In Seesen, the history of piano making, historic sites and parkland come together with a traditional town festival. The Steinway Trail leads to Seesen, the municipal museum is housed in a historic hunting lodge, and the annual Sehusafest offers a unique perspective on the town’s history. Cultural attractions also include places to visit in Mechtshausen and the Sehusa Water World.
Steinway sights on foot and by bike
The Steinway Trail is an approximately 18-kilometre cultural and historical walking route from Wolfshagen im Harz to Seesen. Eight information panels, shaped like a piano keyboard, tell the story of the Steinway family and provide background on piano making. Six stamps can be collected along the way; in Seesen, there are two more places to get stamps for the accompanying booklet: on PoststraĂźe and at the municipal museum. Route details and stamp availability may change, so check them before setting out.
Seesen’s Steinway Park also offers different ways to explore the area: it is the starting point for five mountain bike loops in the Volksbank-Arena Harz. A walk through the park passes five ponds, while a tree trail introduces visitors to different species. Alongside the trail’s cultural and historical panels, the park paths and tree-related themes are also highlights. When weighing up their travel interests, visitors can consider these as separate ways to discover Seesen’s connection to Steinway.
Museum, local history and Sehusafest
Seesen Municipal Museum has been housed in the historic building of the ducal hunting lodge since 1964. The museum grounds include a pond and remnants of the old ramparts, and are ideal for walks. This makes it easy to combine a visit to the museum with time outdoors, without following a particular route.
The Historic Sehusafest has been celebrated in Seesen every year on the first weekend in September since 1975; it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Musketeers, pikemen and artillerymen reenact battle scenes from the Thirty Years’ War at the festival. In the palace park, a Renaissance market showcases medieval crafts and handmade goods. Music groups perform medieval-inspired music on several stages throughout the day. Children’s activities include puppet theatre, axe throwing, storytelling and historical games. Individual events may vary; check the festival dates and current programme before your trip.
The Jacobson House, Seesen’s socio-cultural centre, offers another glimpse into the town’s cultural life. It has event spaces, the town library and rooms for arts and crafts, workshops, meetings and community activities. The specific programme of events may change; the activities described range from cultural events to community activities.
In Seesen’s district of Mechtshausen, you can visit the home of Wilhelm Busch’s family, which features his poems and illustrations, as well as his grave. Wilhelm Busch spent the last ten years of his life there. This is a distinct focus for visitors, alongside the town museum and festival traditions: in Mechtshausen, the focus is on Busch and his work.
More things to do in Seesen
The Sehusa Water World in Seesen has a swimming pool, a cone-slide tube ride in the children’s area and a sauna complex. It offers both a place to swim and a sauna area. As the facilities may change, check the latest information before your visit.
Cultural context in the wider destination of Goslar
The wider destination of Goslar also has its own cultural and historical attractions. Goslar’s historic old town has been preserved as a cohesive whole across around one square kilometre and includes more than 1,500 half-timbered houses. St. Anne’s House on Glockengießerstraße dates back to 1488 and is the oldest half-timbered house in Goslar’s old town to remain completely intact. Goslar Imperial Palace has stood at the foot of the Rammelsberg for nearly 1,000 years and was once the seat of kings and emperors.
Goslar’s cultural attractions also include the former Rammelsberg ore mine, now a visitor mine where visitors can explore aspects of the mining tradition. An adjoining museum also presents this history. This wider cultural area offers another historical focus, while Seesen’s themes centre on Steinway, the museum, the town festival and Wilhelm Busch.
Discover more destinations: Upper Harz, Braunlage, Liebenburg, Altenau, Sankt Andreasberg, Langelsheim, Lutter am Barenberge, Vienenburg.
Back to the overview of the wider destination: Goslar.
