Hiking all round our camp site

Hiking in Thuringia"Drei Burgen (three castles)" hiking tour, approx. 13 km

Starting point for the hike: Mühlberg market square

The hike takes you past the Ratskeller and the Weißer Ross towards the Mühlburg Castle ruin. At the Schützenhof inn, we can then ascend by steps or take the easier, wheelchair-accessible route.

We then pass along Gustav-Freytag Weg, the castle hillside, and on to the Triniusblick vantage point with its views of the mountainous crest of the Thuringian Forest. We cross Tiefer Weg, which leads left to the peat allotments in Gleichen Valley and right to Lake Röhren.

Dreamlike Landscape At a picnic area on the end of the hillside, we see the crest of Wachsenburg, which we now hike directly towards. We keep right and, after 20 m, follow the signposted path to the left. After around 600 m, we reach a hiking signpost pointing to the Wachsenburg crest. We now reach our next destination via steps, before then descending from Wachsenburg to the Burgenblick picnic area. At the hiking signpost "20 km to Gotha", we are now located on Graf Gleichen Weg. We then reach another picnic area on the left after approx. 350 m through a small wood.

Land vacation idyl We continue hiking through a small pinewood forest and see the Roter Berg to the right.
Leaving the forest, we gave across the peat fields to the Wandersleber Gleiche. We now have several options between farm tracks and meadows to get to the peat fields. Behind the peat fields, we cross the main ditch and Haarhäuser Chaussee, where the Gräfenbrunnen spring is found.

We cross Weidbach stream after approx. 300 m. Once we have crossed below the A 4 motorway, we are then on a direct route to Freuden Valley. After a snack and something to eat, we can move on to look round the Gleichen Castle ruin.

Traditional houses There are several ways of getting back down: we can either go back the way we came or, after around 400 m, take the steep descent on the left. We get back to the Gleichen Castle car park.

Once more, we hike along Gustav-Freytag-Weg. We pass along a farm track towards the A 4, which we then pass under once more.

We then walk along the road to the Mühlberg picnic area, behind which we turn left. Passing the oil and pearl barley mill and Mühlenhotel, we then reach Mühlberg, our final destination.


Length: approx. 13 km
Starting point: Gut Ringenhofen, Mühlberg

  1. Gut Ringenhofen recreation park
    • Was constructed around 1,000 AD by the Counts of Weimar Orlamünde as farmyard for Gleichen Castle.
    • It is now an inn and guesthouse, golf course, stables and camp site.
  2. Ringenhofer Pond
    • Is also known as Miner's Pond
    • In the 18th century, bituminous coal was mined in small shafts here to power an alum smeltry, a lime kiln and a brickworks.
  3. On the Ave Maria
    • A site of cultural-historical significance, the Ave Maria was a medieval chapel used for prayers during long pilgrimages.
  4. Schnepf Valley
    • Is a trench-like, narrow and long valley carved by a prehistoric river; it was created by periodic, in total only slight drainage of surface water.
  5. The Heilige Kreutzgraben
    • Is a sight of cultural-historical significance.
    • Its name refers to the "Heilige Kreuzkapelle" (Holy Chapel of the Cross), constructed in the 15th century along the Copper Road at the start of the trench. Its original site is now located on the military training area.
  6. The Schmal Valley Sinkhole
    • Formed in the 19th century due to leaching deep underground and the subsequent collapse of the surface. Its packing is man-made.
  7. The abandoned village of Neusis
    • Is a former village that was abandoned in the confusion of the Thirty-Years War.
    • In the 18th century, the Neusis Rasen mine was built to supply a brickworks.
  8. Kettendorf
    • Is a former settlement that was severely damaged in the Thirty-Years War.
    • Is now an aquatic biotope and is protected as a nature reserve.
  9. Town of Rährensee
    • Was mentioned for the first time in 1186 and is still an inviting town today.
  10. Gustav-Freytag-Weg
    • Is an idyllic hiking trail along the crest of the Schlossielte.
    • It was named after a 19th century author whose historical cycle of novels is set in the region and who honours Mühlburg particularly.
  11. Geotope Eimersborn Spring
    • Emanates at the northern foot of the Schlossleite crest and feeds the waters of the peat fields in Mühlberger Ried, a nature reserve.
  12. Geotope Eckhardtshög
    • Provides insight into deeper layers of the earth: shows gypsum with an age of around 225 million years.
  13. Mühlburg Castle with Radegundis Chapel
    • Was mentioned for the first time in official records in 704 and is today a popular destination for an excursion with lovingly restored museum premises and a small snack bar.
    • St. Radegunde, born around 518, was the last daughter of the Thuringian Kings.
  14. The Town of Mühlberg
    • Is the oldest town in Thuringia with a typical clustered village character.
    • Has cultural and geological sights.

Tiefe Weg
- Connects the Schlossleite crest and Gleichen Valley.
The August-Trinus-Blick vantage point
- Honours a 19th century author who remained a wayfarer his whole life and wrote of the beauty found in the Thuringian landscape in his "Thüringer Wanderbuch" (Thuringian hiking book)

Opening times:
Mühlburg Castle: March-September, daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. / public holidays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The castle grounds, apart from the tower and the museum, can be visited free of charge outside of the opening hours.
Kulturscheune
Mühlberg:Wed - Sun 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Restaurants in Röhrensee
Am Pferdebrunnen: daily, from 5 p.m.

MühlburgRestaurants in Mühlberg:
Ratskeller: daily, from 11 a.m., closed Wed
Weißes Roß: daily, from 10 a.m., closed Mon
Schützenhof: Mon from 5 p.m., Tue - Sun 12 p.m.
Taubennest: daily, from 11 a.m.
Eiscafe am Spring: daily, from 2 p.m., Mon closed
Mühlburgstübl: daily, from 12 p.m., closed Wed
Drei Gleichen service station:
Mon - Fri 12 a.m. - 12 p.m., Sat - Sun 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Hiking in Thuringia