Kassel Loop Cycle Route 5 - Stage Homberg - Fritzlar

Hilly to mountainous with many longer flat sections, good signposting, partly gravel path surface

Difficulty level: demanding
Trail quality: ★★☆☆
Signposting: ★★★★

This stage makes a loop via the Hessian cycle path R 5 into the Borkener Seenland. If you want to cycle directly from Homburg to Fritzlar, you can save two thirds of the distance by taking the R 17 and the Eder cycle path . The route along the R 5 into the Borkener Seenland is hilly. On country roads with little traffic, you reach the first lake behind Singlis, which was once created by renaturation after open-cast lignite mining. Continue along the Schwalm on the R 5 towards Kellerwald. Through the narrow valley incision of the "Schwälmer Pforte" you come to Bad Zwesten. Here it is worth making a detour to the spa gardens at the Löwensprudel, where you can also take a break. Although the route continues on gravel, it runs directly along the Schwalm and is particularly scenic.

You leave the Schwalm valley at Niederurff. A mountainous section begins, scenically beautiful but challenging for cyclists without motorized assistance. It goes a long way through the Kellerwald forest and ends in Bergfreiheit, the village of Snow White. This small village in a beautiful location has a long mining tradition. In the past, copper was mined here using simple means. The "protective helmet" was a pointed cap. This is how the fairy tale of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" came to be told here one day. At the entrance to the village, seven dwarf figures draw attention to the village of Snow White. In the small village center there is also a Snow White House, which has been furnished with great attention to detail and is well worth a visit. In August, performances of the fairy tale take place on an open-air stage above the village in an enchanting natural setting.

After Bergfreiheit, there are a few more climbs to overcome before the route rolls downhill, partly on gravel paths. The landscape widens and soon Bad Wildungen is in sight. The town center of the spa lies on a hill. The half-timbered spa town is also home to a fairytale store. Bad Wildungen is home to Europe's largest spa park. It is well worth a visit.
The R 5 follows the Wilde valley to the district of Wega. Friedrichstein Castle towers above the valley.
In Wega, the R 5 joins the Eder cycle path. Now it is only a few kilometers downstream until Fritzlar welcomes its guests with its unique silhouette. There is still a steep climb up to the town, but this is sweetened by the "Vier-Türme-Blick" and the "Malerwinkel".
The historic cathedral and imperial city has many sights. There is the cathedral with its rich cathedral treasury, the Wedding House with its regional museum and the small town history museum in the Grey Tower. Not forgetting the pretty half-timbered buildings and the town wall with its towers. According to legend, St. Boniface felled the pagan Dona oak tree in Fritzlar, thereby converting the town and the region to Christianity. Fittingly, there is a monument depicting Boniface holding an axe.