Discover Witzenhausen through its cherry-growing culture and historic old town. In spring, thousands of cherry trees turn the town and its surroundings white and pink. There are also paths through blossoming orchards, over gentle hills and along the Werra. If you are interested in the importance of cherries to the town, you can explore the Cherry Experience Trail with its 17 stations. It offers a fun, hands-on, multisensory look at the cultural landscape and the diversity of cherry varieties.
Experience the Cherry-Growing Landscape
The Cherry Experience Trail connects nature and cultural themes related to Witzenhausen at its various stations. The 22-kilometre Cherry Cycle Route offers a different perspective, passing numerous cherry tree stands on a circular route around Witzenhausen. The trail’s stations focus on cherries and their varieties; the cycle route offers a longer ride through the cherry-growing landscape. Depending on your interests, you can choose between a route with informative stops and a bike tour.
The Kesperkirmes is also associated with cherries: the German Cherry Pit Spitting Championships are held there every year. Visitors of all ages can try their hand at spitting cherry pits for distance. Event details may change, so check the dates if you are planning your trip around the fair.
Half-Timbered Houses and Town History
The historic half-timbered old town, with its town hall and magnificent half-timbered houses, defines the townscape. A sculpture of Jacob Grimm stands in the market square. A guided town tour introduces Witzenhausen as a town of half-timbered houses and cherries, as well as its three churches and other historic monuments. If you plan to join a tour, check the latest booking details.
The Church of Our Lady was built around 1250 as a Gothic, three-aisled hall church. Before that, a late Romanesque basilica with a tall bell tower stood on the site. During the church’s renovation, Hubert Distler was commissioned in 1962 to design new church windows. They depict Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. The architecture and windows thus offer different ways to explore the history of the building and its design.
The Witzenhausen Museum displays the ethnographic collection of DITSL. The collection began in 1900 with donations from graduates and associates of the former German Colonial School in Witzenhausen. Through provenance research with academic institutions in Germany and abroad, the museum and DITSL broaden perspectives on the stories behind the collection’s objects and make connections transparent. The Chewing Tobacco Museum explores the town’s long-established chewing tobacco industry. The cultural programme at the Capitol Cinema Witzenhausen includes concerts, readings and other events. If you would like to attend a specific event during your trip, check its date.
More to Discover and Practical Planning
For a self-guided tour of the historic old town, there is a free audio tour that you can use on your smartphone. Allow around 1 to 1.5 hours; this is an estimate. Check whether the offer is available before your trip. Another themed attraction is the Tropical Greenhouse, where coffee, tea, cocoa and more than 500 other plant species from around the world grow in a tropical setting beneath tall banana plants. Plant collections and visiting conditions may change; check the latest information before planning a visit.
There are parking options in central Witzenhausen for the Cherry Experience Trail, including at the market square, on Walburger Straße, at Diebesturm and at Schlagd. Parking options may change, so check the situation before you travel. There are bicycle parking facilities for bikes and luggage along the Werratal Cycle Route in Witzenhausen. This infrastructure may also change. The information helps you plan a visit to the experience trail and a bike tour separately.
Within the Wider Destination
For tourism purposes, the Werra-Meißner District is part of the Geo-Nature Park Frau-Holle-Land. The region between the Werra Valley, Hoher Meißner and Kaufunger Wald is known for its geological diversity, varied landscapes and rich flora and fauna. Seasonal highlights in the Geo-Nature Park include cherry blossom in the cherry-growing area of Witzenhausen, orchid blossom, pink poppy fields in Germerode and Grandenborn, autumn foliage and winter sports on Hoher Meißner. The timing of seasonal displays varies from year to year.
Discover more destinations: Ziegenhagen, Eschwege, Bad Sooden-Allendorf, Sontra, Datterode, Meinhard, Meißner, Rommerode.
View the main travel overview: Werra-Meißner District.
