Extratour "Der Meininger": Meiningen – Rhön

"Der Meininger" hikes on the best paths around Meiningen. Picturesque forests nestle up from the west and we enjoy the view between gentle hills and the banks of the Werra.

We start the extra tour in the theater city of Meiningen. It is one of the oldest and most important cities in southern Thuringia. The former residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen, Elisabethenburg Castle, is located in the center of the district and cultural town. A detour through the art collection on the music and art history of Meiningen is worthwhile. Our path leads through the forest park, up to the popular vantage point Dietzhäuschen.

From here it is not far to the foot of the Landsberg, on which the "fairytale castle Landsberg" is located. We hike to the vantage point at the Schaubachhütte, which offers a magical view, and continue to Landsberg Castle. To the south are impressive remains of walls and deep neck moats of the ruins of the Habichtsburg. One thinks that Sleeping Beauty would live here, the fairytale castle looks so enchanted. From there it goes on to Dreisigacker with its neo-Gothic village church, which stands above the village on the northern edge. On the way back to Meiningen we come across the Dietrichskopf and have a wonderful view over the city. At the end we pass the Goetz Cave, Europe's largest chasm and crevasse cave. The natural cave is named after the Meiningen merchant Reinhold Goetz, who discovered a crevasse while working in his mountain garden. Current information on the opening of the cave can be found on the Goetz Cave website.