The “Centre of Germany” stele, a shepherd’s house with a local history museum, and a circular route along the Eder and Fulda rivers offer different ways to experience Edermünde. When planning your visit, you can focus on the landscape, village history or walking and cycling routes: the stele is in Besse, the shepherd’s house and horse’s grave are associated with Haldorf, and the “Town, Country, River” tour starts at Edermünde-Grifte railway station.
Landscape at the “Centre of Germany” stele
The approximately 3-metre-high basalt stele stands in an idyllic meadow on the edge of the Langenberge hills in Besse. From here, the view stretches across the Chattengau landscape to the Söhre hills. The stele is easily visible from a small rest area with a bench and information board. The site can be reached from the Habichtswald Nature Park hiking car park on Röder Weg in Besse. The location and view are clearly identified; the information board, like the bench, is part of the rest area.
Village history and special places in Haldorf
The shepherd’s house in Haldorf is home to a local history museum with a permanent exhibition of objects from village life. The house was built in 1726. The last shepherd lived there until his death in 1948. These details connect the building’s history with its present use as a museum. Cultural offerings also include exhibitions of paintings, ceramics and glass art.
Another place with a specific historical trace is the Haldorf horse’s grave. It lies above Wolfershausen in the forest within Haldorf’s municipal area. The weathered inscription reads: “Here lie Bella and Rosa, 13 February 1868”. The Ederhöhenweg leads to the grave; from Haldorf, head towards Wolfershausen, near Amselhof. This dated inscription offers one kind of history, while the interpretation of the Riesenstein (Giant Stone) in Haldorf remains tentative. The stone is made of quartzite, which is not found in the immediate vicinity. Since explanations involving natural transport proved unsuccessful, it is thought to be a menhir.
Circular tour and other activities
The “Town, Country, River” circular tour runs from Edermünde to Kassel and back, along the Eder and Fulda rivers. It starts at Edermünde-Grifte railway station and follows the Eder Cycle Route towards Guntershausen. Along the way, the route passes through typical North Hessian half-timbered villages and by farm shops and small, cosy inns. The starting point, rivers and places described provide clear orientation for the route, without conflating it with the individual cultural sites in Haldorf.
Another activity is the open-air swimming pool in Holzhausen, a district of Edermünde. The pool is equipped with solar heating. Alongside landscape and cultural history, swimming is therefore another distinct focus.
The wider region: Schwalm-Eder district
The surrounding low mountain landscapes around Knüll, Kellerwald and Habichtswald are part of the regional scenery of the wider Schwalm-Eder district destination. The district also offers its own cultural attractions: the Malerstübchen Museum in Willingshausen presents art history from the 19th and 20th centuries and displays paintings featuring the Schwalm traditional costume. It also showcases rural craftsmanship, including whitework embroidery, knitting and spinning.
The Schwalm Museum in Schwalmstadt-Ziegenhain displays the region’s traditional ceramics and pottery in a reconstructed pottery workshop. A large model of Ziegenhain Water Fortress shows its condition in 1761, after it was shelled during the Seven Years’ War. Another regional attraction is the Schwalm Cycle Route: it is around 100 kilometres long and runs to the point where the Schwalm flows into the Eder, just before Felsberg. The route mostly follows paved or surfaced paths through river landscapes of meadows, fields, villages and half-timbered towns. For practical planning, you can check the condition of the paths in advance.
The place and route names mentioned can help you tailor your research to your interests.
Discover more destinations: Haldorf, Grifte, Homberg/Efze, Bad Zwesten, Fritzlar, Willingshausen, Felsberg, Borken.
Back to the regional travel overview: Schwalm-Eder district.
