Ilmenau: Kickelhahn, trails and mining history

Ilmenau combines the Kickelhahn and trails for active days with a distinctive mining and cultural history. The local mountain, its observation tower and the Lindenberg Trail Park give your stay an outdoor dimension; the Goethe Hiking Trail and mining sites offer other themes. You can give different weight to nature, activity and local history, and shape your trip around your interests.

Kickelhahn, hiking and winter trails

The Kickelhahn, Ilmenau’s local mountain, is 861 metres high. Its 21-metre observation tower is one of the town’s landmarks. On a clear day, the view extends across the Thuringian Forest as far as the Harz Mountains. If you want to explore on foot, you can include the 20-kilometre Goethe Hiking Trail: it links places where Goethe worked, from Ilmenau to Stützerbach, combining a hike with locations connected to Goethe’s work.

Numerous ski and winter hiking trails run from Ilmenau to the Rennsteig, as well as from Auerhahn to the Kickelhahn. Alongside the Goethe Hiking Trail, winter trails offer another way to explore the landscape. When planning, take account of seasonal changes in snow and trail conditions.

Cycling and trails in the Ilm district

The Lindenberg Trail Park has three different trails for mountain biking. Check the latest local information before setting out, as trail conditions can change. The Ilm Valley Cycle Route is another cycling option associated with Ilmenau. In the wider travel destination of the Ilm district, the Ilm-Rennsteig Cycle Route follows a former railway line from Ilmenau to Großbreitenbach or Neustadt am Rennsteig. It connects the Ilm Valley Cycle Route with the Rennsteig Cycle Route, is almost entirely paved and is signposted as a cycle street. This offers different ways to cycle: a trail park with three designated trails and a regional cycle route with a defined course.

Mining history and culture

The Münzkeller is right next to the Alte Münze and offers insights into the 16th century. The Miners’ Chapel is located on Sturmheide, in the middle of the former Ilmenau copper and silver mining district and below the spoil heap of the former “Gottes Gabe” mine. It houses an exhibition on Ilmenau’s copper shale mining. The two sites have different focuses: the Münzkeller looks back to the 16th century, while the chapel focuses on Ilmenau’s mining history.

More cultural attractions in the Ilm district

The wider travel destination of the Ilm district also offers independent cultural and excursion options. The Baroque doll town “Mon plaisir” is located in the Neues Palais in Arnstadt. In Großbreitenbach, the Thuringian Forest Creative Museum includes the 1st German Dumpling Press Museum. The two-kilometre-long Kleinbreitenbach Art Trail offers a different focus: works of art adorn the Romanesque fortified church, the cemetery, the church forecourt, the village and the path at the edge of the village.

Regional food culture is also part of this wider picture: specialities in the Ilm district include Thuringian dumplings, Thuringian Rostbrätel and Thuringian Rostbratwurst. The 1st German Bratwurst Museum is located in the Holzhausen district. These themes complement Ilmenau’s own highlights without conflating them with those of other places.

This overview helps you understand Ilmenau as a travel destination and continue looking for accommodation for your trip.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Altenfeld, Geraberg, Herschdorf, Wachsenburggemeinde, Langewiesen, Möhrenbach, Wipfratal, Arnstadt.

Go to the overview of the wider travel destination: Ilm district.