The Cheese Route ( KäseStraße) in Schleswig-Holstein this year is 10 years old. It has a length of more than 500 kilometres and on it you can travel around Schleswig-Holstein from one cheese dairy to the next.

In many cheese dairies you can buy cheese and many of them are also open to the public and you can learn about how to make cheese.

Especially this year there are many events to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Cheese Route.

On May 9, 2010 there will be a cheese market at the open-air museum Kiekeberg south of Hamburg.

On May 13, 2010 (Ascension Day) there will be a farmyard feast at the organic Dannwisch farmyard near Elmshorn.
From 22 through 24 May, 2010 (Whitsun) there will be a farmyard feast at Gut Behl near Plön. There will be lots of entertainment like a children’s zoo, bull-riding and guided tours of the farm. You can also see how chees is being made and learn about the local cattle breeding. About 20,000 visitors are expected.

From 16 through 18 July, 2010 there will be a cheese and wine feast in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein. It is called “Käse trifft Wein” (cheese meets wine) and here you can not only buy but also taste cheese and wine. And of course Kiel is worth a visit too.

July 24, 2010 you can learn in the Ostenfelder Meierei, the Ostenfeld dairy farm how cheese is made. Ostenfeld is west of Husum.

And last but not least there will again be a farmyard feast at Dannwisch farmyard on September 11, 2010.

And the Cheese Route of course has more to offer than just cheese as the landscape of Schleswig-Holstein really is magnificent and you will not only see the Baltic Sea but also the Schlei Fjord and the North Sea. One of the cheese dairies is on the island of Föhr on the German coast of the North Sea.

Cheese©flickr/CoreForce

A recipe from the Spessart:

Spessart Robber Dish

1 lb of pork fillet, 7 fl oz of sour cream, 7 fl oz of cream, 11 oz of chanterelles, salt, pepper, oil, paprika powder of for those who like it hot chili powder

Cut the fillet of pork in slices and fry them with the oil in a pan. Take them out and stir the sour cream and cream in. Let it boil and add the chanterelles and add salt, pepper and paprika powder. Add the meat.
Tastes good with pasta or the typical regional bread flavoured with caraway, coriander, fennel and aniseed.

Chanterelles©flickr/stefan.eissing

The Spessart is shaped by deep valleys and rolling hills in its mixed forest. In this remarkable landscape you find the largest mixed deciduous forest in Germany.

Spessart2©flickr/spalti

The 2500 square kilometres of the Spessart are bordered on three sides by the Main River. Here you find magnificent oak and beech forests.
A 75 kilometres long watershed is leading from Miltenberg to Schlüchtern and used to be an ancient donkey path. In the Spessart you also find many streams, the largest are the Sinn, Lohr, Bieber, Kahl, and Hafenlohr.
The highest peaks of the Spessart are about 600 metres high, so almost everyone can become a summiteer. The rocks of the Spessart consist of granite, gneiss, and mica schist.  The sandstone is mainly red.

Historically seen the Spessart is very interesting. It used to be an imperial forest only used for hunting before in the 12th and 13th century the first settlers were allowed to live there. The Spessart region was ruled by different rulers which made it easy for robber bands to establish in the area. Best know are the robber bands of the beginning of the 19th century. Wilhelm Hauff wrote his famous novel “Das Wirtshaus im Spessart” in 1828. The last real hight had the robber bands during the time of the breakdown of the German empire. Today tourists can enjoy the magnificent landscape without having to fear to get robbed. It is also said that here in the Spessart you find the historical background to the fairy tail “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.

Along the numerous trade routes in the Spessart you find churches, monasteries, and castles. The glass factory in Lohr is still today producing glass works and mirrors.

Spessart©flickr/spalti

Worth a visit certainly is the moated castle “Burgsinn”, also called Old Castle. The surrounding moat is supplied with water from an underground well. The castle complex has the form of a trapezium with steeples with a height of 22 metres at each corner and an impressive donjon at the entrance of the castle. The Romanic footprint of the complex shows that it was already built in the 10th century.

High above the valley of the Main River you can see the ruin of Schönrain. It was built in Renaissance style around about 1556 on the pillaged walls of a Benedictine monastery.
Triefenstein has to offer quite a lot. Here you can see the monastery Triefenstein, the Burkardusgruft with flowstone cave, the paper mill museum, frame houses and churches. It also is a good starting point for cycling and hiking tours and water skiers can ski on the Main River. In the lake of the monastery you can go swimming and fishing.

In the Spessart Museum in Lohr you can learn a lot about the history of the region. You can learn about ancient crafts of blacksmiths, potters, quarrymen, carpenters or gaffers. A special highlight especially for young visitors certainly is the part about the robber bands. Here you can learn a lot about their secrets.
Those visitors that are more interested in crafts should visit the “Klempner- und Kupferschmiede Museum” where you can see a lot of the work of plumbers and coppersmiths. Traditional methods and techniques are shown as well as work pieces. You find the futuristic building of the museum in the historical center of Karlstadt.

One of the most beautiful bridges in the world is the Carl-Theodor-Brücke (Old Bridge) in Heidelberg. It was built from 1786 to 1788.

At the same place there have been several bridges made of wood between 1310 and 1784 which were destroyed by fire or flood. And even the stone bridge was about to be destroyed at the end of WW2 when on March 29, 1945 parts of it were blown up. But thanks to donations and the help of the citizens of Heidelberg, it was restored again in 1947. The bridge gate with the two towers is a reminder of the Middle Ages and the ape on the western gate is no modern art but was already there in the 15th century. The ape is holding a mirror up to people.

Old Bridge and Castle©flickr/AbhijeetRane

Also interesting is the large wine cask. It was made in 1751 and is the largest wine cask in the world with a capacity of 221,725 litres.

Also very magnificent is the Haus zum Ritter located opposite the Church of the Holy Spirit. It is one of the most beautiful Renaissance houses in Germany. The façade wasn’t destroyed in the great fires of 1689 and 1693.

A landmark is the Heiligenberg. Located opposite the Heidelberg Castle on the bank of the Nekar River it is a mountain formation which played a role in many stories and legends. There you can also find the ruins of the monastery of St. Stephan and the monastery of St. Michael, also the Keltenweg (Celtic path) and the so called Heidenloch (pagan hole) with a depth of 52 metres. In the large amphitheatre you can regularly hear concerts of classical music and on the Heiligenberg there is the Philosophenweg (philosopher’s path).

Heidelberg©flickr/uLe @ Dortmund

Heidelberg Castle can be reached either by car, by bus or by foot. In the yard you can see buildings of different centuries. The Ruprechtsbau was built in about 1400 CE, the library in about 1510 CE, the Königsaal (king’s hall) after 1610 CE, and the Gläserner Saal (glass hall) around about 1544 CE. The Otto Heinrichsbau is a Renaissance building. Worth a visit also is the chapel. From the castle you have a great view over the city.

One part of the city with rural history is Handschuhsheim. Here you can find a castle with a moat around it and the oldest of the Heidelberg churches, St. Vitus.

The mountain railway is something not only children love. You can travel by train from the Kornmarkt up to the highest point of the city, the Königsstuhl which is 550 metres above sea level.
Also great fun for the whole family is a stroll in the city at night with the night-watchman. Some more interesting sights are the Heidelberg Zoo, the Pharmacy Museum and the Botanical Garden. You can also walk through the historical old alleyways or along the Nekar River. Trips by boat are also available.

The University of Heidelberg is more than 800 years old and still plays a great role in science and research.

Regensburg is the capital of the administrative region Upper Palatinate in Bavaria.

Cathedral © Julia Höfer-von Seelen

It is located at the confluence of Danube and Regen. The medieval centre of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the city you find many historical places, fountains and patrician houses. Also the impressive inner courtyards are special in this city near the Bayerischer Wald (Bavarian Forest). Besides the normal inhabitants about 17,000 university students live here.

In the centre of Regensburg you find the Haidplatz on which medieval jousts took place. Today it is a place to stroll and to relax.

Many cafés are to be found in the area around the Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter’s with its high steeples (105 metres). The magnificent glass windows were made in the 13th and 14th century. The official choir for the liturgical music are the famous Regensburger Domspatzen.

Porta Praetoria © Julia Höfer-von Seelen

On the other side of the historical city centre of Regensburg is the St. Emmeram Palace, the home to the Thurn and Taxis family.
Food in Regensburg is very tasty. You can find Dampfnudeln, some sort of sweet dumplings as well as other typical dishes in the restaurant “Wurstkuchl”

A special historic landmark of Regensburg is the stone bridge with 16 stone arches, built in the 12th century. It has a length of almost 340 metres and one of the three towers is sill existing. In that tower you find the Brückentor Museum (the bridge museum). For 800 years this was the only bridge across the River Danube in Regensburg.

Not far from the bridge you can go on cruises along the river. From here you can go on a trip to the Walhala. It is a reproduction of the Pantheon, erected as a Teutonic temple of fame.

Stone Bridge © Julia Höfer-von Seelen

From Regensburg you can also go on trips to Brennberg to the ruin with look-out, to the walking region of Höllbachtal and to Wörth with an ozone indoor pool and the castle. The Bayerischer Wald and the Altmühltal are worth a visit after having seen this beautiful city of Roman origin. The reminder of ancient times is the “Porta Praetoria” built in 179 CE which used to be the northern gate of “Castra Regina” (the Roman name of Regensburg).

Spring in the North of Germany in Husum, Schleswig-Holstein means to get a “blue surprise”. More than 4 million crocuses are blooming in the Schlosspark.

crocus blossom©flickr-southgeist

A legend says that Franciscan monks planted them in the 15th century to get saffron. The monks wanted to dye their grey cowls orange. Another legend tells about the duchess Maria Elisabeth in the 17th century who seemed to have loved saffron pastry. It doesn’t really matter which legend is true because of the fact that you can’t get saffron out of the “crocus neapolitanus” anyway.

It seems almost incredible that this south European plant seems to feel comfortable in the north German climate. Thousands of visitors come each year to see this colourful event. On the 20th and 21st of March 11, 2010 even craftspeople show their works in the Schlosspark and the Krokusblütenkönigin (crocus blossom queen) will be nominated.

Besides that the “grey town by the sea” (die graue Stadt am Meer) of course has a lot more to offer. It is the home of the German poet Theodor Storm. The house he had lived in is in a condition as if he had left it only yesterday. You can visit it in “Wasserreihe 31-35” and you can even see the poet’s corner where he wrote the famous novella “Der Schimmelreiter”.

Husum 1©Julia Höfer-v. Seelen

Another attraction is the inner harbour that was built during the Middle Ages. The western border is a railway balance bridge and on the northern quay wall you will find the MS Nordertor, a restaurant ship where you get good food. On the other side there are railtracks leading directly to the modern guild hall. They belong to an old shipyard.
Right at the port you will also find the North Friesland shipping museum, where you can learn about the history of whaling and fishing. A special sight is the “sugar ship”, the wreck of a sailing ship from the 16th century. You can even see some of the personal belongings of the ship owner there.
In the Nordsee Museum in the Nissenhaus you can learn about the tides and the development of dyke construction and of course about the people of the town and their life between high tide and low tide. One part of the museum is dedicated to its founder Ludwig Nissen, the son of a tradesman, who became a wealthy jewellery dealer in New York.

The true landmark of the town though is the “Trine”, the sculpture of a fisherman’s wife with typical clogs.

When you visit Husum you should also try the typical brown bread with shrimps and fried egg, called “Halligbrot” or the Matjes herring.

Husum 3©Julia Höfer-v. Seelen

Saarland

Beckingen-Düppenweiler:

Kupferbergwerk

“Mystallica” tries to build a bridge from traditional mining to recreational activities for tourists and entertainment with the help of light and sound effects. www.dueppenweiler.de/Kupferbergwerk/Kupferbergwerk.htm

Bexbach:

Saarländisches Bergbaumuseum

Here you can see mining technology and history amidst a great park with beautiful flowers. www.saarl-bergbaumuseum-bexbach.de

The Saarland is one of the 16 states of Germany and also the smallest of the Flächenländer (area states).

Having been between French and German powers for a long time has given the Saarland its unique history. After WW1 the region was administered by France and after WW2 in 1957 it joined the Federal Republic of Germany (Western Germany).

Saar©flickr/Wolfgang Staudt

The Saarland borders France and Luxembourg and not surprisingly the region is famous for its excellent food. There are even cycling tours available on which you can explore the magnificent landscape by bike and enjoy an extraordinary meal in the evening. But you can also experience the region on the many hiking trails.

At Easter you should visit the Easter Market in St. Wendel. A large Easter crown decorated with many eggs will be placed on the market place and you can buy handicraft goods and for the kids a little zoo is set up.

The capital of the Saarland is Saarbrücken. It used to be the centre of a great coal basin and is a perfect travel destination for a daytrip. In Saarbrücken you can see 18th century buildings erected during the Baroque period. Other historic landmarks ar a stone bridge across the Saar River built in 1546, the Gothic church of St. Arnual and the castle built in the 18th century. In the numerous museums you can learn about the history of the city and region and see beautiful paintings.

The city of Saarlouis was founded by the French king Louis XIV in 1680. It is the secret capital of the Saarland. From 1680 to 1683 the “Kommandantur” (military headquarters) was built as a French government building. The Gobelin Hall houses historical Gobelins produced in the royal French manufactory in Aubusson.

Of course day trips to France and Luxembourg are a good way too to experience the whole region and maybe discover the differences.

A recipe from Bavaria.

2 cups flour, 0.6 oz baking powder, salt, 5 slices of brown bread, 5 rolls, 5 eggs, ¼ cup  bouillon or vegetable stock, 1 fl oz of milk

Take a large dish and mix flour and baking powder. Add two eggs to the bouillon add the milk and stir. Put in the 5 rolls without crust and turn hem over from time to time. Dice the brown bread. Mix the 3 eggs well with the flour and add the brown bread and a little salt. Take the rolls one by one and cover them with the mixture. Cook in boiling water for about 25 minutes.

Good with sour or smoked meat.

It is Germany’s first national park! Its large area offers all facets of a wild landscape, with swamps, mountain streams and lakes. The nature here really is still untouched.

The Bayerische Wald is located in Bavaria in the southeast of Germany between the Danube and the mountains, on the Czech border. In Germany the national park is called Bayerischer Wald and Oberer Bayerischer Wald. In the Chech Republic it is called Sumava National Park.

In the area you still find numerous glass factories which are there since the times of the ancient trade routes in 1010. The art of glass-making probably came to the region with the trade between Bohemia and the Salzkammergut in Austria. So if you are looking for a unique souvenir, in one of the glass factories you certainly find one.
Hikers interested in culture and religion will find several pilgrim churches, chapels but as well historic monuments in the area. Old mills, town walls, fountains and bridges are only some of the architectural monuments in the Bayerischer Wald.

And lovers of castles and palaces will find a lot to discover too. There are the castle complex of Ranfels, the ruins of Kaltenstein of Fürsteneck and many others.

And as it is a national park there is lots of nature in the Bayerischer Wald too. South of Waldkirchen there is the nature reserve Saussbachklamm. Here you can walk along the stream and see large rocks in the midst of a shady forest. The path was built in 1905. In the region between the mountains Rachel and Lusen you will find the last white waters, the River Ilz. It is flowing through the mountainous region into the Rivers Danube and Inn at Passau. Here you find many hiking and cycling trails. If you rather see the swamp areas you should choose the Sonndorf and Klosterfilz regions.

Everywhere you get of course Bavaria’s liquid bread, the traditional beer, but also local specialties like sausages from Regensburg, smoked meat or carp. Also very tasty are the potato and pastry dishes like the typical dumplings from Deggendorf. The Schnaps “Blutwurz” and “Bärwurz” are not everybody’s taste.
In summer you can go swimming in one of the several lakes in the region and in winter you can go skiing.

Bayerischer Wald©flickr/dev null