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Please note, I am only listing my personal tips and experiences in this article and not endorsing any products, places or services.
Hey!!! Here comes the second day of the most awaited Autumn Weekend of 2020. For details of our super eventful first day, maps of location, how to get here and local tips, please click on following link: Day 1 Dam Edersee and Castle of Waldeck
Wolfhagen
Wolfhagen is a charming little town about 23 km west of Kassel in the state of Hessen. The town is also about a 40 min drive away from Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee. It was more like the place chose us, as it offered a last minute accommodation for a group of 5.
We stayed at hotel 'Altes Rathaus', situated in the elegant premises of a building from 1659. Their breakfast was of a very good quality and we girls got the family room- it was massive and spacy with great views over the city! The town-center is lined with of Fachwerkhäuser (Half-timbered houses): those characterized by oblique and straight designs on them (see pictures below). Timber-framing is common in northern Europe and many a homes date back a few hundred years. That's what adds to the charm of many a German towns!
Today, we would travel to the south of Lake Edersee. To : Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee, which encompasses one of the rare protected red beech forests in Middle Europe.
Do you spot the wolf in the picture above? - Goodbye lovely Wolfhagen!
Today's Itinerary
1. Nationalpark Kellerwald Edersee
-Hiking in Daudenberg-
A 40 minute drive from our hotel in Wolfhagen were the ranges of Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee. Now, this region has many a mountains at about 500 Meters height. We chose the 'Daudenberg Route' (Berg=Mountain) Our trekking route was 5 km long. Quite simple, flat and led us through a lush green beech forest with hints of orange and red.
The starting point for hiking is in Bringhausen. You can choose a Route, at the entrance point- by referring to the different routes on the display board there. Each Route has a Symbol. Ours was the beetle. So, we followed the Beetle :) For our Route click here (sorry I was unable to find an extra english-version for you).
The Five Lake View
The view in the pictures below was supposed to be the highlight of our Daudenberg hike. Would you like to play: ''where is the lake (or the many lakes?) on the picture?''.
If you have read about our experience of the lake Edersee being mostly dry on Day 1, it was a tough and sad realization for me, that the five apparent stretches of barren land in the valley before us were the intended lakes. Real pity. The walk around this mountain though had been utmost relaxing and rejuvenating.
2. Edersee Atlantis
The 'Edersee Atlantis' or 'altes Dorf (old village)' is a cumulation of ruins of the villages Asel, Berich and Bringhausen. These villages were relocated during the construction of the Edersee Reservoir. Now, due to the almost absent water, visitors can take a long hike on the bed of the reservoir and visit the (normally hidden) deeply underwater remains of these old villages. We hiked to the stony island in the middle of the lake as well as to the ruins of old the bridge. It will stay to be one of the most scenic and utmost interesting of experiences.
3. Restaurant & Cafe Zur Endstation
Is a restaurant with a huge terrace for dining. It has a fantastic location right at the lake, normally with a backdrop of soothing, deep lake waters. The view, now replaced by the glistening green lake bottom in the afternoon sun was still delightful. The service was utmost friendly, the staff followed the corona rules and served big and yummy portions!
4. Baumkrönenweg - Tree Top Walk
Located directly at the Edersee, close to the dam wall, is a 250 meter long stretch of a path, that leads us literally through tree tops. It is designed such, that it is even accessible wit the wheel chair. It offers views of the Waldeck Castle, the lake Edersee and the valley. As you follow the route, you will come across various boards, informing you about the flora and fauna of the region. For more information, prices and timings check this path and many others in Germany (in English) here. We were needed to cover quite a distance through a long patch of tall forest, starting from the ticket counter to reach the entrance of this walk.
5. Edersee Resorvior
A few minutes of a drive from the Tree Top Walk, is the dam wall. We chose it as our last stop because we were curious to know how it felt in daylight. Compared to the seclusion of the previous night (Day 1 Dam Edersee and Castle of Waldeck), we now had hundreds of fellow tourists flooding the wall premises. The very low water levels were more than evident at the wall in the noon light. Still, it was nice to revisit in daylight, as the final destination for our weekend trip.
We were not ready to bid goodbye to the weekend without a visit to one of the Eis-Cafes (ice-cream Cafe) that line the road to the Edersee Dam-wall. They serve magnanimous, aromatic bowls of ice-cream full of the most exotic flavours. Highly recommended!
So that was our 29 hours spent at Lake Edersee. I agree, it is not an experience comparable with visiting the alps (for first time visitors of Germany). But it is beautiful in its own way nonetheless, with a range of activities you can undertake, a laid back location amidst lush green forests and really good food.