Bodenrode-Westhausen: Cycling Route, Church and Local History

There is a clear local point of reference for a stay in Bodenrode-Westhausen: the Leine-Heide Cycle Route runs through the village and directly past St. Laurentius Church. Here, a long-distance cycling route and Bodenrode’s historic centre meet. The nearby Stations of the Cross add another dimension and can be explored on a short walk. This offers three distinct perspectives: the cycling route, the church building and a short walk nearby.

The Leine-Heide Cycle Route and its route through the village

The Leine-Heide Cycle Route is more than 420 kilometres long and connects the Leinebergland uplands with the Lüneburg Heath and the Hanseatic city of Hamburg. In Bodenrode-Westhausen, it runs through the village and directly past St. Laurentius Church, which is located in the centre of Bodenrode. For cyclists, this provides a specific point of reference in the village centre as well as a longer-distance connection. The regional scale and local route are easy to distinguish: the cycle route connects landscapes all the way to Hamburg, while its passage through the village marks the Bodenrode section.

The church and Wiener Hof in Bodenrode

Bodenrode is a Catholic parish village whose centre is St. Laurentius Church. The building dates from the 17th and 18th centuries. These details identify the church as the village’s historic centre; it is also situated directly on the cycle route. Another historic point of reference is the Baroque Wiener Hof in Bodenrode, which was initially used as an inn. The church and the Hof represent different aspects of local history: the central parish church and the former use of a Baroque building. For a stay that also focuses on local history, these points of interest complement the cycle route as a way to get your bearings.

A short walk along the Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross are located near Bodenrode and can be explored on a short walk. Fourteen images carved in stone illustrate the Way of the Cross. Their clear theme sets this route apart from the cycle route: the focus here is a short walk with religious images, while the Leine-Heide Cycle Route is a long-distance cycling connection through Bodenrode-Westhausen. The passage through the village by bike and the short walk can therefore be considered as separate activities, without combining them into a single route.

The Eichsfeld as a wider travel destination

Looking beyond the local area to the wider Eichsfeld travel destination brings more landscapes and cultural themes into view. The Eichsfeld offers castles, historic towns, open fields, natural monuments, and cycling and hiking trails. Historic half-timbered buildings and architectural highlights are among the regional features of Dingelstädt, Duderstadt, Heilbad Heiligenstadt and Leinefelde-Worbis. Air-dried sausage is considered a speciality of the Eichsfeld and is known beyond the region.

The Eichsfeld Museum, housed in the Baroque Jesuit college in Heilbad Heiligenstadt, offers one way to explore the region’s cultural history. Across three floors, it covers the Eichsfeld’s history, culture, religious life and folklore. The Dün and Iberg hills around Heilbad Heiligenstadt also provide excellent conditions for longer hikes on certified TOP hiking trails. These examples illustrate the Eichsfeld’s broad range of themes, while the cycle route, church, Wiener Hof and Stations of the Cross provide local points of reference in Bodenrode-Westhausen.

Discover more destinations: Küllstedt, Berlingerode, Kleinbartloff, Volkerode, Leinefelde-Worbis, Lindewerra, Hohengandern, Wachstedt.

Return to the destination overview: Eichsfeld.