Adventure tour: With the border crosser on the Green Belt

A really nice hike - the border crosser. The starting point is Trappstadt - just before the border with Thuringia. From here, an interesting circular route leads along the former border between East and West. Many information boards provide information about the time before 1990. In between it's quite steep uphill - phew - sweat. We were really lucky with the weather today. The sun was really kind to us. The path leads mainly over asphalt (collar path) - but in between it also goes along the edge of the forest - and after all the snow in the last few weeks it was still pretty wet and muddy in places. Luckily we had our hiking sticks on board and were able to get up and down every mountain safely.

We started our hike from the parking lot "Zum Goldenen Lamm" in Trappstadt. The hiking trail is very well signposted and provides information about the history. The hike leads along the Thuringian border. Information boards can now be found where the border fence, which was more than three meters high, once stood. The hiking trail also leads through the "Altenburg" nature reserve. We hike on the original patrol path, which was once patrolled by GDR vehicles and NVA soldiers. The Grenzgängerweg is not only a hiking trail on unusual paths, but also a piece of memorial to the former German-German division. There are also a few steep ascents and descents to overcome on the route. But then you have great views. Also be careful on the patrol path, there is a risk of accidents due to the many small holes in the slabs. For us, this hike was again a very informative one. In addition, East and West hiked together and everyone had something interesting to tell about this time.

Very nice and informative round, with a few benches and nice rest areas with a view. The sun could also be seen then☀ The trail is very well signposted, which was great as the battery let me down just before the end.

A really nice and very exciting round. History you can touch... as part of the old border fence still stands.

Today I followed a tour tip from HoffiKC and it was definitely a worthwhile tour. Thank you for the recommendation! The “Grenzgänger” circular hiking trail begins in the center of Trappstadt (Torhausstrasse), where there is also an overview board with information about the route. The path leads out of the village towards Linden, past a chapel and follows the corridor parallel to the street. The previous limit is soon reached. The hike leads through the Thuringian region on the patrol route of the former border troops. The remains of the old border fortifications can still be found here. After the fall of the Wall, NVA soldiers simply forgot to dismantle the 300-meter-long barriers. So a piece of the border fortification simply remained standing. From the lookout points, such as the Spanshügel, you have wonderful views of Thuringia and the Grabfeld to the Rhön. Information about nature, geology, the former border and culture around Trappstadt are listed on various boards on the hiking trail. After the up and down on the Grenzweg, it goes through Niederwald and past the old gypsum quarry. The last two stops are the Storchenbrünnlein and the newly renovated Trappstadt Castle. From there you get back to the starting point of the hike. If you still have some time after that, we recommend a visit to the Museum for Border Crossers (Museum in the Schranne) in Bad Königshofen. Further information on the NSG Schlechtsarter Schweiz can also be found at: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlechtsarter_Schweiz

Inspired by a Söhni hike (@ Söhni: Thank you very much for the inspiration! 😉), today I hiked the "Der Grenzgänger" trail based on the tour mentioned above. There were great impressions that I was able to collect (and always checked to see if there were boundary stones🙈, with success😀). The weather was a bit changeable with a few small rain showers🌤️🌥️☁️🌧️☂️, but it was still acceptable for hiking🏞️.

together with an old ... uh ... longtime friend😉

A very nice hike which Söhni stopped. We left the route a little and looked at the source of the Saale. 😎