Büdingen - Active & Surrounding

But Büdingen has another side: visitors can explore the extensive forests and woodlands outside the towers and town walls through a network of footpaths and cycle paths which snake through the trees. More traces of the past to be discovered here too. It is not by chance that Büdingen has so many half-timbered houses and buildings. The town owns one of the most extensive areas of continuous forest land in Hessen.

But it is not just the size that makes this former noble hunting ground a special area: hardwood trees and coniferous trees are to be found in the right mixture here. Rich forest vegetation grows under the oaks and the beech trees and the whole forest area has something of a magical atmosphere, thanks to the abundant varieties of berries, moss, mushroom and grass types which flourish here. There are many discoveries to be made between the trees on the extensive networks of paths which criss-cross the forest. The ruins of the "cursed" castle of Hardeck are to be found to the south of the town; to the north, near Dudenrod, are many pre-historic grave mounds. Who knows the secrets buried in these overgrown barrows? Could there be a connection between these mounds and the Celts of the Glauberg, as the information plaque on this part of the “Cultural and Historical Round Tour” suggests?

Information about the special attractions of the eleven- hectare deer park, in the "Tal der Sieben Bäche", ("The Valley of the Seven Streams"), is also to be found on children-friendly boards. There is an "Experience Nature" pathway which extends over three kilometres around herds of moufflon, red deer and fallow deer. This deer park is surrounded by the so-called ”Dream Forest” of Büdingen: a special zone, spread over 300 hectares, in which original forest land is protected from the incursions of modern forestry. There are many observation areas to be found here, as well as a rope canopy area amongst the trees.

There is a longer route which extends over 17 kilometres through Büdingen's forest and is marked out by a special Y sign. This route includes the idyllic pond, the "Thiergartenweiher", and the so-called "Wilden Stein" where a magnificent view of the castle and town of Büdingen opens up from mighty volcanic stone crags. Büdingen is the perfect base for trips out to explore the surrounding area. The spiritual community of the "Herrnhaag", built in the baroque style, or the perfectly preserved castle of Ronneburg, for example, are well worth seeing – as is of course the Glauberg, where the famous statue of the Celtic Prince, the "Keltenfurst", was discovered.