Habichtswald Nature Park

The Habichtswald Nature Park is located at the gates of Kassel and inspires with its diverse range of events and sights. The landscape is truly magical with its dense deciduous forests and windswept, treeless plateaus, massive basalt cones and enchanted lakes, romantic castle ruins and the wide views over the small-scale fields and meadows that have been cultivated for centuries.
 
The world-famous collectors of fairy tales - the brothers Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm - already appreciated the beauty of the Habichtswald Nature Park. They strolled through the Wilhelmshöhe mountain park and heard stories and fairy tales from Dorothea Viehmann from today's Baunatal and Johann Friedrich Krause from Schauenburg and Marie Hassenpflug. Painter brother Ludwig Emil loved to capture the local people and the inspiring landscape in his pictures.

Historic castles, palaces and ruins, the romantic floodplains, the nature shaped by basalt domes and the diverse world of flowers and plants served the brothers as the setting for their fairy tales. Mountain ranges with wonderful views, dense forests and interesting villages and cities - the varied landscape of the nature park offers the opportunity to move around and get to know the region in every season. Hikers will find a dense network of well-marked trails that connect towns and villages on traditional routes.
With the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the nature park is right at the gates of Kassel and thus offers a perfect combination of nature and culture. Discover the Habichtswald Nature Park The nature park region and its varied landscape are attractive and worth seeing in every season.

If you don't want to go out on your own, you can let a trained nature park guide take you on a special excursion. They offer unique and individual excursions through the Habichtswald Nature Park. Do you know where the water for the world-famous water features comes from? Or have you always wondered which plant is there by the roadside and whether you can eat it? Anyone who goes on tour with them sees much more than just the natural wonders along the way. A guided tour focuses on the special features of the region, surprises the participants with unknowns and reveals the little secrets of nature. However, the guided tours can also focus attention when it comes to capturing the region photographically or actively contributing to relaxation when nature park guides invite you to take a bath in the forest. The trained nature park guides have a variety of bike tours and hikes for children, young people and adults with great nature and landscape experiences on offer. On the wings of the Habicht - like a fairytale journey The premium hiking trail Habichtswaldsteig runs for 85 km across the Habichtswald Nature Park.

With its exceptionally varied landscape, the high proportion of pathways, individual climbs and impressive rock scenarios, it is rightly referred to as a steep path. In addition to the steep slopes of the Urwaldsteig as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park, the Wilhelmshöhe Mountain Park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the climb to the Weidelsburg, the gorge-like Firnsbachtal, the Dörnberg pass and the Alpine path west of the Helfensteine are particularly impressive.

Palaces, castles and castle ruins offer fantastic views and distant views, which are what make a multi-day hike so attractive. Eight extra tours are grouped around the Habichtswaldsteig, making it possible to immerse yourself in the diverse landscape of the Habichtswald Nature Park. All extra tours are certified circular routes that promise unique experiences and lasting impressions. The fairy tale resting places along the way invite you to take a deep breath and offer great experiences: On the dream loungers at Breuna you dream of princes and fairies in the midst of nature, on the giant bench near Kassel you can just let your legs and soul dangle on the landscape thrones at the Schauenburg You have a fabulous view of fields and meadows and on the sky swing near Naumburg you can feel as free as a bird. Fairytale excursion destinations in the Habichtswald Nature Park Whether the Märchenwache in Schauenburg, the N7 fairy tale and legend trail in Niedenstein, the Märchenlandtherme in Breuna, the fairytale stage in Gudensberg, the Grimmwelt in Kassel or simply the fabulous nature - there is a lot to do with that in the Habichtswald Nature Park Theme fairy tales and legends to discover.

The Habichtswald Nature Park and its hosts look forward to your visit! You can find even more fairytale places and experiences in our brochure “Grimm's excursion destinations in the Habichtswald Nature Park”.