The 105-kilometre-long Innerste Cycle Route can be followed downstream from the municipality of Holle to Sarstedt. Giftener See is in Sarstedt’s local recreation area and offers a different, locally rooted attraction. Visitors to Sarstedt can focus on the cycle route, local architectural history, or also explore cultural attractions in the wider destination of Hildesheim.
Cycling Route, Lake and Architectural History in Sarstedt
Local buildings include Sarstedt’s old town hall. Dating from 1799, it features blue half-timbering and a large outdoor staircase. The Church of the Holy Spirit was built in 1913; visitors can admire its stained-glass windows with Christian symbolism. This connects the history of a church building with a specific detail of its interior. A small section of the old town wall remains by the former Ostertor gate. The town hall, church and remnant of the wall represent different historical periods: a town hall from the late 18th century, a church built in the early 20th century and a surviving part of the former fortifications.
Culture in the Wider Destination of Hildesheim
The wider destination of Hildesheim offers further cultural attractions. The Hildesheim region lies between the Hildesheim Börde, the Leine Uplands and the foothills of the Harz Mountains. In Hildesheim itself, the focus is on architecture, sacred art and collections.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of St. Mary’s Cathedral houses the Bernward Doors, a masterpiece of bronze casting, as well as unique art treasures and a 1,000-year-old rosebush. St. Michael’s Church offers a different architectural focus: it is a three-aisled basilica in the Ottonian, pre-Romanesque or early Romanesque style. Its monumental 13th-century ceiling painting depicts the genealogy of Christ on 1,300 oak boards. Together with St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Michael’s Church was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. Visitors can climb 364 steps up the tower of St. Andrew’s Church to a viewing platform 75 metres high and enjoy panoramic views over the rooftops of Hildesheim.
The Fagus Factory in Alfeld offers another perspective on architecture: it is considered the first truly modern building and the originating work of modern industrial architecture. A UNESCO visitor centre there features interactive displays on the history of the World Heritage Site and the core principles of the World Heritage Convention. The Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum in Hildesheim, meanwhile, houses the world’s second-largest Egyptian collection, as well as collections of natural history, ethnology, local history, paintings and prints. Since December 2025, visitors have been able to explore objects from 4,000 years of ancient Egyptian culture in the newly opened permanent Egyptian exhibition, using multimedia displays and hands-on stations designed to be family-friendly and engaging. Hildesheim’s cultural attractions thus span a wide range: from church architecture and craftsmanship to modern industrial architecture, ancient Egyptian culture and other areas represented in its collections. The Butchers’ Guild Hall on Hildesheim’s historic market square adds another perspective as a former guildhall featuring hundreds of carved and painted artworks.
Discover more destinations: Hoyershausen, Winzenburg, Algermissen, Söhlde, Weenzen, Rheden, Freden, Brüggen.
Go to the overview of the wider destination: Hildesheim.
