Discover Saal a.d.Saale

The Franconian Saale flows directly through Saal a.d.Saale. Other features include the “Hinterm Dorf” quarter, an outdoor swimming pool in the village district of Waltershausen and marked hiking trails around Saal. Local points of interest and regional nature and culture topics offer a variety of different focuses.

Saal a.d.Saale: River, quarter and outdoor pool

The “Hinterm Dorf” quarter offers places to relax, an information pavilion, a herb spiral and a cycling course. Here, a place to unwind, information and a cycling activity come together. Marked hiking trails around Saal invite you to discover the natural surroundings and their beauty.

An outdoor swimming pool heated with solar energy is located beside the Milz in Saal’s village district of Waltershausen. If you are planning a visit, check the operator’s current seasonal information in advance.

Nature in the wider Rhön-Grabfeld destination

Rhön-Grabfeld is located in the Rhön UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The region’s natural areas include the Lange Rhön, Bavaria’s largest nature reserve outside the Alps, and the Black Moor. The Black Moor is strictly protected as a core zone in the biosphere reserve. A wooden boardwalk leads through parts of the moor; information panels explain the route. An observation tower also offers a view of the Black Moor.

At Gangolfsberg, geological features combine with an experience of nature: the basalt prism wall formed between 30 and 10 million years ago during volcanic activity in the Rhön and can be explored along the Gangolfsberg nature trail. The trail is about 2.5 kilometres long; sturdy footwear is required. Guided tours for groups are available on request. Another hiking option in Rhön-Grabfeld district is the premium hiking trail “DER HOCHRHÖNER”.

Museums, railways and regional culture

The Franconian Open-Air Museum Fladungen features around 30 historic buildings across a 12-hectare site, including farmhouses, craft buildings and a village school. Through faithfully reconstructed houses and farms, it presents 350 years of everyday rural history in Lower Franconia and the Rhön. Hands-on activities focused on crafts and traditions range from demonstrations and practical courses to events. The Rhön-Zügle museum railway travels through the Streu Valley with steam and diesel locomotives.

The fortified church in Ostheim vor der Rhön was declared a monument of national importance in 2003. It is considered Germany’s largest and particularly well-preserved fortified church. The local Fortified Churches Museum presents a dozen more fortified churches from the region, including those in Nordheim, Oberstreu and Kaltensundheim. This makes it possible to explore the distinctive features of one fortified church alongside other examples from the region at the same location.

Wechterswinkel Monastery houses a district cultural centre for visual arts, music, literature and lifestyle. The ground-floor gallery exhibits contemporary art, with a focus on sculpture. The Wechterswinkel bus stop is just a few steps from the monastery. A Franciscan monastery with its own brewery has stood on Kreuzberg, the highest mountain in Rhön-Grabfeld district at 928 metres, since 1644. The monastery’s pilgrimage church is a spiritual centre in Lower Franconia.

More cultural sites in Rhön-Grabfeld

The district gallery in the Old Hospital in Mellrichstadt exhibits the Rhön-Grabfeld district collection, featuring significant paintings and sculptures from the Baroque period to the present day. All the works have a regional connection. The Old Hospital also has a museum café serving homemade cake, which is also served in the museum garden during the warmer months. If you are planning a visit to the café, check current service information in advance.

The Hainberg Barracks Documentation Centre at Doku-Z Mellrichstadt documents a border garrison from the Cold War. Alongside exhibitions on art, everyday history and regional architecture, it shows the diversity of cultural themes in the wider Rhön-Grabfeld destination.

Discover more destinations: Großeibstadt, Sulzfeld Im Grabfeld, Sulzdorf, Bad Neustadt An Der Saale, Höchheim, Bad Königshofen Im Grabfeld, Heustreu, Mellrichstadt.

Back to the wider travel overview: Rhön-Grabfeld.