Neustadt (Hesse): Tower, Town History and Trails

Explore Neustadt (Hesse) through its town history, a guided tour and routes for walking or cycling. For planning, note the differences between the scheduled visiting hours at the Junker Hansen Tower, the approximately two-hour Neustadt tour and the various routes in terms of their itineraries and starting points.

Junker Hansen Tower and Town History

The Junker Hansen Tower is open for visits from March to November on the first Sunday of each month, from 3 to 5 p.m.; admission is free. Visits can also be arranged by appointment. Themed tours can be arranged with the municipal administration of the City of Neustadt (Hesse). Check the latest visitor information before travelling, as opening hours may change.

The Neustadt tour lasts about two hours and starts in the market square in front of the old town hall. It includes visits to the Catholic Church and the Junker Hansen Tower, both inside and out; the tour guides provide relevant information. Check current dates with the tour guide when planning. The tour is therefore a time-limited item on the itinerary, whereas visits to the tower depend on its monthly opening hours or an appointment.

The permanent exhibition in the Junker Hansen Tower covers the historic town in the Marburg region, the history of Neustadt from the Stone Age to the present, and the districts of Mengsberg, Momberg and Speckswinkel. It thus combines a long historical perspective with a look at several districts. The so-called “Burgsitze” (castle residences) are also part of the town’s history: two still remain in Neustadt today.

Walking and Cycling Routes

The 11-kilometre Gaukler Loop leads from the Junker Hansen Tower through the Maculinea protected area (FFH site) to Gleimenhain and back to Bürgerpark in Neustadt via the Otterbach valley. Check the latest route information before setting out. The “Fairytale Herrenwald” hiking trail runs from Neustadt to the centre of Herrenwald and back; its trail marker is a bear’s paw.

For a cycling trip, the Junker Hansen Cycle Tour passes through Neustadt’s districts. The circular route is about 18 kilometres long and starts and ends at Neustadt railway station. This makes it possible to include different starting points and routes when planning walking and cycling trips.

The route lengths also offer a concrete comparison: the Gaukler Loop is 11 kilometres long, the Junker Hansen Cycle Tour about 18 kilometres, and the Mengsberg Nature Trail approximately three kilometres. When choosing, you can consider distance, route type and starting point together, without treating the different routes as equivalent.

Nature Trail in the District of Mengsberg

In Mengsberg, a district of Neustadt, the “Around Engelhain” nature trail runs north of the village as an approximately three-kilometre circular route. It is suitable for young nature lovers and older walkers. The route starts and ends at the Engelshain recreational and sports area; according to the tour description, there is ample parking there.

Along the way, the trail passes from the hornbeam coppice forest, home to a stag beetle population, via the children’s forest and the “Tree of the Year” enclosure to the forest nature trail and the orchard meadow. It then passes the alder carr and Lindenplatz before returning to the recreational and sports area. The named stops and places make the route easy to follow.

Discover more destinations: Weimar / Lahn, Dautphetal, Bad Endbach, Steffenberg, Rauischholzhausen, Stadtallendorf, Cölbe, Marburg An Der Lahn.

For the broader travel overview: Marburg-Biedenkopf.