Eickeloh can be explored through three very different themes: archaeological traces in the landscape, the history of the Old Church and a cable ferry across the Aller. Alongside local history, there is also a hands-on experience for cyclists and hikers on the Aller Cycle Route. If you are looking for accommodation for a trip to Eickeloh, you can choose your focus depending on whether historic sites or a tour along the river should take centre stage.
Traces from Different Eras
Three burial mounds in heathland and mixed pine forest are the last evidence of what was probably once a larger burial mound field. A hand axe found in Eickeloh, made by a Neanderthal, also attests to the early prehistoric use of the Eickeloh/Hademstorf area. Together, the burial mounds and hand axe offer two different ways of engaging with the distant past: the mounds shape the landscape, while the hand axe, as an archaeological find, is associated with a wider area.
Wartenberg takes us into another historical period. The people of Eickeloh used it as a hiding place from enemy troops both during the Thirty Years’ War and the Second World War. These two periods are far apart and add another perspective to local history, showing how the area was used in wartime.
The Old Church: Endowment and Later Use
The church “Zum heiligen Kreuz” (Holy Cross), now known as the Old Church in Eickeloh, was endowed to the citizens of Eickeloh by Heinrich von Hodenberg in 1296. When a larger church was built on a new site in 1887, the von Hodenberg family converted the Old Church into a family crypt. This sequence tells of a change in function: the church was first endowed for the citizens and later used as a family crypt.
Crossing the Aller by Cable Ferry
The Eickeloh cable ferry crosses the Aller between the banks at Eickeloh and Grethem and is powered solely by the force of the water current. A regional tourism guide highlights the crossing as a highlight of a tour along the Aller for cyclists and hikers on the Aller Cycle Route. Crossings can be arranged for groups of 15 or more by prior booking. If you are planning a group crossing, arrange the date in advance with the local operator.
In the Wider Heidekreis Destination
In the wider Heidekreis destination, the Hof der Heidmark in Bad Fallingbostel offers another way to explore regional history. It was built in 1642, dismantled in 1936 and rebuilt in Liethwald; today it is a listed historic building and one of the oldest buildings in Heidekreis district. Compared with Eickeloh’s Old Church, these sites present different historical narratives: the endowment and repurposing of a church on the one hand, and the dismantling and reconstruction of a building on the other.
The wider Heidekreis destination also has signposted routes stretching for kilometres for cycling, hiking, Nordic walking and horse riding.
Discover more destinations: Grethem, Hademstorf.
Back to the overview of the wider destination: Samtgemeinde Ahlden / Hodenhagen.
