Leisure activities for individuals, families and groups
There are a number of attractive offers in Schotten and the surrounding area that bring you closer to the nature and culture of the Vogelsberg region. You can book some of these offers either as an individual and in small groups or as a larger tour group. You can find a selection with the relevant contact details under >> offers und >> group travel on the website of the Tourist Information Schotten.
Experience the volcanoes outside
We have put together three small hikes for you, which will lead you directly to the cooled traces of the volcanoes in Schotten after your visit to the Vulkaneum. Every tour starts at the Vulkaneum and is marked with a blue, red or black volcano:
VulkanTour 1: Alteburgpark - approx. 1 km
The alteburgpark is only a few minutes' walk away from the Vulkaneum. The park invites you to relax, enjoy and play in nature. You can spend a good hour here with park benches, a boules alley, a boulder wall and a children's playground. The hidden highlight of the park is Schottens waterfall with a cooled lava flow behind it.
- The bridge over the waterfall was destroyed by vandalism and is currently closed. -
VulkanTour 2: Geotop "Warte" - approx. 3 km
If we have caught your interest at the Vulkaneum, we recommend the approx. 3 km long circular route over the "Warte". The path leads you through the historic old town into nature. Adventurous forest trails lead to a former lava flow. Contemporary witnesses overgrown with moss tell of our fiery past. You will be rewarded with a wonderful view of the adventure mountain Hoherodskopf and Schotten, "the city on the green volcano". The Warte is a memorial and a lookout tower - a mystical place with old trees.
Further information and a map of the VulkanTours can be viewed and downloaded >>here.
Excursion tips for our geotopes - a small selection
The suburbs of Schotten, which are located just outside, also offer some geotopes that make the region's volcanic past visible. They are connected to small and larger hiking trails and are an ideal addition to your visit to the Vulkaneum:
Bilstein
One of the most beautiful and, above all, legendary vantage points in Vogelsberg is the 666 m high Bilstein. The place where, according to a legend, Else vom Bilstein did her laundry, lies southeast of Busenborn on the approx. 13 km long >> Gipfeltour-circular route.
If you don't want to walk the whole route, you can park on the L 3338 between the districts of Breungeshain and Sichenhausen at the glider airfield and walk in 15 to 20 minutes to the bizzare rock formation. This originated 19 to 15 million years ago when magma was extracted from a column together with mantle rock. However, the path is worth the effort just for the magnificent view and the view to the Taunus mountains, the skyline of Frankfurt and the Giessener Land.
Taufstein
At 773 m, the Taufstein is the highest elevation in the volcanic region. For hikers, the 8 km >> Höhenrundweg is ideal for exploring the highest mountain in the Vogelsberg. Its start and end point is the information center on the Hoherodskopf. The trail is family-friendly and easy to walk even for inexperienced hikers due to the low incline.
The path along the high moor leads (with a detour to Geiselstein geotope) past the Breungeshainer Heide nature reserve and the Nidda spring. The Nidda rises here and flows into the Main near Frankfurt after about 90 km. Following the course of the Nidda one reaches the trout ponds with their unique flora and fauna. Through the beech forest it goes back to the Hoherodskopf.
- Unfortunately, the Bismarck Tower on the Taufstein is closed until further notice due to structural damage and danger to visitors. -
Geological tree hedge
This special tree hedge (Geologische Baumhecke) is located south of Eichelsachsen and is part of the "Spur der Natur" hike, which is 3.5 km, 5.5 km or 7.5 km long, depending on your preference. This beautifully laid out and walkable tree hedge shows different regional rocks and information boards on the volcanic past as well as on flora and fauna. The "heart" of the hedge is a frozen lava flow, which makes the fiery past of the Vogelsberg visible.
Further information and tour dates can be found at >> http://www.eicheltal.de./ige-spur-der-natur.html
Gackerstein
About 15 million years ago, hot magma broke through older layers of rock on its way to the surface. The associated volcano has since been removed by the forces of nature and is no longer available today. However, the rock of the former volcanic vent still exists and appears today as an overgrown dome. This geotope is recommended mainly due to the beautiful view on the Hoherodskopf and the surrounding hills. It is part of the 13 km long >> Gipfeltour-circular route or can be reached directly from the parking lot at the valley station of the ski lift in Breungeshain.
Geiselstein
Here you are at the "North Pole of the Vogelsberg". However, this has less to do with the temperature than with the extraordinary properties of the volcanic rock. The high iron content makes it magnetic. A compass needle can be deflected in the immediate vicinity of the rock. Instead of the usual north direction, the needle points to the summit. The rock formation at 720 m altitude can be reached in a few minutes by taking a detour on the >> Höhenrundweg or directly from the Heide parking lot on the L 3291.
Uhuklippen and Teufelstisch
Not quite in Schotten anymore - but already well known to our attentive visitors, are the "eagle owl cliffs" and the associated "devil's table" in Grebenhain-Hochwaldhausen. The stone blocks of the eagle owl cliffs, with a length of almost half a km and a height of approx. 10 m, are an impressive natural monument. Many of the rock formations - with a little imagination - form exciting figures or faces and form the basis for the legends that surround the eagle owl cliffs. Accordingly, two forest workers are said to have met the devil here.
The geotope is located south of the country road in the Schelgeswiesenwald. You can park at the "Pflazengarten" in Hochwaldhausen. The geotopes are freely accessible and are part of the volcano ring and the >> Geopfad between Hoherodskopf and Ilbeshausen-Hochwald-hausen.
Geotopes are windows into the history of the earth that make the geological past visible in one place. If you want to encounter the volcanic past of the Vogelsberg, you can take a closer look at these geotopes. They can be found everywhere in the volcanic area.
The >> Geopark Vulkanregion Vogelsberg e. V. has compiled the most impressive geotopes in the Vogelsberg volcanic region on a map in the two flyers "Geotopes in Schotten" and "Geotopes in Ulrichstein, Lautertal & Feldatal". Both flyers are available for download here.
Tourist Information Schotten
If you have any questions on site or need information about your stay in Vogelsberg in advance, the tourist information in the Vulkaneum and in the information center Hoherodskopf will be happy to help you.
You can find more information on >> the website of the Tourist Information Schotten.