Poppy season 2025: Record visitors flock to Germerode and Grandenborn!

Poppy season 2025: Record visitors flock to Germerode and Grandenborn!

The 2025 poppy season in the Werra-Meißner district has officially come to an end, and the results are impressive. Over 20,000 visitors flocked to the charming poppy villages of Germerode and Grandenborn, exceeding last year's numbers, although an exact count was not possible. The crowds were particularly high on Corpus Christi, June 19th, when the purple flowers shone in full splendor.

The poppies began to bloom in Germerode 4-5 days earlier than originally expected, which was a nice surprise for everyone involved. In the fields, plants of the Viola and Zeno Morphex varieties danced in the light wind, while the anticipation of the Mieszko opium poppy blooming grew loud. The weather conditions played their part in the success: rain in May ensured strong plant growth. The total area under poppy cultivation is now an impressive 40 hectares, and the first flowers were spotted in the Werra-Meißner district in 2010.

Attractions and experiences

The new attraction, the poppy hiking trail, now also offers a special experience in Grandenborn with additional seating options for guests. Beautifully scenic and ideal for relaxing walks, the hiking trail was a real magnet. The Landhotel Meißnerhof and the Teichhof also received numerous overnight guests who wanted to enjoy the beauty of the region. Demand for covered wagon rides was particularly high among older visitors, and Zik-Zak goat treks also rounded off the program.

A highlight was the children's Mohni safari in Grandenborn, which took place on Saturday at 10 a.m. This event not only brought families together, but also made traditional farming practices clear and tangible. In order to improve the infrastructure, new toilet facilities with six containers were installed in Germerode, which made it more visitor-friendly.

Products and marketing

Now that the flowering is over, harvest time is upon us. Poppy seed products are very popular, and poppy seed cherry jam stands out along with poppy seed oil, which visitors like to buy. Preparations for marketing these high-quality products are already in full swing. The Mohnkino in Germerode remains open to groups unless requested, and the Mohnwanderweg is available until July 17th, while the Panoramaweg in Germerode remains accessible.

A special feature of the poppy season were the low-morphine poppy varieties, which can now be grown with the approval of the Federal Opium Office. These include the summer poppy variety “Mieszko”, the summer poppy variety “VIOLA” and the winter poppy variety “ZENO MORPHEX”, each of which has a morphine content of less than 0.02%. The opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is one of the oldest cultivated plants in Europe and has a long tradition in agriculture that goes back to ancient times, as Ms. Holle's website mohnbluetefrauholle.land shows.

For the creative among the visitors, there is a photo competition that lasts until August 31, 2025. The best snapshots of the poppy season can be submitted here, which creates additional enthusiasm.

All in all, the 2025 poppy season in the Werra-Meißner district can be considered a complete success. The lively atmosphere in the poppy villages, the wonderful nature and the wide range of activities made this season unforgettable as local farmers look forward to harvesting and marketing their products. Informative background information about poppy cultivation can also be found on the Mohn und Gewürze website mohn-und-gewuerze.de.