Spechtsbrunn: Baroque Church and Border Trails

Spechtsbrunn combines Baroque church art with trails that bring the history of the former inner-German border into focus. St. Matthew’s Church is a testament to 18th-century architecture; the Green Belt and border trails offer a different focus. The Rennsteig Festival adds an annual highlight in May.

Baroque architectural history and the Rennsteig Festival

The village church in Spechtsbrunn, St. Matthew’s Church, was built in 1746/47 as a Baroque church, replacing a medieval predecessor. It is known for its rich decoration and is considered an example of the heyday of Baroque church architecture in the Thuringian Slate Mountains. Spechtsbrunn thus offers a cultural highlight distinct from its border trails.

The Rennsteig Festival takes place every year in May in the Spechtsbrunn district. If you would like to plan your stay around the festival, check the exact dates in advance, as they may vary.

Hiking in the Green Belt

The short border hike in the Green Belt starts at the Spechtsbrunn Nature Park and Geopark Information Centre. For the first few metres, it follows the Rennsteig Trail and leads through the natural landscape of the Green Belt National Natural Monument. The circular route is well signposted and can be hiked on snowshoes in winter; conditions may vary depending on the season.

The Green Belt itself also runs right alongside the Spechtsbrunn Nature Park Information Centre. There are opportunities to hike and cycle there in the footsteps of inner-German history. The Nature Park Information Centre also offers the “Green Belt – from Death Strip to Habitat” backpack school programme for grades 3 and 4: a hike exploring the history and present-day reality of the Green Belt. Before making plans, check with the centre to see whether the programme is available.

Border history in winter

In the Spechtsbrunn district, the “German Unity” ski touring trail invites you to explore the area along the former inner-German border. Conditions on site may vary when planning a winter visit. This gives you a choice between a more athletic tour along the former border and the short border hike, which can also be done on snowshoes.

More discoveries in Sonneberg

In the wider destination of Sonneberg, the German Toy Museum complements Spechtsbrunn’s attractions with its own perspective on cultural history. The museum’s “Thuringian Fair” features 67 lifelike figures and depicts a typical rural folk festival in the Thuringian-Franconian region in the 19th century. The museum also has three play areas.

Sonneberg City Park was laid out in the 19th century as a private citizens’ park by a Sonneberg toy manufacturer and covers 1.4 hectares. A trail about 250 metres long, developed in 2026, leads through the park with seven stations on the theme “Little Animals, Big World”. The trail is designed for children and is almost barrier-free; some sections have gravel paths with gentle inclines.

Discover more destinations: Föritz, Frankenblick, Schalkau, Sonneberg, Judenbach, Steinheid, Neuhaus-Schierschnitz, Steinach.

Back to the main travel overview: Sonneberg.