Steinach offers several distinct reasons to visit: its castle, museums devoted to slate and toys, marked hiking trails, and seasonal events. When planning, you can first decide whether culture, outdoor activities or an Advent event will shape your stay.
Castles, slate and toys
The New Palace in Steinach was built between 1747 and 1755. It adds a historic touch alongside cultural attractions shaped more by materials and craftsmanship. The German Slate Museum offers an engaging look at how slate is formed, extracted and processed, with a particular focus on slate used for making writing slates. The Steinach Toy Box features wooden toys, dolls, historic ship models and Marolin papier-mâché figures made in Steinach.
The collections offer different ways to explore these subjects: the Slate Museum traces the material through to its processing, while the Toy Box displays different types of toys and figures connected with Steinach’s production. If you would like to visit the Toy Box, check the current visiting arrangements in advance.
Hiking trails and activities
The well-marked hiking trail network includes five circular routes created and maintained by the Thüringerwald Verein Steinach e.V. It also includes the Griffelpfad, the “6 Kuppen-Steig” and a high-altitude trail to the neighboring town of Lauscha. The selection ranges from circular routes to named trails with specific destinations. When planning your day, choose a specific route based on the kind of trail you are looking for.
For a different kind of activity, try the high ropes course near Fellbergstadion. Built on tree trunks, the obstacle course features 16 challenges at a height of around ten meters, which can be completed as a partner exercise or in a team. As current operating details may change, check the latest information before your visit. The Silbersattel ski arena is also among Steinach’s activity options.
Seasonal events
The Griffel and Christmas Market takes place every year on the second weekend of Advent in the market square. The market features a festively decorated Christmas tree and a program; details may vary. The recurring date gives you a specific seasonal occasion to plan around, while the program details are relevant closer to your visit.
At the Steinach Sculptors’ Symposium, visitors can watch five sculptors create wooden sculptures on site. During its 20th edition, the palace courtyard became an art studio for a week. The focus here is on the creative process—a different perspective on art from that offered by displayed collections. If you would like to plan a visit around the symposium, check the event dates in advance.
More to explore in the Sonneberg destination
The wider Sonneberg destination adds a dedicated glass theme to Steinach’s attractions. The Museum of Glass Art in Lauscha traces the history of glass Christmas ornaments, from baubles to a variety of shapes, from 1860 to the present day. The craft of making mouth-blown Lauscha glass Christmas ornaments has also been included in Germany’s nationwide Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This adds a distinct cultural attraction to the Sonneberg destination.
The Sonneberg district also has natural and geological attractions: it lies within the Thuringian Forest Nature Park and the Slate Land National Geopark. One longer hiking option there is the Bleßberghöhle GeoTrail. It begins at the Bleßberghöhle Geopark information point at Schalkau station and covers 17.6 kilometers to Seltendorf station. Information boards along the route explain the cave’s discovery, the geology of the fault zone along the Franconian Line, and karst features such as sinkholes, karst springs and sinking streams. This makes it easy to distinguish Steinach’s trails from a separately described route elsewhere in the wider Sonneberg destination.
Discover more destinations: Föritz, Frankenblick, Lauscha, Judenbach, Effelder-Rauenstein, Neuhaus Am Rennweg, Spechtsbrunn, Steinheid
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