Staufenberg-Runde

Start at the Kühbacher Wiese hiking parking lot. From here in a north-easterly direction, you will soon reach the "Kasseler Schneise". The once stately path from Kassel to Sababurg Castle is lined by a venerable old oak avenue. You stroll for a few kilometers along the easily accessible forest path. In the upper Holzapetal valley, you will come across a forest meadow on your left. A wildlife observation stand invites you to watch the animals (especially at dusk or sunrise) and take a break.
As you continue along the circular trail, you will pass the "Jewish tree". It commemorates the murder of the Jewish merchant Samuel von Schwartzkirchen on Christmas Eve 1668, when he was on his return journey from Amsterdam. The tree where the murder took place was already listed as a "Jewish tree" on Schleenstein's map 40 years later. Today, it is commemorated by an oak tree that was planted in 2020 in cooperation with the Reinhardshagen forestry office, the Protestant Academy Hofgeismar and the Reinhardswald Nature Park e.V. after the previous Jewish tree and information board fell victim to vandalism. A nature park information stele provides brief information about the Jewish tree, which is also said to have parallels to the novella "Die Judenbuche" by Annette von Droste Hülshoff.
In the further course of the circular tour, you will also cross a section of the "FriedWald Reinhardswald", the oldest cemetery in Germany. Here you will also come across some old oak trees and walk through a magnificent avenue. A little later, you will reach the highest elevation in the Reinhardswald, the Staufenberg, at 472 meters. At the Staufenberg hut, there is another sheltered rest stop along the 9.5 km circular trail. Another nature park information pillar provides information about the adjacent natural forest reserve, the primeval forest of tomorrow. And if you wish, you can also take a short detour through the special spruce clumps (follow marker 3). The natural, narrow path meanders parallel to the route of circular hiking trail 4 through the spruce clumps, a special form of planting that can only be found here in the Reinhardswald. Both trails 3 and 4 then meet again and lead through a beautiful beech hall back to the starting point at Kühbacher Wiese.