The best running trails around Gräfenthal

At the Schildwiese rest stop, there is a very special piece of Rennsteig history: a small customs house that is reminiscent of the former division of Germany. It was created by Günther Schmidt from Spechtsbrunn. With a lot of humor, he has designed a place here that recalls the time when the Rennsteig was actually divided by the border. Today, you can hike here without any passport control.

The Schleifenwiese invites you today for a cozy rest stop on the Rennsteig. But this place tells a turbulent history: during the German division, the Rennsteig was interrupted here – a border cut through the path. On April 28, 1990, the Rennsteig was officially reopened after more than 40 years of separation. A memorial plaque today commemorates this special moment when the Rennsteig became passable again along its entire length.

For around 2.5 kilometers, the Rennsteig becomes a small literary journey here. 24 German poets encounter the hiker with their works and lovingly designed portraits. The Dichterwald was the idea of Günther Schmidt from Spechtsbrunn. As a trained porcelain painter, he painted the portraits himself on the panels. The Dichterwald was opened in 2015 – as a cross-border project between Thuringia and Franconia.

At the Nature Park Information Center „Kalte Küche“ on the Rennsteig, not only three nature parks meet, but also the three districts of Sonneberg, Kronach and Saalfeld/Rudolstadt. Here you will find information about the landscape, crafts and German-German history, as well as numerous free hiking maps. If you need a break, you can refresh yourself at the Rennsteig snack bar with small meals, drinks, coffee and cake. Opening hours: April to October: Tuesday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday 11 am - 4 pm. November to March: Tuesday to Friday 10 am - 3:30 pm. Monday is a rest day.

During the Rennsteig Church Day on June 20, 2009, the memorial at Schildwiese was inaugurated. The metal cross, over four meters high, was designed by the builders from original parts of the old border fence. In front of it, a plaque on a stone block commemorates the people who died in this section of the inner-German border, and all victims of the wall and barbed wire during the German division.

The "Zollhaus" at the Rennsteig border monument is not a restored historical building. The hut was erected and equipped in autumn 2016 by the Frankenwaldverein Kleintettau. It is intended to commemorate the vibrant customs history of this border region and the era of German division. The monument also includes a historical border stone and two posts with the coats of arms of the Free State of Bavaria and the district of Kronach on one side, and the Free State of Thuringia and the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt on the other.

Rest stop at the old Griffelschiefer slate quarry. Although the black rock has not been mined there for decades, the surreal landscapes of sharp edges and steps, the huge dumps of black slabs still bear witness to the work of generations of Spechtsbrunn residents. The rock was processed immediately on-site by the quarry workers in huts into raw griffels, then turned, ground, and packed in the village – home work primarily for the women and children of the place.

The historic customs house on the border between Bavaria and Thuringia near Kleintettau (Markt Tettau) is a reconstructed historic customs station. It is located directly on the legendary Rennsteig hiking trail on the so-called Schildwiese. Today, the small building serves as a historical site and border memorial, commemorating the decades-long inner-German division.