Teistungen brings together history and a selection of named hiking and cycling routes. Many of the routes described start at the Eichsfeld Borderland Museum, while another begins at the market square. This makes it easy to compare starting points and journey times when planning your visit. St. Andrew’s Parish Church adds architectural and organ history to the story of the border.
Border history and museum access
At the former Duderstadt-Worbis inner German border crossing, the Eichsfeld Borderland Museum explores the history of the division of Germany and Europe from 1945 to 1990. On the museum’s Borderland Trail, you can explore original GDR border installations that have been preserved. The trail is accessible year-round, at any time. This lets you combine a visit focused on border history with time outdoors, without having to plan around a particular time of day.
Specific accessibility features are listed for access to the main building: it is wheelchair-accessible and step-free, and has a lift and accessible toilets. These details apply to the main building. If you would also like to spend time outdoors, you can consider the Borderland Trail as a separate part of the museum offering.
A church with several construction periods
St. Andrew’s Parish Church was built in 1933/34. The new building incorporated the squat west tower of its predecessor, dating from 1722 to 1726. The church thus brings together two periods of construction. The organ also has its own history: it comes from Teistungenburg Abbey Church and was built in 1723 by Johannes Creutzburg of Wendehausen. The building and the organ therefore point to different chapters in the town’s history.
Hikes: short loops and longer routes
At about 2.2 kilometres and around 30 minutes, the Teistungen Reservoir Circular Trail is the shortest hike listed here. It loops around the “Glockengraben” reservoir, where jetties invite you to linger. Another short loop is the Lindenberg Circular Trail, about 3.5 kilometres long. Its estimated duration is around 50 minutes. It starts at the Borderland Museum and crosses the pedestrian bridge in the direction of Victor’s Residenz Hotel.
If you would like to plan a longer route, there are several trails with different itineraries. The Teistungen–Berlingerode–Immingerode–Gerblingerode short cycling and hiking route is about 8 kilometres long and takes around 2 hours on foot. It starts at the Borderland Museum and runs mostly along a paved road, with around 200 metres on a column road. Also about 8 kilometres long is the Teistungen Pferdeberg Circular Trail. It takes around 2 hours, starts at the museum, and goes via Gerblingerode and the Hahle to Pferdeberg, where there is an observation tower, before returning to Teistungen.
At about 9.3 kilometres and around 2.5 hours, the Teistungen–Berlingerode Circular Trail is longer. It starts at the market square in front of the community centre. Allow around 5 hours for the Teistungen–Ferna–Tastungen–Wehnde Circular Trail: it is about 14.2 kilometres long and starts at the Borderland Museum. From the museum, the route heads towards Teistungen, past the allotment gardens and along the Hahle. The different estimated durations can help you choose a hike of a suitable length for your stay.
Cycling and hiking routes to the reservoir and along the Hahle
The 11.4-kilometre Reservoir cycling and hiking route starts at the Borderland Museum, heads towards Teistungen and the “Glockengraben” reservoir, and has an estimated cycling time of around 35 minutes. At the destination, paved jetties invite you to linger. Its destination and estimated travel time make it easy to distinguish this shorter cycling route from longer tours.
The Teistungen–Ferna–Brehme–Duderstadt cycling and hiking route is 24 kilometres long and also starts at the Borderland Museum. It runs mostly along paved or compacted gravel paths, with one section following the Hahle River. The estimated cycling time is around 1 hour and 45 minutes. Compared with the 11.4-kilometre reservoir route, this means a longer distance and more time to allow for the ride. Both the estimated times and the routes themselves are useful points of comparison when choosing a route.
Discover more destinations: Buhla, Volkerode, Wachstedt, Schönhagen, Geismar, Schimberg, Niederorschel, Küllstedt.
For the main travel overview: Eichsfeld.
