Windehausen can be understood through the layout of its village center. The plan forms the center of the village; the houses face it with their gabled ends, and grass and vegetable gardens lie behind them. On one side, the Anger leads from the plan to the cathedral; on the other side, the church stands some distance away. The village layout can therefore be read from two perspectives: the orientation of the houses points to the plan as the center, while the Anger, cathedral, and church shape the wider layout. Windehausen has a fully renovated village setting; the tall tower of St. Ägidien Church is a prominent architectural feature of the historic village landscape.

Local History and St. Ägidien Church

Windehausen was first mentioned in a document in the Nordhausen tithe register in 1158. This first mention of the village dates from a period earlier than the more recent historical references to St. Ägidien Church.

The choir of St. Ägidien Church most likely dates from the 13th century and is its oldest structural element. The church also houses a limewood-carved Pietà from the mid-15th century, also known as Pomai Bog. The two details represent different aspects of the church: the choir concerns the structure and its probable dating, while the Pietà is a single woodcarving. The first documented mention of Windehausen in 1158, the choir, which most likely dates from the 13th century, and the Pietà from the mid-15th century thus represent three different periods.

Heringen: Castle and Nordic Walking

Within the Heringen/Helme travel destination, Heringen has its own historical highlight: the Old Castle. Built after 1320, it is one of the earliest castle buildings in Thuringia. After 1568, the Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt had the Old Castle remodeled in the Renaissance style and expanded the complex with the four-story west wing, Schwarzburger Haus, the New Castle. The dates mark two phases: construction after 1320 was followed by the Renaissance remodeling and expansion of the complex after 1568.

The Nordic walking park in Heringen offers two color-coded routes of different lengths: 2.50 km in blue and 4.25 km in red. Both start and finish at the well-signposted hiking car park on Eichentalsweg in Heringen. The routes differ by 1.75 km; their lengths and markings make them easy to compare, and both share the same start and finish point.

When choosing your destination, you can decide whether to focus more on Windehausen’s village center and St. Ägidien Church or include the history of the castle and Nordic walking in Heringen. When searching for a holiday apartment, this choice of theme is a useful first step: decide which place will be the focus of your trip.

Discover more destinations: Niedersachswerfen, Harzungen, Werther, Wolkramshausen, Niedergebra, Ilfeld, Sülzhayn, Nordhausen

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