German Half-Timbered House Road

Half-timbering connects - Experience the fascination of half-timbering

The German half-timbered house road - one of the most important holiday and cultural routes - was established in 1990 with the establishment of the first regional route “Von Hann. Münden to Alsfeld ”was launched.

Today the German Half-Timbered House Road runs from the Elbe in the north via Upper Lusatia in eastern Saxony to Lake Constance in the south, with seven regional routes through the federal states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Hesse, Thuringia, Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden- Württemberg and has more than 100 member cities. It combines a stock of half-timbered buildings that is unparalleled worldwide in terms of quality and quantity and strings them together as tourist highlights to form attractive routes.

© Wetzlar Kornmarkt © Dominik Ketz, Tourist Information Wetzlar
  • Wetzlar Kornmarkt © Dominik Ketz, Tourist Information Wetzlar

German Half-Timbered House Route makes it possible to experience:

  • Half-timbered buildings, the multitude of facets of which can be seen and experienced in concrete terms in the cities of Deutsche Fachwerkstrasse;
  • the unmistakable tourist offers jointly designed by the partners of Deutsche Fachwerkstrasse;
  • the synergy effects created through joint thinking and acting and through cooperation between those responsible for tourism, which will benefit you as a guest and traveler along the German half-timbered road.

Type of route: Holiday route
Theme: half-timbered
Start / finish: Elbe / Lake Constance
Length approx. 3,500 km
Federal States: Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Thuringia, Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg

700 years of half-timbered history

Over a distance of around 3,500 kilometers, the culture route shows the way through more than 700 years of half-timbered history and leads past magnificent town halls and market squares, proud town houses and picturesque alleys. Some of the oldest still preserved half-timbered buildings can be found on stations on the German Half-Timbered House Road, such as Limburg an der Lahn (from 1290). The locations of the German Half-Timbered House Road, embedded in charming landscapes, offer the guest more than just a living example of an aesthetic, ecological and therefore environmentally friendly construction in wood. Their history, often well over 1,000 years old, is combined with unique historical and cultural events. UNESCO World Heritage sites, UNESCO monuments, but also the "New Building" can be found as well as outstanding artists, writers and poets,

Here Friedrich Schiller saw the light of day, there the young Goethe fell in love with Charlotte Buff, elsewhere the Brothers Grimm collected their world-famous fairy tales and Doctor Eisenbart was even gruesome. Spas and festival locations alternate with nature parks and romantic corners. Äppelwoi and Bockbier were invented here and so hardly any other cultural route should offer its guests such varied culinary delights. 

It is best to travel the German Half-Timbered House Road with a motorhome and use the many parking spaces along the route.

© Markgröningen © Stadt Markgröningen
  • Markgröningen © Stadt Markgröningen
© Celle Stechbahn © ctm GmbH
  • Celle Stechbahn © ctm GmbH

The 8 regional routes of the German Half-Timbered House Road

1
From the River Elbe to the Harz Mountains
2
Upper Lusatian Log and Half-Timbered House Road
3
From the Harz Mountains to the Thuringian Forest
4
From the Weserbergland via North Hesse to the Vogelsberg Mountains and Spessart Uplands
5
From the Westerwald via the Lahn Valley and the Taunus to the River Main
6
From the Rhine to the Main and the Odenwald Forest
7
From the Neckar to the Black Forest and Lake Constance
8
Half-Timbered House Route in Franconia (in foundation)
German Half-Timbered House Road

Impressions

Numerous highlights

Numerous events, festivals and markets offer the visitor variety and inspiration all year round. Whether you travel by car, bike, train or mobile home - on a journey along the German Half-Timbered House Road, you will discover the old craftsmanship and lively traditional customs on the trail of the past.

Germany's oldest northernmost vineyard, the largest Christmas candle in the world, is one of the numerous highlights along the German half-timbered road, as is Germany's only ivory museum, the cradle of the German damask and terry toweling industry and the 50th parallel.

Countless sights can be found on the 8 regional routes. A complete list of all cities and their most popular sightseeing spots can be found here in the link.

© Wetzlar Eisenmarkt © Dominik Ketz, Tourist Information Wetzlar
  • Wetzlar Eisenmarkt © Dominik Ketz, Tourist Information Wetzlar
© Seligenstadt Marktplatz © Mathias Neubauer, Seligenstadt
  • Seligenstadt Marktplatz © Mathias Neubauer, Seligenstadt

German half-timbered cities association

The German Half-Timbered House Road is supported by the "Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutsche Fachwerkstädte e.V." It was founded in 1975, in the European Year of Monument Protection, as a lobby for half-timbered buildings and for the preservation of half-timbered buildings and half-timbered cities. Out of these tasks, the idea grew to draw the attention of locals and guests to the unique timber-framed structure in Germany that is worthy of protection - this is how the German timber-framed street was born. The member cities essentially pursue the intention of combining soft tourism, tradition and lively modernity.

© Mosbach, Marktplatz © Thomas Kottal, Stadt Mosbach
  • Mosbach, Marktplatz © Thomas Kottal, Stadt Mosbach
© Braunfels, Marktplatz © Marco Lupus, Braunfelser Kur Gmbh
  • Braunfels, Marktplatz © Marco Lupus, Braunfelser Kur Gmbh
© Mosbach, Panorama mit Rathaus © Thomas Kottal, Stadt Mosbach
German Half-Timbered House Road

Under the motto "half-timering connects", more than 100 half-timbered towns have now come together to present themselves together.

Official Website
From the River Elbe to the Harz Mountains section

Route guidance with parking space information

You can find further sections of the German Half-Timbered House Road in our "Explorer Map"

This information is a service offer from ALPINE in cooperation with FERIENSTRASSEN.INFO

Contact

Deutsche Facherkstraße in der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutsche Facherkstädte e. V.
Propsteischloss, Roter Bau
Johannesberger Straße 2
D - 36041 Fulda

www.deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de

T +49 (0) 661 / 43680
M info@deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de

GERMAN HALF-TIMBERED HOUSE ROAD