Rhön Things to Do

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The Peace Trail(Friedensweg) is a 40km hiking and biking trail along the border between Bavaria and Thueringen. The trail begins in the village of Birx and ends by the Golden Brige, on the former B19 border crossing by Henneberg/Eussenhausen. The trail is meant to be an edcational trip; it follows the trace of the old German/German border, passing the remains cold war installations and the sites of villages that were destroyed by the GDR govenment. The trail also passes through nearby villages along the way, to show how the border affected locals in the area. Signs along the way tell of events that happened along the former border. Most towns have restaurants, so finding food and drink is easy along the way. The "F" symbol along the trail is a combination of the Golden Bridge and the Cross of Peace, the reason for it's strange shape.

The idyllic castle is located on top of a steep cliff of the Saale River right on the southeast corner of the Aschach Shire. It’s not only worth visiting because it’s picturesque and well-preserved, but it also has three museums in it. There is plenty of parking nearby, which is only a few meters from the main entrance.

There are 3 museums in the castle, which are well worth seeing, and are open every day except for Mondays, from May until the end of September from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.; and in October only until 5 p.m.
(If Monday is a holidy, the museums will be open and closed on the following day)
If you call ahead, you can arrange a guided tour.

The Black Moor is around 60 hectares in size and is nearly 6.5 m deep with quagmire (peat) in the middle. Fortunately, it was never used as a harvesting pit. Peat moss is excellent for gardens, and you can even use it a fuel for making a fire. It was declared a national park on January 6, 1939.

The only disturbance in the moor is the planked viewing platform for visitors that goes around the moor, but this has disturbed it much. Take a walk around the moor, and you will discover the complex and unusual flora and fauna of central Germany. This is where plants like the Venus Flytrap are native. There are billboards which explain about the things you will see. It is extremely important that you stay on the planked path, though. First of all, in order not to disturb nature; secondly, the moor is like quick-sand and you could “drown” by sinking in it; and last but not least, the moor is one of Germany’s last refuges for the Cross (Black) Adder snake, a poisonous (but not deadly) snake, the will only bite if it feels threatened.
The moor also contains more rare animals and plants, such as the Birch Hen, the Dew Drop plant (similar to the Venus Flytrap), or sharp Wool Grass, whose blossom looks like bushy wool.

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The Kaskadenschlucht is a small valley of sandstone fillled with beech trees and has a small creek running through it. There is a hiking trail in the valley which leads directly to the Rote Moor. The sides of the valley are heavily eroded in places, filling the creek with fallen trees. The fallen trees and rocks in the creek make for a wonderful natural show of light and sound. After a heavy rainfall or snow melt, more water comes from the sides of the valley, which can make the hike up the trail quite an experience. The Kaskandenschlucht is easily included in any day trip around the Wasserkuppe and the Rote Moor, and should not be missed. There is also a circular hiking trip starting at the parking lot near Sandberg that is 7.5 km long.

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The Pferdskopf(Horse Head) is a rather strange mountain located approx. 2km west of the Wasserkuppe. The mountain doesn't resemble a horse's head as the name implies, it looks more like a pyramid on the side of the Wasserkuppe. It's covered with unusual rock formations, giving away it's volcanic past, and the west side has a wonderful view of the Rhön. The mountain is a must-see when visiting the Wasserkuppe, not only for the geology, but also for the spectacular view to the west of the Rhön. I've heard that when the weather is right, even Frankfurt is visible from here!

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At 814m, the Ellenbogen is one of the highest mountains in the Thüringer Rhön. It is the northernmost mountain of the High Rhön plateau. From the top, there is a great view north into the Ulster valley and the Thüringer forest. There are two places to eat on the Ellenbogen, the Rhönhaus and the Eisenacher Haus. The Rhönhaus is a small, quiet place to eat with a small zoo full of local animals(the kids love it!). The Eisenacher Haus is a rather large restaurant and hotel near the top of the mountain. Reminders of the Ellenbogens' hard past are everywhere. Piles of basalt rock remain from when prisoners of war were used to clean the fields of stone for farming. The East German government used the Ellenbogen as a listening post during the Cold war, and the mountain was off-limits. Now, a 4km nature trail circles the intact ecosystem of the Ellenbogen.

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The Bauersberg trail is less known hiking trail on the southern edge of the High Rhön plateau. The trail which is approx. 10km long, passes through several different types of normal Rhön landscapes. It starts of near an abandoned brown coal shaft, of which 20 meters are open to walk through. From there it goes above an active quarry and through terrain called "pingen," an unusual terrain caused by shallow mine shafts collapsing over the years. The trail passes through open Rhön meadowland, before heading down into a basalt filled valley near the Holzberg hunter's lodge. The trail continues past the Teufelsmuhle waterfall, going through a thick beech forest before circling around towards the Rothsee and the startpoint. This is a good trail for the hiker to see several of the typical Rhön landscapes all on one trail.

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The Schwarze moor is probably one of the most well known sights in the Rhön. It's the largest of the four remaining high-altitude moors in the Rhön. Suprisingly, the moor was declared a nature preserve in 1939, so peat was never harvested here, sparing it the damage the other Rhön moors suffered. The only way to see the moor is to walk along the wooden walkway that runs along the edge of the moor. Leaving the walkway is not only illegal, but very dangerous. The moor is interesting all year round, but foggy weather is the best. Walking along the walkway in the fog, It's easy to see where the idea of the legend of the Schwarze moor's lost village came from(see my General Tips to read about the legend).