Through the Kingdom of Heaven

Short description

Experience the Kingdom of Heaven - Nature and culture around Walkenried

Directions

This tour combines the signposted karst hiking trail between the monastery and the Itelteich into a circular tour. First, walk 10 minutes on the local road to the Romanesque gatehouse, where the district of the former Cistercian monastery Walkenried begins. Today, a cultural tourism highlight is housed here, the Cistercian Museum Kloster Walkenried. It was opened in 2006 as one of the largest and most innovative monastery museums in Europe. Beyond the usual paths of mediation, visitors embark on a fascinating journey through the fully preserved cloister buildings from the 13th century, where the Middle Ages and monastery life come alive again through acoustic and visual productions. In summer, the well-known Walkenried Cloister Concerts take place here.

Walk clockwise around the monastery buildings and the impressive church ruins, along the right bank of the Wieda, then over the museum parking lot located on the former monastery wall and further to the street bridge. Over this bridge, the path leads to the Itelteich. In the Middle Ages, the Walkenried monks dammed a large earthfall (polje) with a karst spring and swallow hole, creating a fishing pond. Today, this is a technical monument and as part of a nature reserve, a paradise for waterfowl and numerous other animal species. Mighty old beech trees line the path up to the hill above the railway track, where the 300-meter-long Walkenried Tunnel built in 1868 disappears. Below us is Germanys largest natural cavity, the Himmelreich Cave (inaccessible). The Himmelreich with its diverse deciduous forest vegetation reveals beautiful views to the west and from the small Hexentanzplatz (stamp location!) with its columbine stocks towards Ellrich in the east. From here, the path leads back down to the Wieda Valley through the majestic Itelklippen bordered by gnarled old trees.

Heading south, the hiking trail crosses the tree-lined Wieda floodplain on the southern street bridge. In the dry months, the river often dries up here in the karstified subsoil. At the foot of the Röseberg with its gypsum cliffs and moist ravine forest vegetation, the path leads back along more ponds to the former monastery district. On the way back, the Cistercian Museum invites you to visit and several restaurants offer coffee and cake, also outdoors in summer.