Sababurg Travel Guide

The Sababurg (near Hofgeismar) is a medieval castle converted into a friendly hotel. The castle is starting point for diverse hiking trips into the Reinhardswald area and the Sababurg forest. In former times, it was surrounded by a rose hedge, so the castle is often connected with the "Dornröschen" fairytale by the Brothers´Grimm.

This oak and beech forest is a not an untouched primeval forest as the word "Urwald" would suggest, but rather a part of the Reinhardswald that has been left (economically) unused since 1907 when it became a nature reserve. Many of these mighty trees have aged up to 500-600 years here, some are already dead, but their hulk is still standing. A couple of hiking paths from 1,5 up to 7,5 km lead through the area. Starting point would be the parking lot "Urwald Sababurg", ca. 1 km before "Tierpark Sababurg".

Hofgeismar is a village north of Kassel, part of the "Märchenstrasse" and "Fachwerkstrasse" tourist itineraries. Apart from being the hub for hiking into the Reinhardswald area, it features a beautiful Oldtown with many historic half-timbered houses. Especially the central market square is worthwhile seeing.

The "Tierpark Sababurg" was once the hunting ground of the local counts (established 1571), who built a wall around the vast area to enjoy their hunting, undisturbed by peasants & poachers. The historic wall - to this day - is still surrounding the park. The park - set in a lovely landscape - specialises in animals of the northern hemisphere, like aurox, european bison, deer and wild horses.