Hessian Highlands: Edersee, beech forests and culture

At Edersee, the Hessian Highlands reveal their connection to water and nature: swimming areas, water sports and other leisure activities are among the options available in the region. Forest trails, wildlife watching and historic sites also shape the visitor experience. When planning your stay, it helps to decide whether you want to focus on the lake and activities, nature or culture.

Water sports and exhibitions at Edersee

At Edersee, you can go sailing, surfing, motorboating, fishing and pedal boating. There are also swimming areas. If you are planning a specific water sport, check the current options and conditions before your trip. The Edersee Visitor Centre offers tourist information, the animated journey through time “Myth Edersee” and an attractive outdoor area.

The Visionarium Diemelsee offers a different perspective: this two-storey interactive exhibition explores Diemelsee, water, people and nature. Hands-on stations bring these topics to life. So, as well as outdoor activities, your itinerary can include exhibitions with a range of different themes.

Forests, trails and wildlife watching

Along the cycling and hiking trails in Kellerwald-Edersee National Park, you’ll find ancient beech and oak trees, moss-covered roots, unusual rocky outcrops and clear springs. The blue of Edersee shimmers through the trees time and again. You can explore the Urwaldsteig Edersee on an eight-stage tour with rangers from the national park.

Visitors to the Edersee Wildlife Park can currently see a total of 21 different native species. The park’s birds of prey centre hosts flight demonstrations. From the accessible viewing platform, you can watch falcons, kites, owls, eagle owls and vultures, among other birds, flying freely.

Kellerwald-Edersee National Park is the only national park in Hesse. It protects one of Central Europe’s last near-natural beech forests and has been part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe” since June 2011.

Hilltop park, castle ruins and palace history

Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe combines monumental water features with the highly visible statue of Hercules. Together, they form an impressive example of absolutist landscape architecture and a unique Baroque ensemble. Löwenburg is an artificial castle ruin in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. It was built between 1793 and 1801 as a pleasure palace, not as a fortress.

In the wider travel destination of Hesse, Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is Europe’s largest hillside park; it covers 560 hectares and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013. Its historic water features still serve their original purpose. This context adds a sense of the park’s scale and cultural-historical significance.

You can visit Friedrichstein Palace only as part of a guided tour; the last tour starts at 3:30 p.m. If you plan to visit, take this requirement into account and check the operator’s latest information before travelling. Friedrichstein Palace Museum houses the Department of Military and Hunting History of Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel. Its collection of Hessian military history includes weapons, uniforms, medals and paintings from the 16th to the 19th century. The Turcica collection includes a richly decorated audience tent.

Marburg Landgrave Castle is a medieval residence of the Landgraves of Hesse and now houses a museum with historic rooms. Electric bus route 10 goes up to the castle; check the route before your trip, as it may change.

Choose a focus for your trip

Discover more destinations: Wiesbaden, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Odenwald, Main-Taunus, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Offenbach.

Back to the overview of destinations: Hesse.