Seesen

The town of Seesen, located on the western edge of the Harz Mountains between the cities of Göttingen and Hanover, was first mentioned in documents as early as 974, making it well over 1,000 years old. Often referred to as "the window to the Harz", the town has had city rights since 1428 and is home to more than 19,000 inhabitants (as of 2023) in an area of around 102.32 square kilometres. In terms of landscape, Seesen is located between the hilly Harz foreland and the Harz Mountains, with the town belonging to the district of Goslar.

The town of Seesen bears the title of "The Window to the Harz" due to a project created as part of a student project, which offers views of historical sights and buildings at a total of seven locations connected by a tour. From here, you can see St Andrew's Church, Sehusa Castle, the town museum, the Ratskeller, the old writing school St Vitusturm and the Bürgerhaus.

The history of the town of Seesen

Over the centuries, the community, which initially consisted of just a few small huts and later a courthouse, had to rebuild itself several times. Fires and wars meant that the town area was sometimes completely destroyed. Despite Seesen's chequered history, some of the historic buildings have survived the test of time and today characterise the image of this small town in the Harz Mountains. Among other things, Seesen is the founding town of the Harzklub, which was founded here in 1886 and has since expanded to more than 90 branch clubs and 16,000 members who are dedicated to preserving Harz customs and maintaining many hiking trails in the region.

Well-known personalities such as the famous poet Wilhelm Busch and Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg once lived in Seesen and still characterise the town today. Further information on the history of the piano-making family can be discovered in the town museum or on the 15-kilometre Steinway Trail. In addition to the town's honorary citizen "William Steinway", son of H.E. Steinway, the museum also presents the life and work of the composer Louis Spohr and the urban development of Seesen.

The Sehusa Festival in Seesen

Every year on the first weekend in September, Seesen hosts northern Germany's largest history festival, the Sehusa Fest, which attracts several thousand visitors to the region. More than 1,000 locals perform historical scenes from the town's history from the Middle Ages to the Rococo period in authentic period costumes.

Leisure and cultural activities and sights in Seesen

One of the town's most important sights is the St Andrew's Church, which dates back to 1702 and is known above all for its excellent acoustics, which repeatedly provide the occasion for numerous high-level classical concerts. It was built as a court and palace church by Duke Rudolf August von Braunschweig, is the only Protestant church in the city centre and is unique in the Braunschweig region thanks to the connection between the altar and pulpit supported by 8 pillars and its two-storey gallery.

Sehusa Castle, or rather its tower, is also a landmark of the town. It was first mentioned in documents as Welfenburg in the 12th century, has been remodelled several times since the middle of the 15th century and is now home to the district court. Although it cannot be visited from the inside in its current state, it also offers a unique view from the outside.

Walkers and nature lovers in particular will get their money's worth in Steinway Park. This is a green area on the edge of the town, named after the famous Seesen resident William Steinway, which offers relaxation, a variety of small paths and ponds as well as a tree nature trail. If you walk past the five ponds, you can discover countless animal and plant species and learn interesting facts about the different tree species. The open-air theatre also hosts a wide variety of events in summer.

The Steinway Park is not the only ideal place for a walk or hike; the so-called Seesen village circuit, which connects the town centre with the nine surrounding villages, is also waiting to be discovered. The loop, which runs around all parts of the town, offers a circular tour which, with a total length of 50 kilometres, is aimed more at e-bike riders, although it can of course also be used on a normal bike or even on foot. Along the route, there are all kinds of stamping points at places worth seeing such as the karst spring in Herrhausen, the Pandelbachhütte in Münchehof or the Wilhelm-Busch-Haus.

Guaranteed leisure fun awaits visitors above all in the Sehusa water world, including numerous attractions such as a sauna area, a bio pool, the saltwater pool, the swimming area with diving tower, the children's pool with magic slide and pirate ship as well as a large outdoor area with sun deck, mud corner, beach sports and the golf course. Seesen also has numerous playgrounds, a mini golf course and a bowling alley.