Discover Röddenau: Parish Church, Village History and Hiking Trails

Röddenau combines local history with hiking trails that vary considerably in length. If you are looking for hotels in Röddenau, the village’s highlights can help you choose your destination: the Protestant parish church and the old village center reflect its history, while the Frankenberg Circular Hiking Trail F3 and the Burgwald Trail offer different route options.

Parish Church and the History of the Village Center

The present-day Protestant parish church replaced the older church building, which was demolished in 1818; the new building was completed by 1819. The church is listed in the State of Hesse’s register of cultural monuments for historical, artistic and urban-planning reasons. Architecturally, it is a transversely aligned building in simple Neoclassical forms, made of carefully hewn sandstone blocks.

The church and the court lime tree stood at the center of the old village. The expansion and widening of the federal highway divided it into two parts: in 1953 and again in 1967/68. The history of the church building and the development of the village center are therefore both part of Röddenau’s historical story.

Hiking Trails of Different Lengths

The Frankenberg Circular Hiking Trail F3 starts and ends at the Schützenhaus Frankenberg-Röddenau parking lot, Scheidweg 18. The Goldbachtal loop of the F3 is 10 kilometers long and leads along the Schwarzen Weg, over the Alterodskopf and through the Goldbachtal. Its length and named waypoints give you specific guidance when planning this hike.

The Burgwald Trail offers a much longer route than the Goldbachtal loop: it is 48.89 kilometers long. As far as the Frankenberg district of Röddenau, it runs close alongside the Eder, above a steep slope with distinctive Eder sandstone cliffs. The two trails thus differ both in their stated lengths and in their landscape features. Check current trail conditions before setting out, as they can change.

Historical Highlights in Frankenberg (Eder)

Frankenberg (Eder) has its own historic buildings to explore. Construction of the third town hall began in 1509, and it was intended to resemble a predecessor building that had burned down. Corbels—supporting brackets—hold up the central oriels on the south, north and west sides of the Historic Town Hall and are regarded as masterpieces of medieval woodcarving. Built in the 13th century, the Hexenturm is the only surviving one of the 20 defensive towers that originally formed part of Frankenberg’s town fortifications. The platform at its top is reached by around 50 steps.

The present-day Liebfrauenkirche in Frankenberg was built from 1286 onward. Its Chapel of Our Lady is Late Gothic and accessible only from the outside. The former Monastery of St. Georgenberg now houses the Museum in the Frankenberg Monastery. The town also offers nature and outdoor activities: visitors can see wild boar, deer, sheep and goats at close range in the wildlife park; admission is free. The premium Frankenberger Blickwinkel urban hiking trail is a circular route of around nine kilometers that combines city sights with nature experiences.

Discover more destinations: Willersdorf, Rengershausen.

Go to the main travel overview: Frankenberg.