In Ilm District, you can encounter a variety of traces of the region: a Baroque doll town, museums with distinctive themes, art along the way, and routes ranging from short to long. In Arnstadt, the Baroque doll town “Mon plaisir” is housed in the New Palace. Along the Kleinbreitenbach Art Trail, artworks can be found at, among other places, a Romanesque fortified church, the cemetery and the village.
Collections, local history and culture
In Großbreitenbach, the Thuringian Forest Creative Museum includes the 1st German Dumpling Press Museum. Other museums are located in Frauenwald, Neustadt am Rennsteig, Geraberg and Gräfenroda: the Bunker Museum, the Rennsteig Museum, the Thermometer Museum and the Dwarf Museum. In Gehren, the Town and Castle Museum presents the history of the princely house and the castle. Today, the castle ruins and park serve, among other things, as a cultural venue for the major Castle Park Festival in August. In Langewiesen, the “Volle Rose” show mine is recommended as a leisure activity.
The Kleinbreitenbach Art Trail is two kilometres long. Its artworks adorn the Romanesque fortified church, the cemetery and the church forecourt, as well as the village and the path at the edge of the village. The art is therefore spread across several locations along the route. For a different perspective on local history, the Goethe Hiking Trail leads through Thuringian Forest landscapes to places where Goethe worked in Ilmenau and the surrounding area, as far as StĂĽtzerbach.
Hiking trails on different scales
The 21-kilometre Pilzsteig trail leads from Gehren over the Langer Berg to the European Mushroom Park in Gillersdorf, then continues through the Reicheltal valley to Neustadt am Rennsteig. Much longer, the 135-kilometre Schwarzatal Panorama Trail runs through the districts of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, Ilm District, Hildburghausen and Sonneberg, connecting the Rennsteig with the castle landscape along the Saale. The different lengths and routes make it easy to compare options when choosing between a short themed route and a long-distance hike.
The Rennsteig also crosses Ilm District, coming from Oberhof and heading towards Masserberg. In the Rennsteig region of Ilm District, elevations exceed 900 metres; the high-altitude trail shapes the landscape. The approximately 6.5-kilometre Climate Trail in Geraberg is laid out as an educational trail with more than 20 information boards. It explains natural phenomena relating to weather and climate in a scientifically sound and accessible way. In Frauenwald, the four-kilometre Dwarf Trail is designed as a children’s trail; the start and finish are at the Frauenwald Tourist Information Office.
Cycling routes, highlands and regional cuisine
The Ilmtal Cycle Route is 123 kilometres long in total and runs for 45 kilometres through Ilm District; it is certified with four stars. The Ilm-Rennsteig Cycle Route follows a former railway line and leads from Ilmenau to Großbreitenbach or Neustadt am Rennsteig. Along the way, it connects the Ilmtal Cycle Route with the Rennsteig Cycle Route. The route is almost entirely paved and signposted as a cycle street. Another themed route is the 54-kilometre Bach Cycling Adventure Route through the towns and landscapes of the districts of Gotha and Ilm District, which shaped Johann Sebastian Bach’s childhood and youth.
The Langer Berg is a ridge 808 metres high, seven kilometres long and about two kilometres wide. It lies in the northern Thuringian Forest and forms the watershed between the Ilm to the west and the Saale to the east. The Reinsberge offer views across the foothills of the Thuringian Forest from a 600-metre-high shell limestone cliff. From the 861-metre-high Kickelhahn, the local mountain of Ilmenau, the view reaches as far as the Harz Mountains on a clear day. Thus, alongside elevation, the variety of landscapes and viewpoints can help guide your choice.
Thuringian dumplings, Thuringian Rostbrätel and Thuringian Rostbratwurst are among the regional culinary highlights. The 1st German Bratwurst Museum is located in Holzhausen. If you are travelling with a campsite as your accommodation, there are sites in Frankenhain by the Lütsche Reservoir, in Großbreitenbach by the outdoor swimming pool and in Manebach in the Ilm valley. Check availability before travelling.
Discover more places in Ilm District: Großbreitenbach, Neustadt am Rennsteig, Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig, Altenfeld, Geraberg, Wachsenburggemeinde, Herschdorf, Friedersdorf, Geschwenda, Ilmenau, Frauenwald, Großliebringen, Gehlberg, Arnstadt, Stützerbach, Frankenhain, Bücheloh, Behringen, Elgersburg, Kirchheim, Elleben, Gehren, Plaue, Ichtershausen, Gräfenroda, Langewiesen, Pennewitz, Wipfratal, Ilmtal, Wolfsberg, Stadtilm, Elxleben, Bösleben-Wüllersleben and Möhrenbach.
For the main travel overview: Thuringia.
