Music and literature – alongside castles and Bauhaus

thueringen erfurtMost important multi-discipline theaters in the country are the German National Theater in Weimar, Theater Altenburg-Gera and the Staatstheater Meiningen. Traditional theaters are still operated today in Arnstadt, Nordhausen, Rudolstadt and Eisenach. New buildings from recent times include the Theater Erfurt and the Vogtlandhalle Greiz. The largest open-air stage is the Steinbach-Langenbach Nature Theater in the Thuringian Forest

The literary history of Thuringia is inextricably determined by the Weimar Classic. She led German-language literature in the 18th century with the circle of poets around Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller. Johann Gottfried Herder, Karl Ludwig von Knebel and Christoph Martin Wieland can also be classified in this era. They concentrated at the Weimar court around Duke Karl August and his mother Anna Amalia. The Bach family with their most famous son, Johann Sebastian Bach, comes from Wechmar near Gotha.

In the field of fine arts, the Bauhaus in Weimar was particularly important in Thuringia. It shaped the style of the world in the 1920s and attracted painters such as Lyonel Feininger, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Johannes Itten and Oskar Schlemmer as well as architects such as Walter Gropius, Henry van de Velde and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe to the Free State. But painters such as Lucas Cranach the Elder or Otto Dix and the sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider also worked in Thuringia.

The most famous castle in the country is the Wartburg above Eisenach, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was once the seat of the Landgraves of Thuringia and later the place where Martin Luther was hidden from the imperial authorities and translated parts of the Bible into German.

The UNESCO World Heritage includes the "Classic Weimar", the Bauhaus in Weimar, the Wartburg near Eisenach and the Hainich National Park as part of the European beech forests. The state capital Erfurt has important cultural and historical sites with the cathedral, the Krämerbrücke and the oldest preserved synagogue in Central Europe. The largest city is Erfurt, other important centers are Jena, Gera and Weimar.

Viaducts of the former Finnebahn near Bad Bibra

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Viaducts of the former Finnebahn near Bad Bibra

The two viaducts between Bad Bibra and Saubach were probably the most difficult part of the construction of the Laucha – Kölleda railway line, the so-called Finnebahn.

The forest swimming pool in Rastenberg

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The forest swimming pool in Rastenberg

One of our first hikes in spring took us along the Kaiserweg and then down the Eselssteig to Rastenberg. Immediately after leaving the forest path, we came across the really impressive forest swimming pool in Rastenberg, where numerous craftsmen were at work.

The Camposanto - Old Cemetery in Buttstädt

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The Camposanto - Old Cemetery in Buttstädt

It was simply the research for another destination of a bike tour in Burgenland that brought us to the old cemetery of Buttstädt, here it was above all the proper name Camposanto that had aroused our interest.

At Rennsteig long-distance hiking trail near Oberhof

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At Rennsteig long-distance hiking trail near Oberhof

We have had the Rennsteig Tunnel several times, which at 7,916 meters is the longest road tunnel in Germany and the fourth longest twin-tube road tunnel in Europe after the Gran Sasso Tunnel, the Plabutsch Tunnel and the Seelisberg Tunnel.

Rudolstadt - much more then just Palace Heidecksburg

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Rudolfstadt - much more then just Palace Heidecksburg

Rudolstadt is situated in the valley of the river Saale, which runs from the south to the east passing the "Saaleknie". The city was first documented in 776 and since 1326 has  got the city law.

Return from Dornburg – visit of the district of Camburg

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Return from Dornburg – visit of the district of Camburg

After an eventful day of hiking in Dornburg, we were on our way back and since it was still pleasantly sunny, we decided to drive to the town of Camburg, which forms a unit with Dornburg as a municipal association in the Saale-Holzland district.

Dornburg an der Saale – Castle and Bauhaus await us

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Dornburg an der Saale – Castle and Bauhaus await us

The scenically beautiful village of Dornburg is located in the middle of the Saale valley between the cities of Jena and Naumburg (Saale), a region that is always good for a discovery hike.

Visit of Goethe's garden house in Weimar

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Visit of Goethe's garden house in Weimar

Weimar had once again inspired us to a visit: Weimar in summer: Moving, pulsating and extremely lively. The glory of the past flirts with fresh culture.

Wünschendorf on White Elster - in the middle of Vogtland

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Wünschendorf on the White Elster - in the middle of Vogtland

In the meantime we had completed our tour of the imposing, roofed and ancient wooden bridge across the White Elster, climbed up to the church and then walked along the river back to the camp of the bicycle camping trailers, who had now gathered around the campfire with grilled sausage and cool drinks.

The historic wooden bridge in Wünschendorf on White Elster

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The historic wooden bridge in Wünschendorf on White Elster

Our friend Jörg invited us to a caravan or trailer meeting for bicycles (we will report later) in Gera for the first time in Germany and probably also around the world, a region that we had hardly explored so far.

Suspension bridge - hiking destination on Hohe Schrecke

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Suspension bridge - hiking destination on Hohe Schrecke

176 meters long, just 85 centimeters wide and 25 meters above the Bärental: the still "young" suspension rope bridge across the Bärental is a real attraction in the Hohe Schrecke Mountain Range.

From Billroda to Rastenberg - a hike in Thuringia

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From Billroda to Rastenberg - a hike in Thuringia

In difficult times when contact with other people should be completely avoided, a hike through the forest is one of the few ways to escape the confinement of the city, the home and the conflicts within the family cramped in the house.

Walking the Treetop Path in Hainich – Bad Langensalza

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Walking the Treetop Path in Hainich – Bad Langensalza

Slowly it gets wintry, even though it sometimes seems that the trees getting bare so quick, how nice was the slow browning of the leaves, especially when the sun brought the variety of colors into the trees.

Short trip to Erfurt - Krämer Bridge is of our special interest

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Short trip to Erfurt - the Krämerbrücke is of our special interest

Again and again we come across some ancient trade routes as part of our project work, which today can be traced back to the plans and systems of our forefathers in the form of highways, railway routes or bridge systems.

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