Discover Kahla

Kahla combines city history with a direct connection to a cycling route: the fifth stage of the Saale Cycle Route leads to Kahla, and the Metznersches Haus is now home to the town museum. Nearby, you’ll also find guided tours at Walpersberg and an FFH area. The wider Saale-Holzland destination offers additional independent walking, landscape, and cultural themes to help you plan your trip.

City history and guided tours in and around Kahla

The Metznersches Haus was built around 1600 and is one of the oldest houses in the town. It is now home to the town museum. A guided tour of Kahla is available by prior arrangement. If you’d like to include this guided introduction in your plans, arrange the time in advance.

During guided tours at Walpersberg near Kahla, visitors learn about the REIMAHG at the historic site, surviving tunnel entrances, remnants of infrastructure, and traces of former camps and work areas. Alongside the surviving structural remains, the focus is also on former camps and work areas. Check the latest booking information for tours before your visit.

Cycling routes, tours, and landscapes

The fifth stage of the Saale Cycle Route leads to Kahla. Independently of this, Kahla is a starting and finishing point for short stages and longer tours. For planning the cycling route stage, it’s worth checking the latest route information; details about shorter and longer tours also provide general guidance.

The “Dohlenstein and Pfaffenberg” FFH area is nearby. It covers 88.99 hectares and lies south of Jena. Kahla and its district of Löbschütz are located to its west and southwest. This protected area is therefore a point of reference for the landscape around Kahla.

In Saale-Holzland, the Holzland is a hilly landscape with extensive woodland. The Gleistalhänge protected area is another regional landscape feature: it includes Beutnitz, Graitschen, Löberschütz, Poxdorf, and Tautenburg, covers 277.02 hectares, and was designated on 27 August 1999. It also includes the former Poxdorfer Hang nature reserve.

Trails and waterways in Saale-Holzland

The SaaleHorizontale is a quality hiking trail that runs north to south along the Saale through the Saale-Holzland district. The Saale Cycle Route also follows the river through the district in this direction. Well-maintained hiking routes also run through the Zeitzgrund. Canoe and inflatable-boat trips are among the most popular outdoor activities in the Saale-Holzland district. The region thus offers a range of options: hiking routes, cycling routes, and trips on the water.

Cultural attractions in Saale-Holzland

The Dornburg Palaces are a group of three palaces representing different stylistic periods. The Bauhaus Workshop Museum is located in the Marstall building within the Dornburg palace complex, in the former Bauhaus ceramics workshop. In Bürgel, the permanent exhibition at the Ceramics Museum illustrates the history of Bürgel’s pottery craft from its beginnings in the mid-17th century to the present day. An audio guide leads visitors to 22 stops in Bürgel and Thalbürgel; check its availability before your trip.

Schkölen Water Castle is a castle complex with a museum and changing exhibitions. Hummelshain Hunting Lodge was formerly a hunting residence of the dukes of Saxe-Altenburg. Camburg Castle was first mentioned in a document in 1166; today, only the keep, which is over 30 metres high, remains. Camburg Town Museum displays exhibits ranging from Stone Age hand axes to tools and weapons from various cultural groups, as well as items relating to the town’s more recent history. The Kemenate in Orlamünde houses an exhibition on local history.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Stadtroda, Crossen An Der Elster, Schkölen, Tautenhain, Hummelshain, Heideland, Reichenbach, Gösen.

To the overview of the wider destination: Saale-Holzland.