In Neustadt am Rennsteig, hiking trails, sweeping views across the Thuringian Forest and a long local history come together. The town lies in the southeastern part of the Thuringian Forest Nature Park. The Rennsteig high trail runs right through Neustadt am Rennsteig; from there, you can enjoy panoramic views across the vast Thuringian Forest.
Hiking between the high trail and side valleys
When planning a hike, it is worth distinguishing between the Rennsteig and the network of hiking trails: the high trail passes through the town, while the well-marked network of trails from Neustadt am Rennsteig leads into the surrounding side valleys. This gives you a choice between a named high trail and routes with different destinations in the surrounding area.
The landscape is also part of the town’s character. If you are interested in the Rennsteig, you will find it here not just as the name of a destination, but as a trail running right through Neustadt. If you want to explore the side valleys, you can follow the marked network of trails. Conditions on individual trails may change; check them before setting out on a specific hike.
More than 530 years of local history
Neustadt am Rennsteig is more than 530 years old. The town’s former working life included several named professions: charcoal burners, pitch boilers, glassmakers, sponge beaters and match manufacturers worked here. This list shows that the town’s history offers a distinct subject for a visit alongside its hiking attractions. The professions themselves are the specific point of reference: they represent work carried out in Neustadt in an earlier period.
The Rennsteig also played a historical role as a border in Neustadt. Until 1923, it also ran along the border between the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The well-known route is thus connected in the town’s history with a former territorial border. The date marks the end of this historical function.
A distinct cultural and landscape perspective on GroĂźbreitenbach
The wider destination of GroĂźbreitenbach offers a distinct regional context. GroĂźbreitenbach stretches across a plateau between Langer Berg, the Schwarza Valley and the Rennsteig long-distance hiking trail. The town is a state-recognised health resort and lies around 50 kilometres south of Erfurt and about 15 kilometres southeast of Ilmenau. These landscape and distance details refer to GroĂźbreitenbach.
A prominent cultural attraction in the wider destination of Großbreitenbach is St. Trinitatis Church. It has 600 seats and is Thuringia’s largest half-timbered church. Its history includes the previous church: St. John’s Church was built in 1570 and had fallen into disrepair when St. Trinitatis was built as its replacement from 1679 onwards. In 1771, St. John’s Church collapsed, apart from its church tower.
St. Trinitatis Church was built to the plans of Andreas Rudolphi, the Saxon-Gotha court architect, and consecrated in 1690. The building, entirely clad in slate, has a striking hexagonal roof turret on the steep roof of its wide nave. The wooden baptismal stand is also part of the building’s history: it dates from 1677 and was transferred from the old St. John’s Church. Großbreitenbach thus offers a distinct cultural attraction where visitors can explore architectural history, furnishings carried over from the earlier church and characteristic features.
Tailor your stay
The themes of the wider destination of GroĂźbreitenbach offer a distinct cultural and landscape history perspective.
Discover more destinations: Altenfeld, Arnstadt, Ilmenau, Gräfenroda, Bücheloh, Stützerbach, Kirchheim, Gehlberg
Back to the overview of the wider destination: Ilm District.
