Freden (Leine): Cycle Route, Church and Culture

Freden (Leine) combines a church site mentioned in historical records, a cultural venue and a section of the Leine-Heide Cycle Route. The surrounding landscape also offers its own points of interest. If you are looking for a hotel in Freden, you can shape your trip around local history, the cycle route, events or nature.

St. George’s Church: History and Architecture

Freden was first mentioned in a document in 1068 as a church site. St. George’s Church features various historical details: the oldest parts of the massive church tower date from the Romanesque building phase and are made of rubble masonry. The church also houses a Baroque baptismal angel from the second half of the 18th century. It is particularly characteristic of the Hildesheimer Land-Alfeld church district. The tower and baptismal angel thus represent different periods, from the Romanesque building phase to Baroque art.

Culture at Freden’s Tithe Barn

Freden’s tithe barn is a venue for cultural activities. Its architecture is defined by rubble masonry and timber-beam structures, and it has seating for around 350 people. The building can therefore be understood both in terms of its construction and its function as a cultural venue. The International Freden Music Days last several days. Various venues in Freden and the surrounding area become stages for musical performances. If you would like to plan your trip around a concert, check the specific event dates and venues in advance.

Cycling Through Freden

The approximately 410-kilometre-long Leine-Heide Cycle Route passes through Freden (Leine), the Leinebergland, the Hannover Region and the Lüneburg Heath, and continues to Hamburg. Its source is near Leinefelde in Thuringia. Freden is therefore a stop along a long-distance cycle route. The approximate length refers to the entire route, not a section in Freden. When planning, you can distinguish between cycling a section of the route and treating the cycle route as a longer-distance travel connection.

Landscape and Geological Features

The Selter is a ridge in the Leinebergland that stretches from Greene near Kreiensen, above Freden, to Delligsen south of Alfeld (Leine). Geological finds are also associated with the Selter: fossilised ammonite shells, up to 40 centimetres in diameter, have been found there at depths of up to two metres. At Großer Salzberg in the surrounding area, numerous fossils of mussels, fish and snails have been found; they are up to 30 million years old.

Another point of interest in the surrounding area is near Winzenburg: from the “Apenteich” hiking car park at the edge of the forest, a trail leads about 150 metres to the Apenteich spring and the Apenteich ponds. The short stretch of trail and the geological themes offer different perspectives on the area—one as a direct route to named destinations, the other as the natural history of the landscape.

Outdoor Pool and Travel Planning

Freden’s outdoor pool is located on Schildhorster Straße. It reopened to the public on 21 June 2025. If you are planning a visit, check the current opening hours. This lets you plan a day at the pool separately from the rest of your trip, without assuming any particular opening hours.

St. George’s Church and the tithe barn represent local history and culture, the Leine-Heide Cycle Route offers a long-distance cycling connection, and the Selter, Salzberg and Apenteich provide different opportunities to explore nature in the surrounding area. For an event, the dates and venues are key; for a cycling tour, it is the planned stage. You can use these to guide your search for a hotel in Freden (Leine).

Discover more destinations: Elze, Marienhagen, Hoyershausen, Westfeld, Brüggen, Weenzen, Despetal, Nordstemmen

For the higher-level travel overview: Hildesheim.