Discover Fehrenbach: Rocks and Music

The Fehrenbacher Schweiz is a special natural landscape featuring impressive rock formations made of conglomerate stone. This gives Fehrenbach a distinctive landscape feature that is linked to a remarkable musical connection: Herbert Roth, the folk music composer who wrote the Rennsteiglied, also wrote a song about the Fehrenbacher Schweiz. The rock formations and the music offer two different ways to experience this destination—through what makes the landscape distinctive, and through a song about this very natural landscape.

Rocks, Song and Surroundings

A geographical landmark is also located nearby: the Werra rises between Fehrenbach and Masserberg, deep in the forest near Zeupelsberg. Its location between the two towns gives this source area a distinct place in the region. It is a different natural feature from the Fehrenbacher Schweiz and adds a specific place to the picture of the surrounding area.

Built in 2019, the Werraquell-Hütte welcomes skiers, hikers and cyclists to stop for a break. If you want to include a stop there in your day's plans, check in advance whether it will be open on the date of your visit. That way, you can take the hut into account when planning without basing your entire excursion around it.

Masserberg: Rennsteig, Views and Culture

The Rennsteig passes right through Masserberg; woodland meadows and beech and spruce forests shape the local landscape. Numerous well-marked hiking trails and the Rennsteig make it possible to hike through the Thuringian Forest Nature Park. Along the ridge, you can walk comfortably in different directions with only gentle changes in elevation, or take a horse-drawn carriage ride. Masserberg therefore offers various ways to experience the landscape: on foot along marked trails, on a walk along the ridge, or on a carriage ride.

The Rennsteigwarte on the 842 m-high Eselsberg is a lookout point in its own right. From there, you can enjoy panoramic views across the Thuringian Forest and its foothills. The Rennsteigwarte was built in 1974. Two earlier wooden towers had been destroyed: one in 1951 by a storm, the other in 1974 by a lightning strike. Directly behind the tower's restaurant at the Rennsteigwarte is a small playground for younger visitors.

The Evangelical Mountain Church in Masserberg also tells the story of the town. The present-day church was consecrated on 9 October 1883, after the church that previously stood there was destroyed in a fire in 1880. The “Masserberger Christkönig” has been on display in the church since the third Sunday of Advent in 1980. Elly-Viola Nahmmacher, a sculptor from Greiz, carved the 3 m-high and 2.65 m-wide work of art from a linden trunk. The church's history and sculpture thus add a cultural dimension to Masserberg alongside its natural attractions and hiking experiences.

The main attractions of each place are easy to distinguish when deciding where to stay: Fehrenbach combines the Fehrenbacher Schweiz with Roth's song about this landscape; Masserberg focuses on the Rennsteig, views, hiking trails and cultural attractions. Consider which of these themes matters most to your trip, and use that to guide your search for the right place to stay.

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