Discover Schwarzbach: valley, history and natural history

Schwarzbach is a roadside village in a deep valley. The narrow valley, historic sights and signposts to the Brehm Museum give the place several specific points of interest: you can focus on the landscape, local history and natural history. One of the highest elevations in Schwarzbach is 368 m high and is known among residents as Gänsevorwerk. The valley, elevation and historical connections give Schwarzbach a distinctive character that brings together landscape and local history.

Valley, elevation and signposts

The narrow valley of Schwarzbach leads directly into the valley villages of the Saale-Holzland district. Hirtenberg is located behind Gänsevorwerk; a hiking signpost points the way there. This makes it possible to distinguish between two different points of reference: Gänsevorwerk is the name, known among residents, of one of the highest elevations, while Hirtenberg lies behind it and is connected to a signposted route. This sequence is helpful for finding your bearings in the landscape: it links the valley, the named elevation and the signpost with specific place names.

Alfred Brehm and historic sights

The forests and floodplains around Schwarzbach were often places where the famous naturalist Alfred Brehm worked. Signposts guide hikers through a peaceful landscape directly to the Brehm Museum in nearby Renthendorf. This gives the historical connection to the naturalist a specific destination. Those interested in natural history can combine Schwarzbach’s landscape with a cultural stop in Renthendorf.

There are also historic points of interest in the village itself: the Umgebindehaus, along with the brewery and drying house, is one of Schwarzbach’s historic sights. These two named sights complement the natural and landscape-related attractions with local history. If you are particularly interested in historic places, this offers a different focus alongside the hiking route to the museum: you can stay in the village or follow the Brehm connection towards nearby Renthendorf.

Cultural destinations in Greiz

Greiz itself offers further cultural attractions. Since 2010, the permanent exhibition “From the Land of the Vogts to the Principality of Reuß Elder Line” has been housed in the Upper Castle in Greiz. It covers the history of the Vogts, lords, Imperial Counts and Imperial Princes of Reuß, as well as the associated culture of small-state residences. The museum in the Upper Castle also offers a multimedia historical experience with a computer-animated building history and an interactive journey through time.

The Lower Castle in Greiz houses a museum and a textile demonstration workshop. Since 1998, the workshop has shown how textiles were made in Greiz and the history of the local textile industry; children and adults can take part in the manual production process. The Summer Palace in Greiz offers a distinct architectural focus: it was built as a summer residence for the princes of the Reuß Elder Line and is one of the earliest Neoclassical buildings in Central Germany.

Discover more destinations: Bocka, Mohlsdorf-Teichwolframsdorf, Harth-Pöllnitz, Zadelsdorf, Kraftsdorf, Gera, Zeulenroda-Triebes, Auma-Weidatal.

For the main travel overview: Greiz.