Just when I think I have Germany all figured out, it somehow manages to throw me a curve ball. I thought at this point, you know, having written a few thousand pages on MyGermanCity.com, that I’ve heard or seen it all.
Joke’s on me, when I got to the Hessian town of Niederaula.
Did you know Niederaula is located within the Rotkäppchenland, or Little Red Riding Hood Country? Ha, me either.
You can call it whatever you want, but I found it to be an idyllic piece of northeastern Hesse, where you’re able to bike, hike, or Nordic Walk to your heart’s content.
Speaking of trails, the Hessian Radfernweg R1 and R7 make their way through town, just so you know.
Niederaula’s finest doesn’t end with just its pretty marked trails. You’ll find some of the prettiest village churches throughout its eight villages, many of them a blend of art and architecture from centuries long gone.
Take the church in the village of Mengshausen, for example. It might have started off a Gothic church, but after renovations in the 17th and 18th centuries — making it more like a Baroque one.
Kerspenhausen’s village church also saw this kind of alteration. It was originally built way back in 1512 (making it over 500 years old), but had to be renovated almost three hundred years ago.
Sounds old, doesn’t it? Yeah, that’s nothing in time compared to the Burgstall Wallenfels — or should I say, what was once a castle from the 12th century — it even had a moat. Still, that’s still not all that old compared to Niederaula’s Stone Age burial mounds.
In addition to being in the Little Red Riding Hood Country, and having a number of historical sites to see, Niederaula is a fun-loving town with a few festivals for everyone to enjoy. I’d have to say the Oktoberfest is probably one of the best, as is the Backhaus Festival on the first weekend of August. And if you want to buy something special, be sure to come to the town’s Eulenmarkt.
I bet Little Red Riding Hood wasn’t going to visit Grandma, she was coming to visit Niederaula — sure, I’d brave a big, bad wolf to come visit. ;-)
