|
Home >European
Touring > Europe 2008 >
Germany2008 - The Fairytale Route
|
|
Germany - River Weser and the
Fairytale Route
|
|
After a night halt at an ACSI campsite near Utrecht we entered Germany on
minor roads and turned off to stay one night in Havixbeck north west
of Munster, then drove north on a meandering route to Dummersee and the
first of the many tourist routes, the Muhlestrasse although the mills were well hidden.
We eventually came across a windmill at Semmer before heading to Minden and a large stellplatz with an
impressive modern footbridge across the Weser to the Altstadt.
|
|
 
The Mittelland Canal crossroads
|
In the morning we walked a couple of kilometres along the riverside to
look at the impressive canal crossroads with massive old and new
aquaducts and barge lift, then set off towards Hameln through the old town
of Rinteln and along the Extertal valley with a disused railway line
where pedal powered railcars can be hired.
|
We were able to park at the well signposted new stellplatz in Hameln,
a short walk from the busy pedestrianised town centre with lots of shops,
cafes and the famous pied piper statue and museums with plenty of
"rat" bread and gifts for sale everywhere. We called into the tourist information
centre but there were few leaflets available and very little in English.
That afternoon we followed the Weser river through a more industrial
region passing a large power station to reach Bodenwerder, a pleasant riverside
town and home of the Baron Munchhausen fairytale legend. There were many
statues depicting his improbable adventures such as riding on half a horse
and flying on a cannonball. We were intrigued by the old
timber-framed houses with shooting target trophies on the walls and the decorative
shop signs and murals especially above the "Blumen Eck" florists! Most of
the houses had long descriptions in old German carved into their beams.
|
the pied piper of Hameln
|
|
Bodenwerder - Baron Munchhausen fairytale statues
|
|
Bodenwerder shooting target
trophies
|
and mural
|
|
Many towns and villages along this section
of the Weser, set in low wooded hills, were full of attractive old
half-timbered buildings. We continued south to Bad Karlshofen - an
exception with streets of more severe baroque style white washed
buildings set out on a grid pattern, and more interesting shop signs such
as the one above a bookshop. We then we turned off to Hofgeismar with an
excellent free stellplatz in a park near the Altstadt with more decorated
old buildings and statues.
|
Bookshop sign Bad Karlshofen
|
|
Bad
Karlshofen
|
Another obscure fairytale
statue in Hofgeismar
|
|
After a quiet night we took a minor road through rural villages to Hann.
Münden the jewel of the region where the rivers Fulda and Werra meet to
become the Weser.
There were 700 half-timbered buildings in the town centre although there
had recently been a fire in one of them judging from the photos in the local
shops, luckily the fire brigade had averted a major disaster.
|
Hann Münden Rathaus
|
|
More touristy than some of the smaller
villages
we had passed through, we found it an interesting town as there was plenty
to see with an amazingly ornate Rathaus and more sculptures and water
features in the streets as well as in a rather tired looking sculpture
park by the river bank where canoeists were testing their skills over the
weirs.
|
|
Hann Münden town square
|
Hann Münden - sculpture in park
|
After spending a few hours in Hann. Münden we decided not to stay at the
stellplatz in the busy riverside parking area overnight so turned north
east initially up a the east bank of the Weser river then across country to
Einbeck which was more industrial and on to Bad Gandersheim where the
stellplatz "Rio Gande" provided another pleasant overnight stop.
This was another interesting town with more old buildings, a castle where
open air concerts are held and a large lakeside spa and clinic complex. We
managed to obtain a local walks leaflet so the next morning had a pleasant
walk through the woods and along a disused railway path to the lakes. We found that everywhere in this region of Germany
there were well signposted cycle paths which seemed to be well used
especially at the weekends. The Weser valley was well worth visiting, not
as dramatic countryside perhaps as the Mosel but the numerous old towns
compensated for the lack of vineyards, but it was less busy and there were
plenty of overnight stopping places.
|
Bad Gandersheim
Rathaus
Bad Gandersheim shop sign
|
|
From Bad Gandesheim it was a short drive east to
Goslar and the Harz mountains.
|
<< Back
|
Harz and Thuringia >>
|
