The Thuringian Forest: Hiking, Glassblowing, and Bratwurst

The Thuringian Forest—the Thüringer Wald—runs for nearly 70 miles along a southwest-to-northeast ridge in central Germany, rising abruptly from the valleys below and creating a natural border between Thuringia and Franconia. This is walking country, thick with spruce and beech, cut by streams, and dotted with mountain meadows that turn golden in autumn. It’s also where you’ll find some of Germany’s oldest craft traditions and the original Thuringian bratwurst, grilled over beech wood and served with mustard sharp enough to clear your sinuses.

The Rennsteig: Germany’s Oldest Long-Distance Trail

The Rennsteig is the spine of the Thuringian Forest, a 105-mile ridge trail that has been documented since the Middle Ages. It runs from Hörschel, near Eisenach, southeast to Blankenstein on the Saale River. The trail follows the old border between Thuringia and Franconia, marked by boundary stones dating back centuries.

You can walk the entire route in six or seven days, staying in guesthouses and mountain huts along the way. Most hikers tackle sections as day trips. The stretch between Oberhof and Neuhaus am Rennweg offers some of the best views, with open ridgeline walking and panoramic vistas over the forest canopy. Spring and early autumn are ideal—summer weekends can be crowded, and winter brings snow that makes the higher sections difficult without proper gear.

Trail markers are excellent: a white “R” on a green background. The Rennsteigverein, the trail association founded in 1896, maintains shelters and publishes detailed maps.

Lauscha and the Glassblowing Tradition

Lauscha, tucked into a narrow valley in the southern Thuringian Forest, has been making glass since the 16th century. This is where the glass Christmas ornament was invented in the 1840s, when a poor glassblower shaped baubles for his tree because he couldn’t afford fruit or nuts. The technique spread, and by the early 20th century, Lauscha was exporting millions of ornaments worldwide.

The Museum für Glaskunst Lauscha walks you through this history with demonstrations by working glassblowers. You can watch artisans shape delicate ornaments over open flame, then visit the workshops along the main street where families still practice the craft. Many offer classes where you can try your hand at the lampwork technique—melting glass rods over a burner and shaping them with metal tools.

Lauscha also produces glass eyes for dolls and medical prosthetics, a specialization that developed alongside the ornament industry. The town’s shops sell everything from traditional Kugel ornaments to contemporary glass art.

Oberhof: Winter Sports and Summer Hiking

Oberhof sits at 2,600 feet elevation and has been a mountain resort since the late 19th century. It became an East German winter sports center, with Olympic-level facilities for biathlon, luge, and ski jumping that are still in active use. The LOTTO Thüringen Skisport-Halle is one of Europe’s few indoor ski slopes, open year-round with real snow.

In summer, Oberhof’s cross-country ski trails become hiking and mountain biking routes. The Rennsteig Garden, a botanical garden specializing in alpine plants from mountain ranges around the world, spreads across 17 acres near the town center. The Rennsteiggarten is one of Germany’s highest botanical gardens and holds more than 4,000 species arranged by geographic origin.

The town has good rail connections from Erfurt, making it an easy base for exploring the central forest.

Thuringian Bratwurst: The Original

Thuringia claims the original German bratwurst, protected by EU geographical indication since 2003. The real thing is made from finely ground pork (sometimes with veal or beef), seasoned with marjoram, caraway, and garlic, and grilled over beech wood. It’s thinner than other German sausages, about as thick as your thumb, and traditionally served in a bread roll with mustard—never ketchup.

You’ll find bratwurst stands throughout the region, but some of the best are in Erfurt’s Domplatz and at mountain huts along the Rennsteig. Zur Hohen Sonne in Ilmenau, one of Thuringia’s oldest inns, grills them in the traditional way and serves them with local Köstritzer black beer.

The town of Holzhausen holds an annual bratwurst festival in August, where you can sample variations from different butchers and watch grilling competitions.

Getting There and Around

Erfurt is the natural gateway, with regular trains from Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich. From Erfurt, regional trains run south to Ilmenau, Suhl, and the forest towns. A car gives you more flexibility for reaching trailheads and smaller villages, but the bus network covers most major routes along the Rennsteig, especially in summer.

Guesthouses and small hotels are plentiful in the resort towns. In the smaller villages, look for Ferienwohnungen—vacation apartments rented by the week, often with breakfast provisions included.

Pack layers. Even in summer, temperatures drop quickly at elevation, and afternoon thunderstorms roll in without much warning. Good hiking boots are essential—the trails can be steep and rocky, especially on ridge sections.

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