Get to know Nohra through two distinct features: the landscape park, a local recreation area with a focus on nature and species conservation, and St. Peter’s Church and the Kolbsheimhaus, which offer points of connection with the town’s history. This combination is worth considering when choosing where to stay if you want to include landscape management and cultural-historical details in your plans. The landscape park is not just a destination for a walk; its pastures and habitats also make landscape management a topic in its own right.
Landscape Park: Wildlife and Nature Conservation
On a walk through Nohra Landscape Park, you can spot wild horses, Polish Konik horses and donkeys. The park serves as a local recreation area and also supports nature and species conservation. If you see your visit as more than an opportunity to observe animals, you can also take note of how the landscape is managed. Four enclosures covering more than 70 hectares in total serve as extensive grazing areas for Konik horses and Exmoor ponies. Up to 25 horses are kept outdoors year-round; their extensive grazing supports landscape management and nature conservation. Observing wildlife on a walk and grazing in the enclosures reveal two different sides of the park: encounters with animals and the use of grazing animals to care for the land.
The landscape park covers 160 hectares. Over the past three decades, hedgerows, copses and groups of trees have developed there naturally, among other things. Small bodies of water, piles of fieldstones, and woodland and open-land habitats have also been created. The landscape thus reflects different ways habitats have come about: woody plants grew naturally, while other habitats were created. Rare animal and plant species live on the foundation’s grounds in the landscape park, including the Steinschmetzer, the grey partridge and typical grassland fungi. For visitors interested in nature conservation, these varied habitat structures are another topic to explore alongside wildlife watching.
Church and Kolbsheimhaus
Local history also offers tangible points of connection. Nohra’s church tower is 38 metres high and visible from far away; St. Peter’s Church was first mentioned in 1303. That date marks the first mention, not necessarily the year the church was built. The tower’s height and the historical mention tell different stories: one describes a prominent feature of the townscape, while the other places the church in the town’s history. So, if you are dating the church historically, understand 1303 as the year it was first mentioned.
The Kolbsheimhaus is home to the Nohra Landscape Park Foundation. It was dismantled in 2009 in Nohra’s partner municipality of Kolbsheim and rebuilt in Nohra by young people from both towns as a joint project. Its story thus connects the building with both towns and the young people’s shared project. While St. Peter’s offers a way into local history through its tower and first mention, the Kolbsheimhaus tells the story of the building’s origins and reconstruction.
Nohra Between Nature and Local History
The difference in focus can help you choose a destination: the landscape park combines walks and wildlife watching with hands-on landscape management and a variety of habitats. The church and Kolbsheimhaus offer their own landmarks for exploring local history. If you want to include landscape management in your choice of destination, the park is the main attraction; if you are interested in historical connections, St. Peter’s and the Kolbsheimhaus offer further points of interest. This combination makes Nohra appealing to travelers who want to consider nature and local history together.
Discover more destinations: Kleinschwabhausen, Kleinobringen, Niedertrebra, Schwerstedt, Niederzimmern, Gaberndorf, Hohenfelden, GroĂźheringen
View the broader travel guide: Weimarer Land.
