Fulda: Rhön, Culture and Nature

The Rhön: hiking, cycling and distinctive landscapes

The Rhön in the district of Fulda offers opportunities for hiking and cycling. These are two different ways to experience the landscape: whether on foot or by bike, each gives your days a different focus. Wasserkuppe is the highest mountain in Hesse and one of the district of Fulda’s distinctive landmarks. In the Rhön, practical opportunities for outdoor activities are paired with a clearly identifiable point of reference in the landscape.

Experience nature and learn more about the Rhön

The work of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve enriches the educational landscape in the district of Fulda, among other things through its Junior and Senior Ranger programmes and the certification of biosphere schools and kindergartens. In addition, hundreds of events take place every year, including nature and adventure tours as well as markets. These offerings complement hiking and cycling with educational and nature-related topics. Individual events and dates may change; if a particular offering is important to your trip, check the latest details.

Cultural events in two districts

The Main-Kinzig-Fulda Cultural Summer has been held for more than 27 years. More than 100 events in music, theatre, art exhibitions, literature and other fields receive support as part of the Cultural Summer. The venues are spread across the Main-Kinzig district and the district of Fulda. For planning, the specific venue matters as well as the programme: the venues are not all in one place. If you are planning to attend an event during your trip, it helps to take its location and date into account.

Traces of the past

At the foot of the Milseburg, near the village of Danzwiesen, are the remains of a ring wall, regarded as evidence of early Celtic settlement. The Sieblos Museum in Poppenhausen (Wasserkuppe) offers another glimpse into the history of the Rhön: it displays numerous and varied fossil finds from the Rhön and provides insight into the work of local fossil collector Hugo Schubert. This brings together two distinct subjects: archaeological traces of early settlement and the fossil world of the Rhön.

Understanding regional food

The Rhön quality seal “Quality of the Biosphere Reserve! The Rhön” is awarded to regionally produced food from value chains that are aligned with the goals of the UNESCO Rhön Biosphere Reserve. The seal therefore relates both to regional production and to the direction of the value chain. If you are interested in regional food, this context provides a specific point of reference for understanding the seal.

Hesse as a broader landscape setting

Beyond the district, Hesse offers a wider setting for nature and outdoor activities. More than a third of Hesse consists of diverse natural landscapes, including volcanic plateaus and gently rolling vineyards. An extensive network of hiking and cycling trails, as well as waterways suitable for canoeing, gives access to this diversity across the state. The landscapes and trails of Hesse thus complement the hiking and cycling opportunities in the Rhön in the district of Fulda.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Dipperz, Neuhof, Hilders, Ebersburg, Kalbach, Ehrenberg, Gersfeld and Marburg-Biedenkopf.

Go to the main travel overview: Hesse.