134
Right Quaint town of Steinau an der Strasse
Below View of the monastery ruins from the
tower of the town church, Bad HersfeldWHERE TO STAYMELSUNGEN
Centrinum moderate
This smart hotel in Melsungen’s Altstadt
offers a blend of historic half-timbered
architecture and glossy modernity.
There are just 12 tastefully decorated
rooms as well as an apart ment.
Rosenstrasse 1, 34212; 05661 92 60 60;
http://www.centrinum.deBAD HERSFELD
Zum Stern moderate
A traditional four-star hotel with original
beams, stripped stonework, and warm
wood paneling as well as more
contemporary touches. Each of the 45
private rooms is unique; those in the
annexe are furnished in farmhouse style.
Linggplatz 11, 36251; 06621 18 90;
http://www.zumsternhersfeld.deFULDA
Hotel Zum Ritter moderate
With a boutique hotel ambience,
the 150-year-old Zum Ritter is in
a quiet side street a few minutes’ walk
from Fulda’s principal sights. The hotel
has just 33 rooms.
Kanalstrasse 18-20, 36037; 0661 25 08
00; http://www.hotel-ritter.de
Goldener Karpfen
moderate–expensive
This long-established four-star hotel
in Fulda’s attractive old town has an
excellent restaurant. The rooms vary
from slick minimalism to more tradi-
tional styles, complete with antiques.
All rooms have free wireless Internet.
Simpliziusbrunnen 1, 36037; 0661 868
00; http://www.hotel-goldener-karpfen.deBACK ROADS GERMANY
VISITING FULDAParking
Paid on-street parking is available
close to the tourist information office.
Drivers can also use the underground
parking lot on Heertorplatz.
Tourist Information
Bonifatiusplatz 1, 36037; 0661 102 18
14; http://www.tourismus-fulda.de; open daily
Canoeing on Lahn and Fulda rivers
Canoes can be rented with Kanu
Lahn-Dill (Garbenheimer Strasse 21,
35578 Wetzlar; 06445 601 99 70).
Cycle Rental
For cycle rentals contact FMG
Weilburg (Mauerstrasse 6/8, 35781
Weilburg; 06471 13 30).y Rotenburg an der Fulda
Hesse; 36199
Pretty, half-timbered Rotenburg
an der Fulda straddles the Fulda river
and is dominated by the Landgrave’s
castle, the Schloss Rotenburg, which
is now a college of law and finance.
The town preserves poignant
reminders of small-town Jewish life
in Germany before the Holocaust,
including the former Jewish schoolu Bad Hersfeld
Hesse; 36251
The austere ruins of Bad Hersfeld’s
Benediktinerabtei (mid-Mar–Apr &
mid-Sept–Oct: open Tue, Wed & Fri–Sun)
provide a memorable setting for the
spa town’s summer theater festival,
the Festspiele. The museum (closed
Mon), located next to the abbey, has
exhibits on the history of the town
and the region. Bad Hersfeld also has
a splendid twin-gabled Rathaus in
the Weser Renaissance style as well
as many fine half-timbered houses.
ª Leave Bad Hersfeld along the B27/
Frankfurter Strasse and follow this
road to Fulda.t Melsungen
Hesse; 34212
A 16th-century stone bridge
crosses the Fulda at the little spa
town of Melsungen. The town has
a beautiful Altstadt, in which, with
the exceptions of the stone-built
Landgrafenschloss and late-Gothic
parish church, almost all buildings
are half-timbered. Pride of place on
the central market square goes to
the dignified 16th-century Rathaus.
ª Continue along the B83 to reach
Rotenburg an der Fulda.at No. 19 Brotgasse, as well as the
half-timbered building on the
riverside that housed the mikvah,
or ritual bath, which is now a small
museum (06623 24 82; May–Oct: open
on the first Sun or by appointment).
ª Continue on the B83 to Bebra,
then take the B27 to Bad Hersfeld.