Gehlberg: Glassmaking History, Hiking Trails and Winter Activities

Gehlberg brings together a range of attractions for different travel interests: traditional glassmaking, postal history and the history of poaching in the Thuringian Forest, as well as a family-friendly regional museum and winter activities. You can tailor your stay to culture, hiking or seasonal experiences.

Glassmaking History, Postal Heritage and a Museum Park

The Thuringian Museum Park Gehlberg is a family-friendly regional museum with six museums or exhibition areas in two buildings. It is housed in the former Gundelach glassworks and offers insights into traditional glassmaking. Directly opposite, the Post Office Museum documents the history of the postal service.

The museum park includes a park with a 350-year-old lime tree, a fountain and children’s playgrounds. Along with the exhibits inside the buildings, it offers specific features for families: the museum is family-friendly, and the adjoining park has playgrounds for children.

The Poacher’s Trail Combines Hiking and History

The Poacher’s Trail circular hiking route begins and ends in the mountain meadow behind the Thuringian Museum Park Gehlberg. It is 9.2 km long and challenging in places. Reconstructed traps, information panels and photographs tell the story of poaching in the Thuringian Forest at authentic locations.

The route combines a hike with a clear historical theme. Its length and challenging sections give you specific points to consider when planning; check the trail before your visit.

Cross-Country Skiing and Winter Trails

Behind the glass museum in Gehlberg is a practice area for trying cross-country skiing for the first time. Use of the area depends on winter conditions. Gehlberg also offers a ski lift with a toboggan run, as well as 33 km of groomed ski touring trails and 30 km of winter hiking trails.

The different activities offer a choice of ways to enjoy winter: trying cross-country skiing for the first time, ski touring, winter hiking or tobogganing. There are 33 km of groomed ski touring trails and 30 km of winter hiking trails.

In the broader destination of Suhl

In the broader destination of Suhl, astronomy and technology are also in the spotlight. Suhl Planetarium seats up to 56 visitors beneath an 8-meter dome. Using the Zeiss Skymaster small planetarium, it projects around 6,000 fixed stars, as well as the movements of the sun, moon and planets. Suhl Observatory offers guided observations with a 40-cm Cassegrain reflecting telescope and an 11-cm refractor. The planetarium and observatory focus on different things: projections of the night sky at the former, and telescope observations at the latter.

Suhl’s museums also explore different aspects of regional history. The Suhl Weapons Museum presents nearly 600 years of Suhl’s small-arms manufacturing tradition across three floors. A dedicated section offers insights into Suhl’s porcelain production, which played an important role between 1861 and 1930. Suhl Vehicle Museum displays original Simson motorcycles ridden by European and world champions to their titles, as well as the legendary Greifzu racing car.

At Suhl Marionette Theatre, visitors can get up close to marionette theatre and artists from near and far. As well as its technical and historical collections, Suhl therefore offers something for anyone interested in the stage and puppets.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Schmiedefeld Am Rennsteig, Neustadt Am Rennsteig, Ilmenau, Frankenhain, Ichtershausen, Geschwenda, Pennewitz, Großliebringen.

Go to the broader travel overview: Ilm-Kreis.