Frankenau is a starting point for exploring Kellerwald-Edersee National Park. Hiking options range from exploring different heathland and nutrient-poor grassland habitats to following marked alternative routes of the Kellerwald Trail. There are also places where natural landmarks, architecture and regional history take centre stage. You can tailor your stay to your interests: the landscape, hiking routes or culture.
Heathland, Nutrient-Poor Grassland and Hiking Trails
The heathland experience trail focuses on the wildlife and plant life of the different nutrient-poor grassland and heathland habitats in Frankenau’s cultural landscape. What makes the area special is the combination of different types of nutrient-poor grassland and heathland. The trail offers a way to explore this diversity, while other hiking options are described more in terms of their destinations or historical focus.
The green-and-white-marked alternative routes of the Kellerwald Trail run from Frankenau to Asel, Herzhausen and HĂĽddingen. They make it possible to choose a northern, southern or western route. The 10-kilometre Historical Hiking Trail No. 3 leads to historically interesting sites in the Frankenau area. It combines hiking with local history destinations. When choosing a route, you can focus on the kind of experience you want: exploring habitats, following a marked alternative route or visiting historic sites.
Culture and Special Places in Frankenau
The KellerwaldUhr is located in Frankenau, right by the national park entrance of the same name. The exhibition at the KellerwaldUhr Information Centre, at the park’s southern entrance, explores the history of the forest and the region’s cultural development from the Ice Age to the present day. Nature and history are presented together here, without specifying a particular route or visit duration.
The “Kultur-Arche” Information Centre is located in Frankenau at Wolfskaute, opposite Kellerwaldhalle. Here, you can see traditional livestock breeds and embark on a journey of cultural and historical discovery. The Frankenau church offers a different cultural perspective: it was built entirely in the Neo-Gothic style. Together, these different places offer several perspectives on Frankenau, from the development of the woodland landscape and cultural history to architecture.
Among Frankenau’s natural attractions are the Wichtelsteine. This natural monument includes small caves that formed in the rock walls over thousands of years. The Goethe-Anlage, at the edge of town on the road towards Löhlbach, has a very different character: it is considered the smallest park in Hesse. The natural monument and the park offer different experiences and can each be visited as a destination in Frankenau.
Landscape Nearby
West of Frankenau, near Ellershausen, the Lengelbach Valley stretches for more than five kilometres through woodland and meadows. It runs from Ellershausen to the confluence with the Eder below Hessenstein Castle and has no roads running through it. The valley broadens the view of the surrounding landscape; the hiking options in Frankenau itself have their own distinct highlights and destinations.
Hiking in the Wider Waldeck-Frankenberg Destination
In the wider Waldeck-Frankenberg destination, the ancient beech forests of Kellerwald-Edersee National Park have been a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site since 2011. The Urwaldsteig Edersee also offers a longer hiking option: the trail is 66 kilometres long and can be completed in eight stages or as part of a three-day ranger hike, with each stage covering around 22 kilometres. This is a different distance scale from the 10-kilometre Historical Hiking Trail No. 3 in the Frankenau area. The comparison helps you choose the length of hike that suits you, without treating the individual trails’ distinct destinations as interchangeable.
Discover more destinations: Altenlotheim, Lichtenfels, Volkmarsen, Haina, Burgwald, Bad Wildungen, Diemelsee, Bad Arolsen.
Back to the overview of the wider destination: Waldeck-Frankenberg.
