Kassel Loop Cycle Route 6 - Stage Fritzlar - Kassel

Very mountainous stage, partly without signposting, partly closed off

Difficulty level: rather challenging
Trail quality: ★★★☆☆☆
Signposting: ★★☆☆☆

The route, which is very hilly in places, is challenging. However, there is an alternative from Gudensberg via the R 21, which avoids the steep climbs and also shortens the stage by a third. If you follow the main route through the attractive low mountain range landscape of the Habichtswald Nature Park, you will be rewarded with fantastic panoramic views of the unique landscape.
There are no cycle route signs on the first section to Gudensberg. In Obervorschütz, you can admire a historic stone bridge over the Ems. The bronze sculpture "Emmesgänser" is also located here.
First ascent up to Gudensberg. If you follow the R 21 to Baunatal, you shorten the overall stage and the rest of the route is a little easier. The ruins of Obernburg Castle tower above the old town of Gudensberg. From here, the panoramic view of the Schwalm-Edern lowlands as far as the Knüll is impressively beautiful.

In Gudensberg, the main route turns off in the direction of Kirchberg. Here you meet the Chattengau-Fulda cycle path R 12. North of Niedenstein, the route climbs steeply by 150 meters, with beautiful panoramic views as far as Fritzlar at the top. At the saddle near Elmshagen you are 410 m above sea level. From here you can reach the ruins of Falkenstein Castle.
In Schauenburg-Breitenbach, the old fire station has been converted into a "fairytale station". You can learn all about fairy tales when the station is open.
You now roll steeply downhill at speed via the "Hoofer Pforte". The route follows the course of the Hessencourrier cycle path, marked with the logo of the green locomotive. Towards Kassel, the route becomes increasingly flat. Passing the VW plant in Baunatal, you pass the Knallhütte site, where the storyteller Dorothea Viehmann was born.
You soon reach Kassel. Through the Dorothea Viehmann Park, you come across a winding fairytale district in Niederzwehren, which has developed along the Grundelbach stream. Dorothea Viehmann lived in this district for many years. A bust has been erected in her honor on the fairytale square next to St. Matthew's Church and a doorway with the inscription: "Once upon a time..." has been erected. During her lifetime, Dorothea Viehmann told the Brothers Grimm more than 40 folk tales, 36 of which were included in their fairy tale collection.

The new and not only architecturally interesting "Grimmwelt" museum has been built in Kassel. Inside, visitors can find out about the work of the Brothers Grimm in a variety of ways. The Grimms spent the longest part of their lives, almost 30 years, here in Kassel. As linguists and literary scholars, they also published the first volume of their "Children's and Household Tales" here.
From the roof terrace, which is open to the public, you have a good view of parts of Kassel. The Orangery in the Karlsaue is also on the cycle route. The very green Documenta city is also known for its Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe with Hercules and the castle and the extraordinary water features. The entire complex has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013.