Witzenhausen - The cherry city in the Werra valley

The university town of Witzenhausen and its 16 districts lies appealing embedded in the romantic Werra valley and is the centre of one of the largest and oldest cherry-growing regions in Germany. The symbol of the city, the cherry, determines the course of the year for more than one and a half centuries. Particularly visible is the designation "Cherry Town" from the end of April to the beginning of May when about 150,000 cherry trees around the city sport white blossoms in full bloom.

Witzenhausen is the smallest university town in Germany. The university belongs to Kassel University with the specialised Department of Ecological Agricultural Sciences, the first of its kind in Europe.

Witzenhausen for friends of fairy tales

"Once upon a time..." These four magical words are the standard opening to the wonderful world of Grimm's Fairy Tales, which largely arose in and around Kassel. Then as now, there are numerous locations where the Brothers Grimm were active and worked, also in Witzenhausen.

In December 1837, after Jacob Grimm was driven out of Göttingen, at that time a part of the Kingdom of Hannover, he undertook a "detour" to Hessian Witzenhausen in order to flee to his brother Emil in Kassel. He was accompanied by two professor colleagues of the famous "Göttinger Seven", who accommodated in today's guest-house "Zur Krone". On this December evening, he held a "freedom address" on the Witzenhäusen market square. To honour this historical event, Jacob Grimm was honoured with a statue on our market square in 2013.

The Burghotel Witzenhausen is moreover the consulate of Mother Hulda country, where you can learn everything worth knowing about Mother Hulda and all legends and myths which have been woven around this character.

Witzenhausen, with its innumerable cherry plantations, is moreover the dominion of the "Witzenhäusen Cherry Queen". For the cherry harvest in the beginning of July, the new queen together with her princesses are traditionally selected at the Witzenhäuser market square. The young ladies represent the city for the following year. In 2016, its 50th Majesty was elected.

Witzenhäusen historical tidbits

Furthermore, the historical Witzenhäuser town centre holds numerous buildings dating back from the time of the Brothers Grimm. If you want to experience Witzenhäusen history, take advantage of our extensive offering of guided town tours. Aside from the classical tour, which includes all locations well worth seeing in the town centre, we also offer guided tours on special topics about our churches, Jewish history, and our north Hessian specialties.

A special experience is the nocturnal torch tour with Knight Isenbard, who leads you by torchlight through Witzenhausen and lets you participate in historical incidents, stories and enjoyable events of the town.

Witzenhausen for holiday tourists and excursions

You will find an abundance of possibilities and proposals which make the heart of every active holiday tourists beat faster. One thing is certain – those who are active during their holidays recuperate better from the stress of work life.

The unique landscape around Witzenhausen is ideal for hiking and bicycle excursions. Barely ten minutes away by car from the core town, you can reach the premium hiking path 9, which leads along the Roßbach juniper heaths. During the cherry blossom season in the spring, we especially recommend our two cherry paths. These run directly through the cherry growing region.

For cyclists, the region offers an extensive network of paths connecting Witzenhausen with its various districts, or you can take the popular Werra valley bicycle path that leads to the neighbouring cities Bad Sooden-Allendorf and Hann. Münden. In the northerly direction, toward Göttingen, you can travel along the Leine heath bicycle path, which goes all the way to Hamburg. Mountainbike friends also get their money's worth! - In the area around, you can take advantage of an extensive network of routes. Suitable maps are available in the Tourist Information Office.

It's easy to explore the region from the water on a canoe tour on the Werra as well. The diversity of routes and various degrees of difficulty offer recreational athletes an abundance of options. All around Witzenhausen you can walk, run, inline skate, ride, swim or sailplane. Here everyone can find relief from the stresses of daily routine.

At the Tourist Information Office, we will gladly supply you with all the important information. Alternatively, you can also book guided tours here through the old town.