Schleiz: Views, culture and motorsport history

Schleiz offers a range of themes for your trip: scenic views and circular hiking trails, cultural history, and the Schleizer Dreieck, a place with a distinctive motorsport history. Before searching for accommodation, you can decide which experiences you want to shape your stay – nature and outdoor activities, historic sights or the history of the road circuit.

Panoramic views, circular trails and a cycle route

The Saaleturm Burgk is located in the district of Burgk. It is 43 metres high, with 192 steps leading to the viewing platform. From there, visibility extends up to 32 kilometres. Its height, stairway and potential views give the tower a distinctive profile as a viewpoint. If you like to take in the landscape during your stay, it makes a memorable stop on your itinerary.

You can also explore the surrounding area on foot: the Schleiz municipal area has numerous circular hiking trails. These include family-friendly routes through meadows and forests, with views of the Saalekaskaden. Before setting out on a hike, check local conditions and any temporary closures. For a cycling trip, the Oberland cycle route runs from Schleiz to the Thüringer Meer. Conditions and signage may change, so it is worth checking the latest route information. The hiking trails and cycle route offer different ways to include nature and outdoor activities in your travel plans.

Motorsport and history to discover

The Schleizer Dreieck, Germany’s oldest natural race circuit, lies south of the small town of Schleiz. In the old start and finish building, the “motorwelt Schleizer Dreieck” displays vehicles from various periods in the road circuit’s more than 100-year history and invites visitors to the Dreieck. The exhibition content may change. This brings two aspects of the subject together: the circuit’s long history and vehicles from different eras.

In Schleiz, the “Alte Münze” tourist information centre has a permanent exhibition on Johann Friedrich Böttger and the history of the Meissen porcelain manufactory. Another way to explore the town’s history is to visit the Rutheneum: Dr Konrad Duden was headmaster of its grammar school from 1869 to 1876. These two subjects highlight different aspects of history – the exhibition focuses on Böttger and the porcelain manufactory, while Duden is associated with the grammar school at the Rutheneum.

Schloss Burgk is one of the few surviving late-medieval castles in Thuringia. Its distinctive features include historic ceremonial and living quarters, as well as a well-preserved collection of historic interior furnishings. Those interested in architectural history will find a different focus here than at the porcelain manufactory exhibition or the Schleizer Dreieck: the emphasis is on the rooms and their historic furnishings.

The Bergkirche St. Marien combines lavish Baroque decoration with a princely crypt containing the coffins of the Counts and Princes of Reuss. At the same time, the church has been used as a place of worship for eight centuries. For a walk around the town, there is also the Kulturweg der Vögte: this short town walk in Schleiz takes in cultural and historic sights. This lets you include different aspects of the town’s history in your travel plans without limiting them to a single theme.

Find accommodation to suit your travel interests

When searching for accommodation in Schleiz, you can start with the focus you want for your trip. If you plan to spend more time hiking and exploring the Saalekaskaden, the circular trails and their landscapes take centre stage. If cultural history is your main interest, Schloss Burgk, the Bergkirche, the “Alte Münze” and the Kulturweg offer different themes to guide your choice. The Schleizer Dreieck and the “motorwelt Schleizer Dreieck,” in turn, appeal to travellers interested in the history of the road circuit.

Bus services from Schleiz bus station connect to Neustadt/Orla, Jena, Plauen, Zeulenroda, Saalburg-Ebersdorf and Bad Lobenstein. If bus connections are important to your travel plans, check the latest timetable before setting off.

Discover more destinations: Knau, Bad Lobenstein, Bucha, Ziegenrück, Pottiga, Neustadt an der Orla, Blankenstein, Wurzbach.

Go to the main travel overview: Saale-Orla.