Bad Laasphe combines a well-preserved old town, predominantly shaped by the Middle Ages, with walks and longer hiking options. Its historic center is a rare example of this type in the Westphalian region. You can focus your stay on the town’s history, include local routes, or combine both with a hike. When planning, it is especially useful to consider the different timeframes and themes of the routes.
Old Town and Local History
The Protestant Town Church of Bad Laasphe is the oldest surviving building in the town. The Old Synagogue preserves traces of Jewish life in Bad Laasphe. These two places represent different aspects of the town’s history: one is its oldest surviving building, the other a reminder of Jewish life. The historic town center also provides the setting for the sculpture walk, which brings works of art and the townscape together.
The sculpture walk is about 2 kilometers long and takes around two hours. The paved route passes by the artworks and through Bad Laasphe’s historic townscape, and is accessible throughout for wheelchairs and strollers. This makes it possible to combine a shorter walk with a look at the art and old town without confusing the route with the longer hike.
Compare Walks and Hiking Trails
The Myths & Legends Trail requires a different time commitment: this circular route is 11.3 kilometers long, with a stated duration of 3 hours and 30 minutes, and includes 403 meters of elevation gain. Compared with the roughly two-hour sculpture walk, this is the longer route.
Beyond the two routes described above, Bad Laasphe offers access to a network of more than 800 kilometers of hiking trails. For a more peaceful stay, Bad Laasphe spa park is a good place to walk, relax and unwind. The Planet Trail offers a different focus: it shows the distances and sizes of the Sun and planets at a scale of 1:1,000,000,000. Alongside local history and exercise, you can therefore choose an astronomy-themed route or a place to linger in the spa park.
Old Town, Spa Park and Brewery on One Route
An approximately 2-kilometer accessible circular route leads from Haus des Gastes through the herb garden, spa park and old town to Laaspher Brewery. It connects several of the places mentioned above on a route of its own. Possible ways to round off the walk include a brewery tour or a beer tasting at the brewery inn; check the available arrangements before your trip. This circular route is another option if you would like to combine the old town not only with artworks, but also with the spa park and a visit to the brewery.
Getting There and Planning Your Stay
Bad Laasphe is directly accessible every hour from Marburg on the Obere Lahntalbahn railway. From the direction of Siegen, the Rothaarbahn railway runs to Bad Laasphe with a change in ErndtebrĂĽck. Check timetables and service frequency before your trip. When choosing a hotel, you can first decide whether your stay will focus on a walk through the old town, a longer hike, or combining different routes. Then compare the location of the specific property with your plans, rather than assuming it is close to particular trails.
The different options give your stay a clear focus: local history and art on the sculpture walk, a longer route on the Myths & Legends Trail, or a more peaceful time in the spa park. If you would like to include more than one of these, you can arrange the routes according to the time each requires and plan your accommodation search accordingly.
Discover more destinations: Netphen, Wilnsdorf, Hilchenbach, Heiligenborn, Neunkirchen, Freudenberg, Bad Berleburg, Kreuztal.
For the overarching travel overview: Siegen-Wittgenstein.
