The Rhön is also known as the “Land of Open Horizons”. Its UNESCO Biosphere Reserve extends across Bavaria, Hesse and Thuringia. The region is shaped by long-distance hiking trails, protected moorland, astronomical observation sites and reminders of its border history. You can plan your trip around the discoveries that interest you most.
Hiking trails for a range of excursions
Certified as a premium trail by the German Hiking Institute, “DER HOCHRHÖNER” is 173 kilometres long and runs between Bad Kissingen and Bad Salzungen. More than 30 additional circular trails complement it, offering routes for day hikes. They vary in length and difficulty, providing another way to explore the Rhön on foot. Every year, the Rhönklub offers an extensive programme of guided hikes across the entire network of hiking trails. Educational and nature trails can also be found throughout the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Raised bogs and what makes them special
The Red Moor is a 314.7-hectare nature reserve in the Hessian part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. A boardwalk there leads from the NABU House to an observation tower in the moor. The Black Moor is notable for a different reason: it is one of the few largely natural raised bogs in the High Rhön and also the largest. It is also a strictly protected core zone of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The two moors offer different ways to get to know the Rhön’s protected landscapes.
Border history and places of remembrance
The Point Alpha memorial and commemorative site includes preserved or partially reconstructed GDR border installations, as well as an information centre commemorating the border regime in the restricted zone. Near Geisa, numerous hiking routes follow the former border, known as the Green Belt. You can also explore history through art here: the Path of Hope consists of fourteen monumental sculptures along a 1.5-kilometre stretch of the former inner-German border.
Summits, pilgrimage and starry skies
The Wasserkuppe is the highest elevation in Hesse and the Rhön, and can be reached by car. It is a popular destination across the region for glider pilots, model aircraft enthusiasts, paraglider pilots, hikers and winter sports enthusiasts. Archaeological traces and religious sites meet on the Milseburg: a Celtic oppidum was built there around 2,500 years ago, and a rampart still remains. Since 2011, 27 hectares of the Milseburg have also formed a core zone of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The summit is home to a Baroque Calvary group and a pilgrimage chapel. The Milseburg can only be reached on foot.
Kreuzberg Monastery and its pilgrimage church are a spiritual centre in Lower Franconia. The Franciscan monastery attracts visitors all year round with its monastery beer. The Rhön Star Park’s stargazing sites offer another way to experience the region: visitors can explore the day and night skies and learn about light pollution. The astronomical observation site on the Hohe Geba is around 740 metres above sea level, has four platforms and is affected only slightly by light pollution from urban areas.
Museums and special viewpoints
At the Rhön Open-Air Museum, three farmsteads showcase how the Rhön’s ancestors lived 200 to 250 years ago, preserving regional traditions and architecture. The natural history museum presents typical landscapes and the characteristic animal and plant life of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 26 dioramas. The SteinReich displays numerous mineral and fossil finds, most of them from the Rhön. The Old Smithy contains a forge, along with old tools and machines used for shoeing horses and other blacksmithing work.
The 23-metre-high “Noah’s Sail” observation platform is on Mount Ellenbogen, in the heart of the Rhön UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and offers panoramic views of the region. Check the current access rules before visiting. The “Rhönwald” adventure area, with “Arche-Rhön”, offers families a range of play activities and hands-on experiences; check the current opening arrangements before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Kulmbach, Allgäu, Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Berchtesgadener Land, Wunsiedel in the Fichtel Mountains, Rhön-Grabfeld, Kempten, Straubing-Bogen.
See the overview of destinations in the wider region: Bavaria.
