Lucky me, it’s my second town here in Hesse this week — and thankfully my trip ends here in Wildeck, located in the Werra Valley, close to Bad Hersfeld. It isn’t its topography and geography alone that makes me grateful, but rather its history and architecture, too.
Speaking of history, if you had come to Wildeck before the early 1990s, things would have looked a wee bit different. You see, Wildeck borders Thuringia, which was once part of East Germany — so that kind of explains the East German watchtower; and it kind of seems like the right place to put a Border Museum (free admission on Sundays) and the Grenzlehrpfad (Border Trail), doesn’t it?
Twentieth century history isn’t old enough, so for those who love all thing medieval, I say come see Burg Wildeck. The castle itself was built in the mid-13th century, only to be destroyed about 200 years later. Some aristocrat had the idea to build the Jadgschloss Blumenstein a couple hundred years after that, but sadly that’s gone, too.
Oh well, at least a number of Wildeck’s churches still stand. The one in Richelsdorf might look Baroque, but it’s totally a Gothic church at heart; and the church in Obersuhl is some 500 years old.
It’s easy to get excited about these old grand dames, but you can also get excited about all the wonderful festivities taking place in town. There’s a 4-day Kirmes celebration in the village of Hönebach, as well as an Oktoberfest, and Summer Festival. Richelsdorf hosts its own Summer Festival, while Raßdorf hosts a Kirmes of its own over the course of 2-days every November. Come to think of it, Bosserode has a Kirmes celebration on the second weekend of October, too.
Who doesn’t love a good party? I know I do, but I also love the quietness of the bird conservation area, a wonderful place to commune with nature. Of course you could also just follow one of the marked hiking trails — do you mind if I come along with you?
