Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [237]
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Getting There & Around
The Thüringerwaldbahn (tram 4) serves Gotha (€2.90) and Tabarz (€1.80) several times hourly. The most scenic stretch begins right after Friedrichroda, running through the forest to Tabarz.
If you’re driving, take the Waltershausen/Friedrichroda exit off the A4. The town is also on the B88 to Ilmenau.
Fahrzeugwelt am Rennsteig ( 309 899; Bahnhofstrasse 30a; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) rents out mountain and trekking bikes for €8 per day.
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ILMENAU
03677 / pop 26,500
Although home to a small technical university, Ilmenau is most famously associated with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The great man visited this sleepy town on the northern slopes of the Thuringian Forest no fewer than 28 times, charged by the court of Saxe-Weimar to revive the local mining industry that had brought great riches to the town in the Middle Ages. The Goethe Stadtmuseum im Amtshaus ( 600 107; Am Markt 1; adult/concession €3/1.50; 10am-5pm) chronicles his efforts in the very 1st-floor rooms where he once had his offices. There’s also a much-photographed statue of the man in front of the building, which also happens to be the starting point of the famous Goethewanderweg (see the boxed text, Click here).
The tourist office ( 600 300; www.ilmenau.de; Am Markt 1; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat) reserves hotels and private rooms from €28.
The DJH hostel ( 884 681; www.ilmenau.jugendherberge.de, in German; Am Stollen 49; under/over 26yr incl breakfast & dinner €22/25; ) is near the technical university, about 2km east of the train station, to which it’s linked by buses A, B and C.
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GOETHE TRAIL – IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GENIUS
This lovely and, at times, challenging 18.5km day hike, which takes between five and eight hours depending on fitness levels, follows in the footsteps of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who spent much time around Ilmenau in the employ of Carl August, Duke of Saxe-Weimar. The hike encompasses level forest terrain, steep climbs and everything in between; it’s marked with the letter ‘G’ in Goethe’s own handwriting. An excellent 1:30,000 hiking map by Grünes Herz is available at the tourist office.
From the Goethe Stadtmuseum im Amtshaus in Ilmenau, the trail heads west via the Schwalbenstein and Emmasteinfelsen peaks to the village of Manebach, where the steep climb up the Kickelhahn (861m) begins. Approaching the top, you’ll pass the replica of the little forest cabin (Goethehäuschen) where Goethe wrote the famous poem Wayfarer’s Night Song. At the top, Berggasthaus Kickelhahn ( 03677-202 034; Kickelhahn 1; 10am-6pm) and a lookout tower are fine spots for a break.
The trail descends to Jagdhaus Gabelbach ( 202 626; Waldstrasse 26, Ilmenau; adult/concession €2/1.50; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, to 4pm Nov-Mar), a hunting lodge and former guest house with exhibits on Goethe’s scientific research. From here, it meanders south to the village of Stützerbach, where the Goethe-Museum Stützerbach ( 036784-502 77; Sebastian-Kneipp-Strasse 18, Stützerbach; adult/concession €2/1.50; 10am-5pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct, to 3pm Nov-Mar) features rooms (still with the original furnishings) where Goethe used to stay and work.
Check with the tourist office (or online at www.rennsteig-bus.de) about the timetable of bus No 300 back to Ilmenau. You can also walk directly to the Kickelhahn from Ilmenau, bypassing Manebach, in about 1½ hours. Or you can drive up Waldstrasse to the parking lot at Herzogröder Wiesen, from where it’s a 25-minute uphill walk to the Kickelhahn peak.
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After a tough day on the Goethewanderweg, Hotel Tanne ( 6590; www.hotel-tanne-thueringen.de; Lindenstrasse 38; s €62, d €84-89; ) has comforts such as sauna, solarium and massage facilities to rejuvenate the body.
Erfurter Bahn trains directly link Ilmenau with Erfurt (€10.30, one hour); change in Neudietendorf for Eisenach (€15.20, 1½ hours). By car, Ilmenau is served by the A71, which