Eichsfeld, Rural district in Thuringia, Germany.
The Eichsfeld is a rural district in the north of Thuringia, stretching over gentle hills and forested areas up to the border with Lower Saxony. The landscape is shaped by small villages, fields and meadows that lie between wooded ridges and connect to the Harz foothills in the north.
The area belonged to the Archbishopric of Mainz for centuries and remained Catholic while surrounding territories became Protestant in the 16th century. After secularization in the early 19th century, the region changed hands several times before becoming part of Thuringia in 1945.
The name comes from a medieval forest and now refers to a landscape between the Harz mountains and the Thuringian Basin. Catholic traditions remain visible in village churches and local feast days that differ from those in the Protestant regions surrounding this part of Thuringia.
Heilbad Heiligenstadt is the district seat and offers information points for visitors who want to explore hiking trails and cycling routes through the hilly countryside. Smaller towns and villages are accessible via country roads that wind through valleys and over ridges.
The headwaters of both the Leine and Unstrut rivers originate within the district, giving the area an important role in regional hydrology. Scattered beech forests on the ridges count among the oldest in the region.
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