Hike around the Imperial Cathedral of Königslutter
On this Sunday, I had actually planned to go to the Harz mountains, but Mr. Weselsky didn’t want to go:-( So, my friends from the Harz simply came to me instead. In advance, I naturally wondered what I could offer the two experienced and spoiled hikers with a clear conscience. This consideration led me to Königslutter’s magnificent building, the Imperial Cathedral. And bingo: The trip was a complete success. On this day, not only did the sun shine, but our hearts also opened wide in the Imperial Cathedral and later in the Reitlingstal valley.
Königslutter and its Imperial Cathedral
The small town at the Elm, known in certain circles as Kingstontown, offers a magnificent building that one might not expect here: the Imperial Cathedral. I dare say that this cathedral will surprise even experienced cathedral-goers. The paintings inside the cathedral alone are worth a visit. The interior is adorned with colorful art dating back to 1890. Biblical depictions and decorative frames alternate. Together with the church furnishings from the same period – windows, altars, pews, chandeliers, pulpit, and organ – they form a significant work of historicism. We, in any case, entered the cathedral in awe and left it enthusiastically later on. What a start!
On to Lutterspring
As we leave the Imperial Cathedral, the cold morning air has already warmed up. We stroll along the cathedral wall and reach the Lutter stream. We walk along the beautiful stream, aiming to reach the Lutter spring. Occasionally, our path is hindered by fallen trees. Otherwise, we enjoy the sparkling water and a small waterfall, artificially created 150 years ago for the spa guests. Just a few minutes later, we reach Lutterspring. From there, we continue to the Hainholz quarry.
In fact, we get a little lost on the extensive grounds and realize that we are not the only ones. Eventually, Christian turns on his GPS, so we soon find our way again. Now we are on the path to the large radio tower in the Elm, the Drachenberg transmitter. The 181-meter-high guyed lattice steel mast was used for broadcasting radio programs on FM and DAB. In the early days, the analog program of Deutschlandfunk was broadcast from here on FM in addition to shortwave. We reach the small shelter here and have another understanding problem with the directions. Christian once again gets us back on track. A sign also tells us that we will soon reach the inn in Reitlingstal valley. That sounds promising.
A place in the sun
We arrive at the inn and enthusiastically find that there are already outdoor seats. The most beautiful seating, not only directly in the sun but also with a magnificent view over the Reitlingstal valley, is still occupied. But: the “occupants” have just pulled out their wallets and are about to leave. We can hardly believe our luck and immediately occupy the beautiful wooden bench. Now, however, comes our biggest problem: How do we manage to leave this paradise-like place again? Considering the fact that we still have seven kilometers of return journey ahead of us and the sun will soon set, we eventually manage to tear ourselves away.
The way back via Tetzelstein is quite long. We have long since left the described route, but never mind, the main thing is that we get back. With the beautiful early spring weather, there is a lot going on at the Tetzelstein forest inn. However, the focal point is clearly a vehicle in front of the inn’s gates. First, we see a cow on wheels, which is, of course, not real. The cow is attached to a motorcycle. The motorcycle, in turn, has a sidecar. And in this sidecar sits none other than a very large, beige teddy bear, of the kind you can shoot at the fair. It’s all so curious that almost everyone passing by takes a photo.
We pass the inn and Tetzelstein and turn left. The remaining path leads us through the Elm forest. Soon we are on a wide forest path, parallel to the highway towards Königslutter. It’s slowly getting dusk, and the fading attractiveness of the surroundings gives us the feeling that the way back is endless. Suddenly, however, it becomes exciting again. We cross a meadow in the twilight and just in time see that there is a wire fence at the end. One of us still somersaults despite this. But everything is fine. Going downhill, we pass a kind of nursing home, and then we see the towers of the Imperial Cathedral ahead of us again. In the last evening light and after a good 16 kilometers, we reach our starting point. The hike has also convinced the pros from the Harz mountains.
