Premium route P27 Ludwigstein

The reconstruction of the medieval Ludwigstein Castle is closely linked to the Wandervogel movement. In times of industrialization, people were drawn to the solitude of the forests. Thus, the castle, which had been decaying for years, was rediscovered. Enno Narten, a Wandervogel from Hanover, acquired the castle in 1908. Gradually it was developed into a youth castle, accommodation for youth groups. More about this is told in the "Path of the Youth Movement" starting here.

Even today, it is still pleasant to hike around Ludwigstein Castle: The premium route P27 Ludwigstein leads through deciduous forest as well as open land shaped by cherry orchards and traditional orchards. Highlights of the certified circular route are the view from the Großer Habichtstein and the two-castle view.

The second castle, the Hanstein castle ruin, is a landmark of the Thuringian Eichsfeld region. For decades, the almost impenetrable inner German border, part of the pan-European Iron Curtain, lay between the two castles, on whose area today lies the largest contiguous biotope in Europe. In Hesse and Thuringia, the Green Belt is now protected as a National Natural Monument.

At the youth castle Ludwigstein, the routes of the Werra Castles Trail diverge. The Werra Castles Trail Hesse, certified by the German Hiking Association, leads to Tannenburg in Nentershausen. The Thuringian route guides you along the Werra River to the Hanstein castle ruin. There, you also have a connection to the TOP route Hanstein-Teufelskanzel.