TOP-Hiking trail Warteberg

TOP hiking trail - Warteberg / center of Germany (Nature Park Eichsfeld-Hainich-Werratal) ------------------------------ "Quality Trail Wanderable Germany" https://www.naturpark-ehw.de/aktiv/rundwanderwege/top-wanderweg-warteberg-mittelpunkt-deutschlands.html ------------------------------

If you want to extend the hike, you can add a top hiking trail from the parking lot 😉

In perfect hiking weather, we set off from the "Neun Brunnen" hiking car park today toward Flinsberg, along the old railway embankment to Warteberg, the center of Germany. 🇩🇪

We followed the hotel's recommendation to hike the TOP trail Warteberg. The first hurdle was finding the hiking parking lot "Neun Brunnen" ⛲️. My mobile navigation led us through the forest 😳, but forest workers allowed us to pass. Upon arriving at the parking lot, we realized that the main road was closed due to construction (not apparent coming from our direction). Okay, with sunshine ☀️, we set off cheerfully. First, we marched through the magical Pferdebachtal valley. On the former railway line to Schwebda, fuel and lubricants were stored during the Third Reich. We followed the well-signposted hiking trail and climbed the Warteberg, the "Center of Germany". According to mathematical determinations by the University of Bonn, the center of Germany is located in the Gemarkung of the district Flinsberg, on the 515m high Warteberg. The next highlight of the tour was the Antonius Chapel. This is closely connected with the Stationsweg, created around 1750, and a unique avenue of sycamore trees. We only passed the village of Geisleden on the outskirts. The tour pleased us greatly, many forest and meadow paths were great to walk. The elevation gains were also very moderate. 🍀🥾

After a peaceful night at the hiking car park 🅿️ at neun Brunnen, we began our second tour of the heart of Germany🇩🇪. The trail led through the Pferdebach Valley to the Warteberg⛰️, where we enjoyed a wonderful panoramic view🤩. We continued to the Antonius Chapel ⛪️ and to Geisleden to the Church of St. Cosma 💒, where the Pope was a guest in 2014. We returned via the pilgrimage route 🐚 to Heiligenstadt.

Today we hiked in the Eichsfeld-Hainich-Werratal Nature Park. From the starting point, the Neunbrunnen hiking car park, the path led us through the idyllic Pferdebachtal, an enchanting forest valley with history: fuel and lubricants were stored on the former narrow-gauge railway to Eschwege during the Third Reich. Today, the old route serves as a beautiful hiking or cycling path. At the end of the valley we reached the ascent to the Warteberg. The hill offered a wonderful view of the Thuringian Forest in the south and the Brocken in the north. According to mathematical determinations by the University of Bonn, the center of Germany is on the 516 meter high Warteberg. However, there are several other centers in the area 🤣. Further on, we came to the Antonius Chapel. The chapel is closely connected to the Stationsweg, which was built around 1750, and a unique avenue of sycamore maples. The path led us on to Geisleden, one of the oldest places in the Eichsfeld. Here we looked at the particularly beautiful church of Cosmas and Damian. We continued on a section of the Loccum-Volkenroda pilgrimage route, next to the Geislede, its waterfall and past Neunbrunnen back to the car park. Beautiful nature hike!

At the end of a wonderful weekend we quickly went to the center..... not of the earth 🌎 but of Germany. There are people who think that Germany is the center of the world... but that's a different story. No, the center of Germany is not far from Heilbad Heiligenstadt and nobody seems to care. We hardly met any people on our hike. But there were nice cows and lovely natives who willingly opened the closed church of Geisleden to us.

With the nice weather, we set off for one of Germany's various hubs. Starting today, we'll use the tour stamp booklet. Cows lined the path, there were a few slanted tree stands. Lots of flowers, and wild garlic and arum trees were in a rather shady neighborhood. The sycamore avenue below St. Anthony's Chapel is very beautiful. Great tour, 3 stamps 😊 And finally, a picture to make you smile: two of them grew old together 😉