Hercules way
| Hercules way | |
|---|---|
 Herkules : Landmark of Kassel and namesake of the Herkulesweg |
|
| Data | |
| length | approx. 193 km |
| location | North Hesse , West Thuringia |
| Markers | X7 |
| Starting point |
Battenberg 51 ° 0 ′ 53.5 " N , 8 ° 38 ′ 41.2" E |
| Target point |
Heilbad Heiligenstadt 51 ° 22 ′ 34.9 ″ N , 10 ° 8 ′ 13 ″ E |
| Type | Long-distance hiking trail |
| The highest point |
Bilstein ( 641.2 m above sea level ) |
| Lowest point |
Kassel ( 138.6 m above sea level ) |
| Level of difficulty | easy, normal |
| season | all year round |
| Viewpoints | u. a. Hercules , Tall Grass , Bilstein , Devil's Pulpit |
| particularities | named after Hercules in Kassel |
Map with all coordinates: 
The Herkulesweg ( signpost X7 ) is an approximately 193 km long through or long-distance hiking trail in North Hesse and West Thuringia ( Germany ), which starts from Battenberg in the Breiten Struth , in the Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park , Waldecker Wald , Habichtswälder Bergland , Kaufunger Wald , Soodener Bergland and Upper Eichsfeld to Heilbad Heiligenstadt . It connects numerous cities and communities in the districts of Waldeck-Frankenberg and Kassel , the urban district of Kassel , the Werra-Meißner district and the district of Eichsfeld . The path is named after Hercules , Kassel's landmark.
History and interesting facts
The Herkulesweg was developed by the Hessisch-Waldeckischer Gebirgs- und Heimatverein (HWGHV). With the help of display boards along the path, you can find out about interesting things in the respective regions. Local and history associations also contributed a lot of information about local events on display boards.
course
Stage 1 (Battenberg → Hommershausen; 27 km) :
The Herkulesweg begins in the northern Hessian district of Waldeck-Frankenberg in Battenberg , which is located on the Eder below the ruins of the cellar castle , from whose former donjon the view can be enjoyed a little off the path. It initially runs together with a section of the Astenweg - crossing the Eder - north to Osterfeld , which is located on the Linspherbach in the Breite Struth ridge , and then eastwards to Haine . Beyond the Hainer Bach situated village he leads - the Goldbach crossing - northeastward into the near Nienze lying Wanger Hausen and subsequently by Hommershausen .
Stage 2 (Hommershausen → Herzhausen; 22 km) :
From Hommershausen the path runs - crossing the Nuhne valley at the Oberen Butzmühle and passing Sachsenberg a little west - north-eastwards to Dalwigksthal , which lies in the Orke valley . Then it leads - crossing the valley of the Heimbach - to Fürstenberg and from there past the ruins of the Fürstenkirche on to Herzhausen , which lies at the influence of the Eder in the Edersee .
Stage 3 (Herzhausen → Waldeck; 18 km) :
From Herzhausen the path in the northern part of the resulting natural parks Keller Edersee together with portions of Kellerwaldsteig and Urwaldsteig Edersee - the ruin Ehrenburg passing - east along the north bank of Edersee according Vohl and then through Basdorf by Nieder-Werbe , which lies at the confluence of the Werbe in the reservoir and where the Ederseeweg crosses. The path then reaches the core town of Waldeck , where a detour to Waldeck Castle is worthwhile and the student path crosses.
Stage 4 (Waldeck → Sand; 22 km) :
From Waldeck, the path runs north past the former Waldeck-Ost station of the former Ederseebahn , which was converted into the Ederseebahn cycle path in sections , and crosses the networks there . Later it leads in the Waldecker Wald , after crossing the Habichtswaldsteig , directly past the Bubenkreuz , a former cross stone . There the path reaches the district of Kassel and at the same time the Habichtswald Nature Park and continues to Naumburg , where Bonifatiuspfad , Ederseeweg , Habichtswaldsteig and Volkmarser Weg cross. Then it leads along the Eder tributary Elbe to Elbenberg and then on to the Sand located on the Eder tributary Ems , where it splits part of the way with the Ederseeweg and Märchenlandweg .
Stage 5 (Sand → Kassel-Bad Wilhelmshöhe; 25 km) :
From Sand, the path leads, together with Habichtswaldsteig and a part also with the Ederseeweg , in the Habichtswälder Bergland past the Altenburg and the Falkenstein castle ruins to and through Elmshagen and then through the Langenberge to Hoof , where the Märchenlandweg crosses again and a detour to the Schauenburg is worthwhile. After crossing the Kassel – Naumburg railway line and the Hessencourrier cycle path, the path then crosses the Bauna and the Bundesautobahn 44 together with the Baunapfad and Habichtswaldsteig and runs in the Hohen Habichtswald up to the Hohen Gras ( 614.8 m above sea level ), from its observation tower you can enjoy a panoramic view that extends across North Hesse, among other places. Then it reaches the Herkules (approx. 515 m ) past the Ziegenkopf with the Märchenlandweg , from where the view falls, for example, of the city of Kassel and where the Habichtswaldsteig crosses again. From there the path leads through the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe , where the Kassel water games take place and, among other things, the Löwenburg and Wilhelmshöhe Palace ; The Fulda-Diemel-Weg crosses below the castle . Leaving the Habichtswald Nature Park, he reaches the Bad Wilhelmshöhe district , where he crosses the Drusel twice .
Stage 6 (Kassel-Bad Wilhelmshöhe → Burg Sensenstein near Nieste; 19 km) :
From Bad Wilhelmshöhe, the route runs roughly east to the center of Kassel, first crossing the Ahna and shortly afterwards the Fulda on the harbor bridge; Immediately south-southeast of the bridge is the lowest point of the hiking trail at the intersection ( 138.6 m above sea level ) of Scharnhorststrasse and Hafenstrasse . Immediately afterwards he crosses the Wahlebach and a little later the Losse three times . Past the Eichwald , it leads under the federal autobahn 7 eastwards out of the city and then in the geo-nature park Frau-Holle-Land (Werra Valley.Meißner.Kaufunger Wald) on to Heiligenrode , where the Märchenlandweg crosses again. From there it leads above the Nieste to the ground monument Burg Sensenstein (mostly just called Sensenstein ) located west-southwest of the village of Nieste .
Stage 7 (castle Sensenstein at Nieste → Hundelshausen; 19 km) :
From Sensenstein the trail above the village Nieste, where he developed the inn Königsalm happened and the last time the fairytale land crossing, in Kaufunger forest along the southern flank of the Niestetals the border with Lower Saxony in the north flank. Crossing the Nieste once, it runs east-south-east up to Bilstein ( 641.2 m above sea level ), the highest point on the path, from whose observation tower ( Bilstein Tower ) the panoramic view over northern Hesse, southern Lower Saxony and western Thuringia can be enjoyed; in good conditions you can see as far as the Brocken (in Saxony-Anhalt ) in the Harz Mountains . After that it runs a piece together with the Eder-Gelster-Weg and until you pass the Red Lake also with the Frau-Holle-path . Running alone again, it leads northeast downhill to Hundelshausen an der Gelster .
Section 8 (Hundelshausen → Ludwigstein at Werleshausen; 14 km) :
From Hundelshausen the path runs beyond the Gelstertals in Soodener Bergland each past the hiking parking Old Courthouse and Vollungssattel and on top of Rapid head . Then he reached - the Brothers Grimm way crossing - the south-west of Werleshausen located Ludwigstein .
Stage 9 (Ludwigstein Castle near Werleshausen → Heilbad Heiligenstadt; 27 km) :
The route leads from Ludwigstein Castle - leaving the Soodener Bergland and crossing the Werra - to Werleshausen, where the Werra Valley Cycle Path crosses. Across the river valley it runs - from the North Hessian Geo-Nature Park Frau-Holle-Land to the West Thuringian Nature Park Eichsfeld-Hainich-Werra Valley, alternating and crossing the former inner-German border - steeply uphill to the Hanstein castle ruins located directly above the Bornhagen district of Rimbach , where it is the upper one Reached Eichsfeld in the Eichsfeld district. Then it leads with a section of the Werra-Burgen-Steig south-east on the Höhenberg ridge directly past the Teufelskanzel with a view from there, among other things, of a horseshoe-shaped Werra loop. A little later it runs eastwards to Vatterode an der Walse and to Mackenrode , where it bends to the northeast and, after crossing Fürstenhagen, passes the Lengenberg eastwards . Through the village of Lutter an der Lutter , the Herkulesweg - passing the Iberg in the Heiligenstädter Stadtwald - reaches the core town of Heilbad Heiligenstadt on the Leine .
Stage overview
The Herkulesweg consists of a total of 9 stages:
|
|
from | to | Length (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Battenberg | Hommershausen | 27 km |
| 2 | Hommershausen | Herzhausen | 22 km |
| 3 | Herzhausen | Waldeck | 18 km |
| 4th | Waldeck | sand | 22 km |
| 5 | sand | Kassel - Bad Wilhelmshöhe | 25 km |
| 6th | Kassel-Bad Wilhelmshöhe | Sensenstein Castle near Nieste | 19 km |
| 7th | Sensenstein Castle near Nieste | Hundelshausen | 19 km |
| 8th | Hundelshausen | Ludwigstein Castle near Werleshausen | 14 km |
| 9 | Ludwigstein Castle near Werleshausen | Heilbad Heiligenstadt | 27 km |
|
|
|
Total (approx.): | 193 km |
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Length of the Hercules Path according to the table of stages in this Wikipedia article
- ↑ Length of the stages according to the Herkulesweg on ferien-ganz-nah.de
Web links
- Herkulesweg , on wanderbaren-deutschland.de
- Herkulesweg , description and GPX track, on outdooractive.com