Eschwege Travel Guide
A detailed destination guide for your next Germany vacation
Eschwege Overview
The nearest city in Hesse is Kassel (Kassel vacation rentals | Kassel travel guide) (roughly 52 km to the northwest), and the nearest in Lower Saxony is Göttingen (Göttingen vacation rentals | Göttingen travel guide) (roughly 55 km to the north). Eschwege borders in the north on the town of Bad Sooden-Allendorf (Bad Sooden-Allendorf vacation rentals | Bad Sooden-Allendorf travel guide) and the community of Meinhard (Meinhard vacation rentals | Meinhard travel guide), in the east on the town of Wanfried (all three in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis), in the southeast on the town of Treffurt (in Thuringia’s Wartburgkreis), in the south on the communities of Weißenborn and Wehretal, in the west on the community of Meißner, and in the northwest on the community of Berkatal (all four in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis).
Where to stay in Eschwege?
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Things to See in Eschwege
Museums
- Stadtmuseum Eschwege (town museum)
- Eschweger Zinnfiguren- und Miniaturenkabinett (tin figures and miniatures cabinet)
- “Freunde der Eisenbahn” (railway museum)
- Heimatmuseum in the scenic Old Town, has a marketplace surrounded by timber-frame houses.
Buildings
- Neustädter Kirche St. Katharina (church)
- Marktkirche St. Dionys (market church)
- Eschwege Landgraves’ Palace (Schloss Eschwege), since 1821 seat of the district administration (1386 built as a castle, expanded into a palace in 16th and 17th centuries), with Frau Holle well and Dietemann tower, containing the Dietemann, the figure of a man with a horn, the symbol of the Eschweger, which is located in the castle tower and appears every hour to blow its horn. Also scenic are the views along the river Werra.
- Hochzeitshaus (“Wedding House”, a municipal community centre from 1578)
- Schulberg (Cyriakusberg, mountain) with the Karlsturm (tower, last remnant of a “women’s foundation” built in the 11th century)
- Nikolaiturm (former church tower from 1455)
- Bismarckturm (tower) on the Leuchtberg (from 1903)
- Schäferhalle (Pavilion on the west slope of the Leuchtberg)
- Former synagogue, today a New Apostolic church
- Hospital chapel
- Monastery, seat of the Eschwege monastery brewery
- Hexenkeller (“Witches’ Cellar”)
Parks
- Palace garden
- Botanical garden
- Sophiengarten
- Leuchtbergpark (with paths in and around the Greater and Lesser Leuchtberg)
- Werratalsee (lake, a local recreation area between Eschwege and Schwebda)
Regular Events
- Weekly market at the Obermarkt (“Upper Market”) every Wednesday and Saturday morning
- Johannisfest, traditionally on the first Sunday in July, but if summer holidays in Hesse begin in June, held on the last Sunday before they begin. Friday: town festival with traditional Kränzewickeln (“wreath winding”); Saturday: Maienzug (parade) of Eschwege school classes; Sunday: festival parade of Eschwege school classes with the Dietemann (a local mascot); Monday: festival conclusion and lantern sendoff by the Eschwege Rowing Club, fireworks.
- Open Flair Festival (so called, even in German) usually on the second weekend in August
- Pub festival in the inner town with live music in spring and autumn
- Brewery festival (Eschwege monastery brewery)
- Wurschtfest in Eschwege in September (sausage festival)
- Eschweger Puppen-Festtage (dolls), first weekend in November
- Eschwege Automobile Exhibition in the inner town in May
- Hüttenzauber, impressive before-Christmas event at the marketplace
- Christmas market at the marketplace/Obermarkt (“Upper Market”)
- Eschwege Spring festival
- Eschwege shooting festival, first weekend in September
- Fritz Jordan memorial rowing; late September on the Werra
- WerraMan - Eschwege popular triathlon (400 m swimming, 23 km cycling and 5 km walking), late August/early September
[ source: wikipedia ]
Maps and Driving Directions to Eschwege
Through the town run Bundesstraßen 27, 249 and 452. Furthermore, Eschwege lies on the Regionalbahn line R7 (Göttingen–Eschwege-West–Bebra–Bad Hersfeld–Fulda) and belongs to the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (“North Hesse Transport Association”, NVV). The nearby Autobahn A 44 (Kassel–Eisenach) is currently under construction.
Raiffeisenhaus
[ source: Wikipedia]
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Eschwege. If you know a few more sites not listed here, or also know some insider tips or point of interests for this destination? Please share and submit your Germany travel tip. If approved it will be shown on this page!
- Homepage of Eschwege: Eschwege (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Eschwege
More about the History of Eschwege
In 974, eskinivvach had its first documentary mention. This name stems from an old Germanic language and means “Settlement near the ash trees at the water”. This origin is noteworthy for showing that the town arose before Franks overran the area, which was some time between 500 and 700. As far back as Merovingian times, a Frankish royal court arose here, which kept watch as a border defence over the ford (crossing) on the Werra leading into Thuringia, and which still stood in the 10th and 11th centuries. At this time, Saint Denis was still the foremost saint, having been the Merovingians’ main saint, to whom the church in the Old Town is consecrated.
The first documentary mention is found in a document from Emperor Otto II, in which he bequeathed the royal court and the settlement to his wife Theophanu. Their daughter Sophia founded on the Cyriakusberg about 1000 a canonical foundation for women (in which women did not take vows, but nonetheless lived in a conventlike environment) consecrated to Saint Cyriacus, which existed until the introduction of the Reformation into Hesse in 1527. All that is left of it now, though, is the Karlsturm (tower). Market rights were granted about 1188, and town rights followed by 1249. It was in this time that the groundwork was laid for the cloth- and leathermaking that flourished on into modern times.
Beginning in 1264, as a result of the Thuringian-Hessian War of Succession, Eschwege belonged, under Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse, to Hesse. On 12 May 1292, he offered King Adolf of Germany the town of Eschwege as an Imperial fief and was given it straight back along with the Imperial castle Boyneburg as an hereditary Imperial fief, thereby raising Henry to Imperial Prince, greatly strengthening his power in Hesse.
In 1936, Niederhone was amalgamated, and in 1973 in the course of municipal reform, the other six communities named above were also amalgamated.
[ source: wikipedia ]
What makes this Live Like a German Eschwege Travel Guide special...
This Eschwege travel guide provides you with an overview of Eschwege, Eschwege pictures, and a local travel guide that suggests many special trips, unique activities, and vacation ideas, that you can't find in a typical Germany travel guide.
Some of this information is compiled from popular and well-known sources (e.g., such as Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and great pictures from Flickr). However, what makes this Germany travel guide special is that most of the travel suggestions and insider tips are provided by local residents, property owners, and our readers, who share and submit their travel tips with us. All submissions are then editorially reviewed to ensure high quality. All this information is logically organized within this destination guide to make it easy for you to find things quickly.
In addition, the Eschwege destination guide features restaurant recommendations, restaurant reviews, where to go for grocery shopping, sports activities, getting around, cultural events and highlights, entertainment, and health related information - so you are informed for your travel to Germany, and you can learn about all the cool things you can do during your Germany vacation!
