The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Grimmelshausen

If you're hungry, you'll be surprised by the fish farm's snack bar. The generous and tasty portions are more than just a snack.

Even before the seemingly massive rockslide in 1595, rocks had repeatedly fallen off this mountain. The perfect place to live - thought an entrepreneur who originally came from Themar and made a name for himself in Berlin with a horseshoe-shaped leather bag. Wealthy but in poor health, he eventually returned to his homeland. He wanted to build his retirement home here on the Iltenberg (formerly Öltenberg), where he had often been as a child. In 1932 he moved into the villa, of which only old photos exist. Unfortunately, it was demolished during the GDR era. Only a few remnants remain. You can still wander through the former access gate, walk on the cobblestones of the courtyard and visit an old cellar vault. A detailed information board on site tells the full story.

Below the steep edge of the cliff, a huge sea of rocks beckons, with large chunks of rock that give little indication of the force that came from the rock fall. A legend that is described in full very close to the former Villa Iltenburg tells of another rock fall in 1137. There is no clear evidence of this, but it seems likely. According to the legend, there was once a place called Dörfles, which was inhabited by gypsies or Wends, who were not tolerated in Themar, but were important during the market or for entertainment. Just as the Veßra monastery was founded, a monk set out to visit them, but they threatened him and chased him away. He cursed the inhabitants and wished that the mountain would fall on them as a punishment from God. Only one 16-year-old girl showed interest in his teachings. He met with her regularly outside of the town. He begged her to leave the place, because after every winter, new cracks appeared in the rock. After two years, it finally happened and the mountain broke off one night. When the residents of Themar left the next morning, the village of Dörfles had disappeared and all the residents had perished.

There is no place to rest at the edge of the forest, but the beautiful view over the Werra valley to Themar and back to the Enchanted Mountain forces you to stop.

In 1595, a large rock collapse occurred here, causing the entire mountainside to collapse into the valley! Since then, the gleaming, white limestone marl cliff has reflected the sun. There is only one path down the mountainside. As it is very narrow, a little attention is required here. The path is still quite steep at the top, but is secured with a railing. It is also worth mentioning that feral goats live here, which can sometimes block your path. This can lead to the odd surprise or chase.

Trostadt Monastery and the present-day town of Trostadt are located on the upper reaches of the Werra, about seven kilometers west of the district town of Hildburghausen. The town is located on the western edge of the valley, already in a flood-prone location, barely two meters above the Werra floodplain. Some of the buildings in the town date back to the time of the former monastery, but only a few remains of the sacred buildings remain. Source:https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloster_Trostadt

The Counts of Henneberg became supporters of the Premonstratensian Order in Thuringia in 1130 and in 1131, thanks to generous donations, enabled the founding of a double monastery in the town of Veßra. In return, Veßra Monastery was designated as the counts' private monastery and from 1182 onwards was also used as their burial place. Veßra Monastery was consecrated in 1138 by the Bamberg bishop Otto II. Source:https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloster_Trostadt

The former Trostadt monastery - also called Neuzelle - was a choir nunnery of the Premonstratensian Order, the structural remains of which can be found in Trostadt, a district of the municipality of Reurieth in the Hildburghausen district in Thuringia. Source:https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloster_Trostadt