Sauerland-Höhenflug: A hiking challenge in Willingen

The tour starts in Korbach at the train station. From here, take the train to Usseln Mitte. Once you arrive at the train station in Usseln, take the Bahnhofsstraße onto the B251. Here we follow the Uplandsteig, a 64km hiking trail that leads around the municipality of Willingen. Passing a ski lift, the trail leads up the Diemeltal valley below the Usseler Heid. At the Diemelquelle spring, it meets the Sauerland-Höhenflug trail, which we now follow to Korbach.The Diemel spring, which rises 650 m above sea level at the junction between the Hessian Upland and the Sauerland, invites you to take a refreshing dip in the Kneipp water. The Sauerland-Höhenflug now climbs steeply and reaches the summit of the Kahle Pön after a good 800 m (listen to the Sauerland-Höhenflug podcast!). The plateau is home to one of the few remaining Hochheide in the region. Mountain meadows, heathland and sparse Buchenwald forests alternate here. Especially in autumn, hikers can expect a sea of color from the blooming heather. These habitats have become rare today, which is why the Usseler Heid is a nature reserve. Kahle-Pön is also home to the Graf Stolberg Hütte hiking hut, which opened in May 2014 and invites you to take a well-earned break with its rustic atmosphere and fantastic views.The high-altitude trail leads through meadows and Heid along the ski lift to the Usseler Kreuz, turns right here and leads up a narrow path to the hut. From here, you have a fantastic view over the Hessian mountains to the Habichtswald and the Warburg Börde.On the way to Kalied, the high-altitude trail passes a boundary stone popularly known as the "Lügenbank", which probably marks the site of a former free court. Emerging from the forest, a breathtaking panorama spreads out before the hiker at the summit of the Kalied. The view extends across the Medebach Bay with the European bird sanctuary to the Kahler Asten and the Eisenberg. Two panorama boards explain the most important landmarks and hikers can find out more about the history and flora and fauna of the mountain meadows and Heid at a refuge.After circling the Kalied, the Höhenflug leads to the Spitzbubenbusch, where traders, notorious for their slyness, used to camp. Here, the Höhenflug turns right and leads steeply downhill through an old and quaint hollow path into the valley. Once you arrive in Düdinghausen, boards on many historic buildings provide information about the eventful and varied history of the village (listen to the Sauerland-Höhenflug podcast!). Due to its border location between the Grafschaft Waldeck and the ecclesiastical principality of Kurköln and its wealth of mineral resources, Düdinghausen was hotly contested for a long time.Directly opposite the church is the "Pastoren Scheune" Heimathaus, a small village museum with a "Dreggestobe" (historical woodturning room), which was set up with immense effort by the village population. The Sauerland-Höhenflug leads along the church down to the L 854, where the Borghagen quarry is located, where fascinating rock formations from the earth's history can be observed. At the same time, a plaque tells you which marine animals lived here in the Lower Carboniferous period (around 320 million years ago). With a bit of luck, you may even find fossils.The high-altitude trail now crosses the country road and leads along a historic Way of the Cross through a beautiful deciduous forest up to the Chapel of the Resurrection on the Kreuzberg. The ascent from 460 m to over 530 m above sea level is strenuous, but the effort is rewarded with a wonderful panoramic view over Düdinghausen. A panorama board explains the landmarks to be seen. There is a parking lot just a few meters below the Chapel of the Resurrection. Anyone who finds the ascent via the Düdinghausen Way of the Cross too strenuous can park here.The hiking trail now leads over the Sehlerberg with beautiful views as far as the valley of the River Katmecke. The Sauerland-Höhenflug leads along the river to the village of Nieder-Schleidern. The village, which only has around 170 inhabitants, suffered greatly in the past due to its location in the disputed border area between the Catholic Electorate of Cologne and the Protestant Waldeck. The existence of two churches in Nieder-Schleidern is evidence of the extent of the conflict between the two denominations.The climb continues along the river Ogge, which is full of variety. Very close to the "Raumbergteich" hiking parking lot with fishing opportunities, a children's playground and barbecue area, the hiking trail crosses the river, leads through the romantic Aar valley below the Sengelscheid mountain and crosses the small body of water again over a wooden bridge. Very close to the footbridge are the remains of a pothouse. This is where the ore extracted from the Eisenberg was crushed and the valuable gold washed out. The Eisenberg near Goldhausen is a real treasure trove and is one of Germany's most productive gold deposits. Between the 11th century and around 1617, a 900 m long, 12 m wide and 9 m deep open-cast mine was painstakingly built here by hand. At the eastern foot of the Eisenberg are large panning heaps where gold was washed out of the rock. Almost 1.5 tons of gold was extracted here in 500 years (listen to the Sauerland-Höhenflug podcast!). Today, however, the deposit is exhausted and a visitor mine was set up in 2003.At the top of the Eisenberg is the Georg Viktor observation tower, built in 1905 in memory of the Prince of Waldeck, from which you can enjoy a magnificent panoramic view as far as Hercules near Kassel and the observation tower on the Dommel near Willingen. Here too, panorama boards explain the points in the landscape. In addition to the visitor mine and the observation tower, you can also visit the remains of a castle on the Eisenberg. The former count's castle was abandoned by the count's family in 1649 after looting and fire and has been used as a quarry since the 18th century. The remains of the former castle were only uncovered between 1974 and 1986. The high-level trail descends from Eisenberg via an old hollow path to the entrance portal. Convicts were once led to the execution site on the Klusenberg near Goldhausen via this "poor sinner's path". The Sauerland-Höhenflug ends at the entrance portal. A 4.5 km long, black-marked access path takes you from the entrance portal to Korbach town center. The walk is worthwhile, as the "gold town" of Korbach has a magnificent Altstadt. Medieval fortifications, stone warehouses, magnificent half-timbered houses, Gothic churches and the town hall with Roland await you in Hessen's only Hanseatic town.The access route ends at the Korbach Museum by the church. From the church square in Korbach, you can reach the train station by first walking along Kilianstraße to Tränkestraße. Here you turn right into Strother Straße. At the large crossroads, turn left onto Heerstraße and follow it to the junction with Arolser Landstraße. Turn right and after a short time you will come to a traffic circle. Here you take the 4th exit, so to speak, and after a few meters you are at the train station.