Kyffhäuser Path

The hike begins - surrounded by old half-timbered houses - at the Anger in Bad Frankenhausen. Through the cozy spa park, you reach the spring area, where salty water emerges that once ensured the wealth of the town. Here you have reached the lowest point of the Kyffhäuser path and are at 128 meters above sea level.

Slightly uphill, you now pass by Hoheneck Castle through the Chestnut Alley to the South Kyffhäuser GeoTrail. Gnarled forests, bare rock ground, and steppe-like poor grasslands with colorful flower treasures line this section of the path. Learn along the way how plants protect themselves from the sun or whether bread can be baked from stones.

Interesting resting spots offer magnificent views of floodplains and valleys of the Kyffhäuser Nature Park. Or visit the nature park station, where little and big children enjoy the stone pendulum and the jumping pit.

A guided tour through the vast underground cave system of the Barbarossa Cave lets you view the Kyffhäuser path from below. Perhaps you will find the hiding place of old Barbarossa here and can take a seat on his emperor's chair?

From the Barbarossa Cave, the Kyffhäuser path first leads to the small town of Steinthaleben. Due to its Stone Age settlement traces, it is not only ancient but also rich in stone: Many house walls bear witness that there was once stone wealth in the nearby quarries.

Gnarled beech forest initially lines the way to Kulpenberg. At 473 meters, it is the highest mountain of the Kyffhäuser range and is visible from afar due to the television tower rising 92 meters high.

The Kyffhäuser path now takes you further to the Rothenburg ruin. At the hiking hut near the ruin, a 2 km long forest path begins, leading you through idyllic woods along the steep mountain ridge. Discover roe deer tracks here or take the perspective of a beetle on a wooden lounger. Quarries near the forest path, awarded as geotopes by GeoPark Kyffhäuser e.V., offer impressive insights into Earth's history.

The circular route to the Kyffhäuser Monument invites you through a huge gate to visit the romantic ruin scenery of the Lower Castle. At the top of the mountain, you finally reach the Kyffhäuser Monument. From here, enjoy the unique panoramic view over the forest canopy of the Kyffhäuser range into the Goldene Aue all the way to the Harz.

From the Kyffhäuser Monument, the path leads downhill until the forest clears and a vast orchard meadow landscape begins. An orchard trail, which among other things explains how the fruit once came here, leads to the Streuobstzentrum in Tilleda. Once there, you can taste fruity specialties. Nearby lies the only fully excavated imperial palace of Germany, where Emperor Barbarossa also once resided. From here, the path leads past a mill ruin back into the Kyffhäuser forest.

In the rock garden near the youth forest home Rathsfeld, you can observe the various rocks of the Kyffhäuser range – from the youngest to the oldest. Through the forest, you arrive at Schlachtberg, where farmers fought nearly 500 years ago for a better life. A monument to the peasant leader Thomas Müntzer commemorates this. The people of this time come alive in the Panorama Museum, Germany's largest circular painting.

In the variety garden near the Panorama Museum, over 100 varieties of apples, pears, and cherries are preserved for posterity. Whether the "Schöne von Nordhausen" should be enjoyed fresh or in cake form, you can learn on the name tags of the fruit royals. A wonderful view over Bad Frankenhausen and the Frankenhausen valley offers a final resting opportunity before the Kyffhäuser path leads back to the starting point of the hike – the Anger of Bad Frankenhausen.