where the mythological roots of our ancestors lie and where the fairy tales were set. The Habichtswald landscape is enchanting. Bubbling brooks offer refreshment in summer, while ruined castles and picturesque half-timbered houses repeatedly immerse you in the region's history and provide cultural inspiration. Fairytale rest areas Information panels highlighting natural and cultural features keep the fairytale theme alive and connect the places along the trail.

Next comes the idyllic Firnsbach valley with its gorge-like indentations and the ascent of the SchauburgThe trail continues southwards along forest edges with fascinating views into the North Hessian Basin. Falkenstein Castle Ruins and the wall-like Altenburg in a beech forest, which provides us with shade for a considerable distance.

Hikers from Bad Emstal to Naumburg follow the tracks of the Hessencourrier museum railway, repeatedly venturing into the forest. A detour through the meadows of the... Hessian Elbe Valley up to Weidelsburg In clear weather, there are magnificent views across the Wolfhagen Basin to the Dörnberg in the east or as far as the Kahler Asten in the Sauerland region in the west. Waldeck Castle The horizon indicates the further course of the route.

We say goodbye to the Habichtswald Nature Park and cross a historic mountain ridge, the former border between the Principality of Waldeck and that of the Landgrave of Kassel. Through tranquil valleys and over agricultural hills, the path leads us to Lake Edersee. Waldeck Castle, the steep slopes of the primeval forest trail in National Park Kellerwald Edersee and the dam. Here the Habichtswaldsteig trail connects with the Urwaldsteig trail, which opens up the Edersee lake as a 70 km circular route.