Hikes in Willmars

This hike combines quiet natural spaces with cultural traces and lets you experience the Rhön as a landscape of change: vast, peaceful, and rich in history.

The highlight of the hike is the picturesque Lichtenburg with its impressive panoramic view. A detour to Ostheim is also well worth it because of the imposing fortified church in the village.▶ FromCity Hall 01 on Oberdorfer Straße, we turn onto Alleestraße. About 50 m before the Nordheim/Fladungen junction, we turn left onto the small road Zum Wasserwerk (E3 marker: blue cross). At the edge of the forest, we ignore the branching trail and follow the left curve of our paved path. Passing the water treatment plant, we reach the forest, where the route continues uphill along a forest road. On a hill, our path joins anotherforest road02, where we keep slightly to the left. From there on, we stay on the main path, ignoring all side paths, and hike through a beautiful beech forest. Gradually, our route features more and more hiking markers, a sign that we are approaching Lichtenburg. Finally, a vast meadow landscape comes into view on the right. Here, at anX-junction 03 (the second one at this location), we turn slightly left onto a narrow, ascending forest path toward “Lichtenburg.” The short ascent takes us steadily uphill (finally on the road) toward the impressive ruins ofLichtenburg04 (built in the 12th century by the Henneberg family), which offers a lovely place to stop for a break. From the outer courtyard, there’s a breathtaking panoramic view to the south. Right next to it, the descent begins toward “Ponyhof Völkershausen.” Caution! Be sure to follow the blue cross markings, as there are many trail forks on the slope! Hiking downhill—sometimes steeply, sometimes in wide switchbacks—we finally reach the valley. Here, we head tothe road05 and turn left. After a short stretch (about 300 m before the bridge), we turn left onto a bike path, which we follow all the way through the valley (ignoring any junctions coming from the left) until we reachWillmars01. Alternative route: The descent to Ostheim offers the chance to explore the famous fortified church in the village. To do so, we briefly follow the small road starting at the castle gate and, 200 m further on, turn onto the hiking trail to the left of the road (blue triangle). We take a shortcut past a few switchbacks and reach Burgstraße above the village, which we follow downhill. Finally, we turn left onto Friedensstraße and walk to the impressive fortified church. Afterward, we walk from Friedensstraße to Herbartstraße and finally onto Sulzweg. At the town exit sign, we continue straight ahead toward “Willmars.” Finally, we reach the junction with Tour 27 at a signpost on the right and a bench area on the left side of the road.

In the densely forested Bavarian-Thuringian border region, we explore Bavaria’s northernmost village with the Weimarschmieden. Hidden in the woods nearby is also an impressive Jewish cemetery.▶ From Church01, we follow the village road downhill toward “Wilmers.” 400 m past the town exit sign, the route veers left onto the marked trail (red triangle) and keeps to the right at the fork that follows immediately. A short time later, we turn right (marker!) onto a forest path. When we soon reach the paved road in the valley (shelter02), we turn left. About 200 m past the shelter, we follow the paved road to the right at the fork. The route now continues straight ahead uphill; ignore all branching trail markers. At the country road, we turn right, reach Filke03, and there, at the “Zur Linde” inn, turn onto Oberfilker Straße. The hike soon follows Lindenstraße (marker: green triangle) and turns onto the ascending paved road immediately after house number 29 (not at the information board). At the edge of the forest, we walk straight into the woods and initially ignore all side paths. Eventually, on a hillat 04, we reach a fork where the route continues slightly to the left. A little further on, we cross a intersection (marking continues: green triangle). We pass a meadow rich in views and flowers and, on the descent just before Weimarschmieden05, pass an impressive Jewish cemetery. At the country road, we keep to the left and, 25 m past the town entrance sign (before the “Zur Weimarschmiede” inn), turn left onto the paved path (marker: green open drop). At the pond with the seating area, we leave the small road as it curves to the right and continue straight ahead (not slightly to the left) uphill on an indistinct dirt path (watch for the marker!). At the road near the edge of the forest, we turn left and later, before the Reinhardshof, turn sharply right and head uphill. At the fork just 100 m further on, we keep to the left, ignore any other junctions, and leave the field path as it curves right, crossing a row of trees to the left. To the right of this row, we continue on a very faint trail (look for markers!) and soon enter the forest on a narrow, marked path. Here, we keep right twice and soon follow a forest road, crossing a major intersection along the way. At a T-intersection in a wide valley, the green open drop symbol guides us onward. Here, we turn left. At the next T-intersection, the route turns right and crosses Stream06. As the trail ascends, we soon reach a bike path that takes us left toward Sands01.

Ostheim before the Rhön - Neustädtles - Königsburg - Lichtenburg

Diese Wanderung führte mich zum Stockheimer Wartturm und über die Hohe Schule wieder zurück nach Völkershausen

Willmars-Lichtenburg-Rundwanderung