Freden (Leine) can be explored through three distinct themes: its history as a church town, the Leine-Heide Cycle Route and destinations in the surrounding area. St. George's Church and the Freden tithe barn offer points of interest in cultural and architectural history; around Winzenburg and the Selter, hiking and fossil-related themes come into play. These themes operate on different scales: a town and its buildings, a regional cycle route and nearby destinations.
Church History and the Tithe Barn
Freden was first documented as a church town in 1068. In St. George's Church, the oldest parts of the massive church tower date from the Romanesque building period; the tower masonry is made of rubble stone. The church also houses a Baroque baptismal angel from the second half of the 18th century, which is particularly characteristic of the Hildesheimer Land-Alfeld church district. The tower and baptismal angel draw attention to different historical periods: the tower's Romanesque construction and the Baroque furnishings. This brings two clearly defined periods together in the same church.
The Freden tithe barn offers a different focus. It is a venue for cultural activities and is characterised by rubble-stone masonry and timber-beam construction. It has seating for about 350 people. The architectural and decorative features of St. George's Church thus stand alongside a cultural venue with its own construction style and use. The two places give Freden's cultural history distinct points of emphasis.
The Leine-Heide Cycle Route through Freden
The approximately 410-kilometre-long Leine-Heide Cycle Route passes through Freden (Leine). From its source near Leinefelde in Thuringia, it runs through the Leinebergland, the Hannover region and the LĂĽneburg Heath to Hamburg. The distance refers to the entire cycle route, not to a section in Freden. This is an important point to bear in mind when planning your trip: Freden is a town on a regional cycle connection, and its full distance should not be confused with a day trip in the area. You can make cycling the main focus of your stay without having to include the entire route in your plans.
Hiking and Geological Finds Nearby
In the surrounding area, a hiking trail from the Apenteich car park on the edge of the forest at Winzenburg leads, after about 150 metres, to the Apenteich spring and ponds. This short distance describes the route from the car park to these destinations. It offers a specific hiking option alongside the longer cycle route.
The Selter is a ridge in the Leinebergland that extends from Greene near Kreiensen, above Freden, to Delligsen south of Alfeld (Leine). Fossilised ammonite shells have been found in the Selter at depths of up to two metres; they measure up to 40 centimetres in diameter. The GroĂźer Salzberg also contains numerous fossils of mussels, fish and snails up to 30 million years old. Geological themes thus complement the route description at Apenteich: here the focus is on named fossil finds and their characteristics, while there it is on a specific path to the spring and ponds.
Focus Areas for Your Stay
Would you like to focus mainly on the architectural history and furnishings of St. George's Church, learn about the tithe barn as a cultural venue or make the cycle route the centrepiece of your trip? For a nature-focused visit, you can choose the hiking trail near Winzenburg and the geological points of interest in the area. This distinction makes trip planning clearer: the cycle route is a regional connection, whereas the path from the hiking car park to the Apenteich destinations is short and specifically described. Base your further plans on the focus that matters most for your stay.
Discover more destinations: Nordstemmen, Giesen, Wittenburg, Holle, Harsum, Elze, Bockenem, Hoyershausen.
For the overall travel overview: Hildesheim.
