Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [480]
The park is easiest to visit if you’ve got your own wheels but public transport (www.nvv.de, in German) is also an option. Buses lead into the park from the train stations in Bad Wildungen, Frankenberg and Korbach (linked to Kassel by the R4). Bus 555 (runs every hour or two Monday to Friday, six times on Saturday, two or three times on Sunday and holidays) links the NationalparkZentrum with both Frankenberg and Korbach. Bus 521 goes from Bad Wildungen to the Edersee.
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FULDA
0661 / pop 64,000
Graced with elegant flower gardens and some transcendent baroque architecture, Fulda – founded as a Benedictine monastery in 744 – also has some good-value hotels, making it ideal for a romantic break that will leave you baroque but not broke.
During the Cold War, the famous ‘Fulda Gap’, the lowland area running northeast from Frankfurt via Fulda to the East German town of Eisenach, was seen by both sides as a potential Warsaw Pact invasion route. As a result, significant numbers of American troops were stationed in the area until the early 1990s.
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Orientation & Information
The north–south Pauluspromenade separates the Stadtschloss and its gardens, to the east, from the Dom and Michaelskirche, to the west. The tourist office is at the southern end of Pauluspromenade; the attractive, pedestrianised Altstadt is a block further south. The Hauptbahnhof is about 600m east of the centre, at the northeastern end of Bahnhofstrasse.
ATMs There are several at the bottom of Bahnhofstrasse.
Tourist information ( 102 1813; www.tourismus-fulda.de; Bonifatiusplatz 1; 9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-4pm Sat & Sun)
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Sights
Across the street from the tourist office, the Stadtschloss (Town Castle; 102 1469) was built from 1706 to 1721 as the residence of Fulda’s prince-abbots. It now houses the city administration and function rooms. Worth visiting are the ornate Historische Räume (historic rooms; adult/student €3/2; 10am-6pm, closed to 2pm Fri), which is a grandiose banquet hall. It’s possible to climb the octagonal Schlossturm (tower; Apr-Oct) for great views of the town and the baroque and English-style Schlossgarten (palace gardens), where locals play pétanque (boules) and sunbathe in summer. On its northern edge are the baroque Floravase sculpture and the neoclassical Orangerie (now occupied by the Maritim Hotel).
Inside the baroque Dom (cathedral; 7am-6pm Mon-Sat, 7am-7.30pm Sun Apr-Oct, 7am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10.30am-7.30pm Sun Nov-Mar), built from 1704 to 1712, you’ll find gilded furnishings, plenty of putti (figures of infant boys), some dramatic statues (eg to the left of the altar) and the tomb of St Boniface, who died a martyr in 754. There are organ recitals (www.orgelmusik.bistum-fulda.de, in German; adult/concession €3.50/2.50) here at noon every Saturday during May, June, September, October and December.
Treasures in the Dommuseum (Cathedral Museum; 872 07; adult/student €2.10/1.30; 10am-5.30pm Tue-Sat, 12.30-5.30pm Sun & holidays Apr-Oct, 10am-12.30pm & 1.30-4pm Tue-Sat, 12.30-4pm Sun Nov-Mar, closed mid-Jan–mid-Feb), reached through a delightful garden, include the spectacular Silver Altar and a spooky object reported to be part of the skull of St Boniface.
A short walk north is the chapel-sized Michaelskirche ( 10am-6pm Apr-Oct, 10am-noon & 2-5pm Nov-Mar), easy to spot thanks to its round witch’s-hat tower. The rotunda and crypt are 9th-century Carolingian.
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Sleeping & Eating
Traditional eating options can be found in the Altstadt.
DJH hostel ( 733 89; www.jugendherberge.de; Schirrmannstrasse 31; dm from €21; ) Clean and friendly, this 45-room hostel is 3.5km southwest of the centre. Take bus 3 to the Stadion stop.
Wiesenmühle ( 928 680; www.wiesenmuehle.de, in German; Wiesenmühlenstrasse 13; s/d/tr €60/89/105; beer garden 10.30am-1am, restaurant 11am-2.30pm & 5.30-11pm) Four