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Nature Park Travel - Europe off the beaten track |
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Rennstieg trail near Craula Hiking and Birding in Hainich National Park |
Quite a few German hiking trails are called Rennsteig or Rennstieg. These names are used for ridge-ways only. The Rennstieg in Hainich National Park is an over 500 year old former trade route. It takes you over the ridge of the plateau. The highest elevation is the 1620 feet Alte Berg near Huetscheroda. You walk along the watershed: the Werra and Weser rivers are to the West, the Unstrut and Saale rivers are to the East. Entry or exit points of the 19.4 mile hiking trail are at Eigenrieden near Muehlhausen and Behringen. If you plan to walk the trail within two days, a good stop-over point for an overnight stay is in Kammerforst or in Mihla. You travel through nature and history. On the way from Eigenrieden to Behringen you pass the "Heyeroeder Grenzforsthaus", a forester's house built in 1650. A junction leads you to the Haineck castle ruins near Nazza, 1.9 miles from the Rennstieg hiking trail. The ruins date back from the 14th century, they are on the same altitude as the Rennstieg. You do not have to climb. Justice was administered in the Middle Ages on limestones that were formed like a table, the "Steinerner Tisch". Following the Rennstieg trail, you pass through the Ihlefeld, an intersection of medieval routes. Here, you find the Begging Oak. At the Ihlefelder Kreuz a hunter once lost the fight with a bear. The stone cross dates from around 1450 and is the oldest cross in the Hainich National Park. You can still recognize the out relief of hunter and bear. In the gardens of the palace at Behringen, under trees that are more than 100 years old, you can visit an exposition of sculptures. A sculpture hiking trail leads from the palace to the knight's manor in Huetscheroda. You can buy a National Park Hiking and Cycling Map posted by German booksellers. >> Hainich >> bird watching >> hiking trails >> tree top walk |
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