Architecture + hiking in the Rhön

High-quality wooden architecture and high mountains - Vorarlberg comes to mind for many architects, but a touch of both also blows in the Rhön. Although, it sometimes hurts a lot there. Austria is not close for everyone and the Rhön is centrally located in Germany, easy to reach from Fulda. It is an intercity hub and is centrally located in the motorway network, but also an insider tip for lovers of modern architecture.

Our suggestion: an architecture + hiking weekend in Fulda and the Rhön.

Fulda is famous for St. Boniface, the Romanesque St Michaelskirche and the baroque cathedral. In the post-war period, Sep Ruf built a department store and a chapel here, and it has been thanks to the work of a number of architects' offices and a town planning officer since the early 2000s that Fulda, with its modern buildings and plans, has stood out among towns of similar size.

Again a small number of architectural offices, but also wood construction companies anchored in the region, are largely responsible for the fact that there are some remarkable modern wooden buildings in the Rhön. The density is not that high, so you should also enjoy hiking for this tour. An impression of high mountains is offered in the area of the Wasserkuppe (950 m) and Milseburg (840 m). With a constant view of this mountain panorama, but in a slightly hilly landscape, you can walk in the Rhön foothills near Fulda. There you will also find the reform settlement 'Loheland', which was founded in the 1920s by two women as a school campus for gymnastics, agriculture and handicrafts.

If you want to go to the real Vorarlberg, we recommend contacting Guiding Architects Bregenz to record.

Fa Baumgarten Weyhers Copyright: Fa Baumgarten

The tour proposal is planned for 3 days: Thursdays - Saturdays or Fridays - Sundays, with an overnight stay in Fulda and one in the Rhön. The tour begins in the afternoon of the first day with a walk through Fulda along selected modern buildings. An interior inspection can be requested from architects or users. On the second day, the luggage is picked up so that a light daypack is sufficient for the hike. The route selection is based on the beauty of the landscape, with 1-3 interesting buildings along the way: so real hiking, spiced with a bit of architecture. For dinner, relax and stay the night, there are two hotels with rural charm to choose from. After breakfast on the third day, a smaller course with a tour can follow. A final drink ends the excursion. In any case, it goes back to Fulda, where the heavy luggage is received again and then the journey home.

This tour can be extended by another day.

  • duration: 3 days, optionally 4 days
  • Getting Around: with street shoes in Fulda, with hiking boots in the Rhön, intermediate transfer with public (there is a good bus network) or rented bus
  • Services: Experienced hiking-happy architect as a guide, on request guided tour in buildings by architect or user, 2 x hotel accommodation, welcome at the hotel / meeting point, 2 x dinner, 2 x lunch, coffee, transfer.
  • Languages: German, English, Dutch
  • Group size: 8-15 people
  • Price: 3 day tour from approx. 600.00  pp for 8 people, from approx. € 450 for 15 people based on double rooms

Not included: getting there

All this information only gives a rough overview. We would be happy to provide you with further information on the range of possibilities, and tailor the level of exertion of the hike as well as the rest of the program according to your wishes

House at the vegetable market in Fulda

project selection

Modern architecture in Fulda

Baumgarten Weyhers company Copyright Fa Baumgarten

Modern architecture in the Rhön

Historic architecture

  • Reformsiedlung Loheland (from 1919)
  • Painter village of Kleinsassen