In Lower Saxony there’s an old potash salt mining town known as Uslar.
It is where you’ll find fresh mountain woodland air, plenty of outdoor activities, tiny museums, and old historic buildings. There are nineteen local districts so everyone’s bound to find something to get excited about.
The Museum Uslar is a great place to start your trip that explains the town’s social and political life through the years. Since mining was huge to the economy there’s a potash mining museum, with a salt mineral collection. It’s a fantastic way to learn about some of Germany’s natural history.
While in the Delliehausen District there’s another kind of “natural history” since it has a protected nature area filled with lots of local flora and fauna. And, Eschershausen is conveniently located right in the middle of the Sollinger Vogler Nature Park.
A large part of life here revolves around the forest. The town even has its very own treehouse hotel with cabins hidden within the trees. A nearby Butterfly Park has 120 species of these beautiful insects including ones only found within a tropical rainforest.
For camping, hiking, and miniature golf, check out Schönhagen. But, quite a few of Uslar’s other villages also have plenty of hiking, biking, and Nordic Walking trails.
Religion was important here, too. So, it’s no wonder that you’ll find some beautiful historic military churches scattered throughout the town, that were built from the 11th through 13th centuries.
Vahle, one of Uslar’s smallest districts, sits at the foot of the mountainside. Its local history museum houses a (morbid) collection of Totenkronen or Death Crowns that were popular when burying young unmarried people in the 16th century.
And, while you’ll find some historical stuff in the neighborhood of Schlarpe, it also hosts the famous Heidelbeerfest every May.
Fürstenhagen is a small hamlet boasting plenty of half timbered houses, two great hotels, and the yummiest of bakeries.
With everything that Uslar has to offer, expect to spend some time here so you can fully appreciate all of its secrets. Do yourself a favor, grab your camera, your good walking shoes, and make the best of it.
