Heringen/Helme: Castle History and Nordic Walking

Heringen/Helme offers two distinct highlights to consider when planning a trip: the Old Castle and its architectural history, and the Nordic walking park with two marked trails. When planning a stay, you can first decide whether you are more interested in historic architecture or a walk of a set length. Details about the castle and trails provide specific points of reference.

The Old Castle and its architectural history

The Old Castle in Heringen was built after 1320 and is one of the earliest castles in Thuringia. After 1568, the Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt had the castle remodeled in the Renaissance style and expanded the complex with the four-story west wing, the Schwarzburg House, known as the New Castle. This makes it possible to distinguish between two construction phases: the building of the Old Castle and the later remodeling and expansion of the complex. The dates after 1320 and after 1568 help place these phases in time; the Renaissance style characterizes the later remodeling.

Two marked Nordic walking trails

The Nordic walking park has a blue-marked trail of 2.50 km and a red-marked trail of 4.25 km. The longer loop is therefore 1.75 km longer. If trail length is a key factor in your plans, you can choose between these two clearly differentiated distances. Both trails start and end at the clearly signposted hiking parking area on Eichentalsweg in Heringen. The loops differ in length and marking color, but share the same start and end point. This gives you both the distance and a specific on-site landmark to help you choose.

More attractions in the wider Nordhausen destination

In the wider Nordhausen destination, the Karst Hiking Trail runs 56 kilometers from east to west through the district of Nordhausen. The Feuersalamanderpfad (Fire Salamander Trail), part of the Karst Hiking Trail, passes below and over the Mühlberg in the nature reserve. It runs through a gypsum-karst uvala and past sinkholes, spoil heaps, caves, and historic traces. These regional trail details differ from the two marked Nordic walking trails in Heringen/Helme: the Karst Hiking Trail is described by its length across the district, while each local loop has its own length and marking color.

The Rabensteiner Stollen is the only visitor mine for hard coal in Central Germany. A guided tour covers the nearly 300-year history of hard-coal mining in the Harz and passes the last remaining coal deposits, fossils, authentic workplaces, exhausted seams, and mining passages that are often only 60 cm high. First, the mine train “Rabenstein-Express” travels 500 m into the mountain; the route then continues into mining areas dating from the 18th century. Check the current tour arrangements before visiting.

The “From Grain to Spirit” tour at the Echter Nordhäuser Traditional Distillery is also part of the wider Nordhausen destination. It passes through the historic complex, from the mill room to the distilling room, spirits warehouse, office, and barrel cellar, and on to the Henriette Bar. There, visitors can sample the distillery’s own premium spirits and liqueurs. Availability depends on the date, so check the dates for your stay.

Discover more destinations: Windehausen, Bleicherode, Rodishain, Harztor, Werther, Hainleite, Ilfeld, Nordhausen.

Back to the main travel overview: Nordhausen.