Windehausen: Village Center and St. Ägidien Church

Windehausen can be explored through its village center and the architectural history of St. Ägidien Church. The village was first mentioned in a document in 1158 in the Nordhausen tithe register. This first documentary mention is a different historical reference point from the dates of individual church features and works of art. When placing the village in its historical context, it is therefore possible to distinguish between the mention of Windehausen and the later architectural and artistic history.

The Plan as the Center of the Village

The Plan forms the village center. The gabled ends of the houses face the Plan. From there, the Anger leads to the cathedral on one side; on the other side, the church stands some distance away. The central Plan and the church are therefore not in the same place: the church stands apart from the village center. In the village layout described here, the Anger connects the Plan with the cathedral.

Behind the houses are grassy areas and vegetable gardens. Together with the gabled ends facing the Plan, they shape the village layout from two sides: the houses face the center, with garden areas behind them. Windehausen has a completely renovated village appearance. The Plan, houses, and gardens thus provide different points of reference for understanding the village’s spatial layout.

St. Ägidien Church: Tower, Choir, and Pietà

The tall tower of St. Ägidien Church is visible from afar and is a dominant architectural feature in Windehausen’s historic village landscape. The choir most likely dates from the 13th century and is the oldest part of the church. The dating of the choir is therefore expressed as a probability; at the same time, it is identified as the oldest part.

The church also houses a Pietà carved from limewood in the mid-15th century, also called Pomai Bog. In chronological comparison, three different reference points stand alongside one another: Windehausen’s first documentary mention in 1158, the choir, which probably dates from the 13th century, and the Pietà from the mid-15th century. They relate to the village, a building feature, and a work of art—and thus represent different aspects of the village’s and church’s history.

More to Explore in the Wider Heringen/Helme Destination

Another historical point of reference in the wider Heringen/Helme destination is the Old Castle in Heringen. It was built after 1320 and is one of the earliest castle buildings in Thuringia. After 1568, the Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt had the Old Castle remodeled in the Renaissance style. They expanded the complex with the four-story west wing, the Schwarzburger Haus, known as the New Castle. The castle therefore has two distinct building phases: its construction after 1320 and its later remodeling after 1568.

The Nordic walking park in Heringen also offers a clear comparison in terms of route length and marking: the blue-marked route is 2.50 km long, and the red-marked route is 4.25 km long. Both routes start and end at the well-signposted hiking car park on Eichentalsweg in Heringen. The lengths distinguish the two routes, while their shared start and end point provides a clear indication of their course.

Discover more destinations: Bleicherode, Hesserode, Niedersachswerfen, Rodishain, Sülzhayn, Niedergebra, Werther, Harztor

Back to the wider travel overview: Nordhausen.