Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [244]
Rudolstadt’s tourist office ( 414 743; www.rudolstadt.de, in German; Marktstrasse 57; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat) is just west of the Markt.
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Sights
Overlooking the town from its lofty perch, the baroque Schloss Heidecksburg ( 429 00; www.heidecksburg.de; Schlossbezirk 1; adult/concession €6/5; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) is honeycombed with lavishly decorated and furnished rooms and harbours regional history exhibits and collections of paintings, porcelain, weapons and minerals. Perhaps the palace’s best feature, though, is free: a terrific view over the valley.
Down in the old town, another important port of call is the Stadtkirche St Andreas ( 412 108; Kirchhof 1; 2-5pm May-Sep), a late-Gothic hall church that was heavily embellished during the baroque era. Note especially the wall-sized family tree of the local rulers and the ornate epitaphs.
The latest addition to Rudolstadt’s cultural landscape is the Schillerhaus Rudolstadt ( 486 470; Schillerstrasse 25; adult/concession €5/3; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-5pm Wed-Sun Nov-Mar). It’s a small museum in the very house where Schiller first bumped into Goethe, while a guest of the literary-minded sisters Charlotte and Caroline von Lengefeld. Schiller developed a close relationship with both women and, although he ended up marrying Charlotte, rumours of a love triangle have never gone away. Exhibits try to shed some light on this titillating matter.
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Sleeping & Eating
DJH hostel ( 313 610; www.rudolstadt.jugendherberge.de; Schillerstrasse 50; dm under/over 26yr incl breakfast & dinner €22.50/25.50; ) This small hostel is handily located in the Altstadt, a five-minute walk from the train station.
Hotel Adler ( 4403; www.hotel-adler-rudolstadt.de; Markt 17; s €55, d €85-95; ) In a 16th-century stone building right on the Markt, this hotel has breezy rooms sheathed in soothing colours and outfitted with heavenly beds, some with a canopy. The on-site restaurant dishes up dependable German classics (mains €7 to €15).
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Getting There & Away
Trains depart frequently for Saalfeld (€2.10, nine minutes) and Jena-Paradies (€6.90, 35 minutes). Rudolstadt is linked to Jena and Ilmenau via the B88 and to Weimar by the B85.
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SAALFELD
03671 / pop 27,500
Gables, turrets and gates provide a cheerful welcome to Saalfeld, which has been sitting prim and pretty along the Saale River for 1100 years. Aside from the handsome medieval town centre, it lures visitors with one of Thuringia’s most engrossing natural attractions, the Feengrotten (Fairy Grottoes).
The Hauptbahnhof is east of the Saale River, about a 10-minute walk from the Markt and the tourist office ( 339 50; www.saalfeld.de; Markt 6; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat, 10am-2pm Sun Apr-Oct, 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat Nov-Mar).
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Sights
The Altstadt can easily be covered on a brief stroll. From the Hauptbahnhof, pass through (maybe even climb up) the 15th-century Saaltor (town gate). Just west of here on the Markt is the striking Renaissance Rathaus, with its spiked turrets and ornate gables. Opposite is the partly Romanesque Marktapotheke, which has been a pharmacy since 1681.
Behind the Markt, the twin towers topping the Gothic Johanniskirche (St John’s Church; 455 940; Kirchplatz 3; 11am-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4pm Sat, 1-4pm Sun) rise into view. From May to October, every Wednesday at 8pm, concerts ring through this enormous hall church, whose choir ceiling is painted with 200 different plant species in what’s called a Himmelswiese (heavenly meadow). Also note the life-size carved figure of