Discover Bad Hersfeld

Bad Hersfeld combines historic buildings, festival culture and green spaces. The following places and dates offer practical points of reference for planning your trip.

Culture and Local History

The abbey ruins are the largest Romanesque church ruins in the world. More than 200 listed buildings can be seen in the historic old town. The Klausturm is one of the few surviving towers of the medieval town fortifications, which originally comprised 16 towers. These three perspectives differ in scale: the church ruins, the architectural ensemble of the old town and a single surviving defensive tower.

The Bad Hersfeld City Museum is housed in the surviving monastery building of the former abbey. At Am Neumarkt 31, next to the Alte Klosterschule, a museum opened in 1999 in Konrad Duden’s former home. The museum commemorates Duden’s life and work; it is open only by appointment arranged by telephone.

Spa Park of the Seasons

At around seven hectares, the Spa Park of the Seasons is Bad Hersfeld’s largest continuous green space. The town hall and spa house flank it. The park was laid out in 1906; a major renovation followed in 2006/2007 and was completed in May 2008. The Magical Spring in the spa park is considered unique and symbolises Bad Hersfeld’s healing springs and the town’s long spa and bathing tradition.

Trails and Exercise

The Fulda floodplain is crossed by, among other routes, the Fulda Cycle Path, the German Unity Cycle Route and the Luther Pilgrimage Trail. The accessible circular path around Lake Fulda was opened in 2020 and is equipped with features for different senses. At the start is an information board that can also be read in Braille.

The Katharinenweg starts at the Katharinenturm, after which it is named, and leads through the southwest and the town centre of Bad Hersfeld. A public climb of the Katharinenturm takes place at 3 pm on the first Friday of every month. Check the date before your visit.

The 2.1 km forest fitness trail has stations for strengthening and stretching muscles, as well as for coordination training. A Kneipp facility at the start can be used from spring through autumn.

The trails differ in focus: sensory features at Lake Fulda, a route through the southwest and town centre on the Katharinenweg, and muscle and coordination stations on the forest fitness trail.

Cultural Events Throughout the Year

Since 1951, the Bad Hersfeld Festival has drawn theatre enthusiasts to the Bad Hersfeld Abbey Ruins every year from July to September. In the wider Hersfeld-Rotenburg travel destination, the Lullusfest in Bad Hersfeld has been celebrated every year since 852, without interruption, in the week of 16 October in honour of the town’s founder, Lullus. For trip planning, these two traditions mark different times of year. If you are travelling for either event, check your travel dates against the relevant event date.

Discover more destinations: Rotenburg, Hohenroda, Kirchheim, Niederaula, Friedewald, Neuenstein, Wildeck, Ronshausen

See the overview of the wider destination: Hersfeld-Rotenburg.