Walsrode

Walsrode is a town of 30,000 people (2021) on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany. The city is known nationally for the Weltvogelpark Walsrode, the world's largest bird park.

Understand
Walsrode was first mentioned in 986, the same year that Count Walo founded a monastery in the area. By 1383, it had been given city rights by the Dukes of Brunswick and Lüneburg. The Sculptor Hans Brüggemann, most famous for the cathdral's Bordesholmer altar, was born in Walsrode at the end of the 15th century.

The city was largely destroyed in 1626 by Tilly's troops in the Thirty Year War. The war began because of a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics. Walsrode was largely a Protestant town and was thus destroyed by Johann t’Serclaes von Tilly. Things did not get any better for Walsrode in 1757, when the majority of houses were destroyed by the "Great Fire".

Walsrode was connected to the railway network in 1890. It was joined to the railway line that went to Bremervörde, and eventually connected to the line between Hannover and Schwarmstedt.

The local poet Hermann Löns used his beloved heath around Walsrode for his novels and poems celebrating the people and landscape. You can still feel the magic of this vast landscape, with its splashes of colour from purple flowering heather, dark green junipers and bright yellow gorse bushes, surrounded by colourful forests, fertile fields and rolling river valleys. Hermann Löns was buried in 1935 in Tietlingen grove.

In 1957 Walsrode became the site of the Federal Border Police where they also have a training and education centre.

By plane

 * Hamburg International Airport, 8 km north of Hamburg, is about 125 km north from Walsrode, roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes' drive.
 * Hanover Airport, 11 km north of Hanover, is about 56 km south of Walsrode, roughly 35 minutes' drive.
 * Bremen Airport is about 65 km northwest of Walsrode in Bremen, roughly 45 minutes' drive.

By car

 * From Bremen - Approaching the "Bremer Kreuz" via the A1 turn off onto the A27 towards Walsrode - Hanover and continue to junction Walsrode-West.
 * From Hamburg - A7 towards Hanover up to Fallingbostel junction. Follow the B209 to Walsrode for 7 km.
 * From Hanover - A7 towards Hamburg. At "Walsrode Dreieck" turn off onto the A27 towards Bremen and continue to junction/exit Walsrode-West. Follow the B209 to Walsrode for 2 km.

By train
There is one train station in Walsrode and it is just a short walk from the centre itself. This provides a Regional service and is on the Heath Railway. This section of railway goes from Hannover to Soltau but can also come from Hamburg with a few changes along the way, however this can take up to 3 hours. Trains run roughly from 04:30 to 21:00. The train also passes through Bad Fallingbostel, Soltau, Schwarmstedt, Bennemühlen, and Langenhagen on its way to Walsrode.

By bus
There is a local bus from Hannover that can take you into Walsrode. It is on the R41 line and departs all throughout the week with a number of different timing options; it will take roughly an hour. You can also get a bus from Hamburg on the same line, however it could take up to 2½ hours. For more information look at: Buses

By train
Walsrode Station provides Regionalbahn trains which offers a basic service. It provides a connection between Hanover and Soltau. It is part of the Heath railway which connects Hannover to Buchholz in der Nordheide. This train station also lies on the America line which connects from Bremen to Uelzen.

By bike
There are a number of different bike routes that you can take in and around Walsrode, some specifically for bike racing and some for mountain biking. There is also a historical tour that you can take where you can learn more about Hans Löns which is 5km long. If you do not have your bike with you there is also the possibility to rent a bike for the day. Many of the hotels in and around the area often hire bikes out for the day for a small fee of €6-10.
 * Fahrradhaus Unruh, Benzer Straße 27. Open daily from 09:30-18:00

By taxi
There are a number of taxi firms in Walsrode, and there are a always some taxis outside the train station that you can jump in.

Parks
The central city area has a well-branched network of parks and inner-city recreational areas, which are each decorated differently and equipped according to purpose:



Nearby




Sport

 * Hiking Walsrode has more than 700 km of hiking trails running through and around it.

Buy
There are a wide variety of shops within the town centre which include clothes, pets, electronics and homeware. There is a one way circuit within Walsrode and you will find the majority of shops along these roads. The shops are open M-F until 18:00, Sa roughly till 14:00 and are closed on Sundays. There is a small department store in the centre of Walsrode called City Kaufhaus, you will find everything here from computer games, books and clothes.


 * Walsrode Farmers' Market is every Friday morning and sells fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers.

Eat
Walsrode is within the Luneburg Heide region where the Heideschnucke (moorland sheep) is bred on the moors where they feast on heather and birch tree shoots. It is often found on many of the restaurant menus and has a gamey flavour to it, it is often compared to venison.

Mid-range

 * Calabria is an Italian pizzeria with a small amount of seating in the "Grosse Graben". It serves pizza, and a vast array of pasta dishes. It is also renowned for its cappuccino. The traditional bruschetta is a dream and this followed by a calzone is a fantastic traditional Italian meal. The prices are good too.
 * Calabria is an Italian pizzeria with a small amount of seating in the "Grosse Graben". It serves pizza, and a vast array of pasta dishes. It is also renowned for its cappuccino. The traditional bruschetta is a dream and this followed by a calzone is a fantastic traditional Italian meal. The prices are good too.
 * Calabria is an Italian pizzeria with a small amount of seating in the "Grosse Graben". It serves pizza, and a vast array of pasta dishes. It is also renowned for its cappuccino. The traditional bruschetta is a dream and this followed by a calzone is a fantastic traditional Italian meal. The prices are good too.

Go next
Bad Fallingbostel is a small town with a number of little shops and a large selection of restaurants. There is a large park in the centre of the town where you can relax by the stream.

Soltau is a large town with a variety of shops and a wide range of restaurants to choose from. There are a number of parks and building of interest to look at whilst you are there.

Bremen is a large city that has over 1200 years of history and has many original medieval buildings. There are plenty of restaurants and places to visit around the city, it is worth a visit.

Hanover is another large city with a variety of different things to do, the new town hall is worth a visit. If you want to see all 36 places of interest why not follow the red thread around the city.