Elxleben: Baroque Church, Volckland Organ and Sundial

St. Peter and Paul in Elxleben combines baroque architectural history with a historically significant organ and distinctive architectural details. The hall church was built between 1722 and 1725. Its 44-metre-high west tower was added in 1777—a separate, later chapter in the building’s history.

Church, organ and architectural details

The Volckland organ dates from 1751. It has 27 stops across two manuals and a pedal. This tells us not only its name and age, but also specific details of its design: two manuals, or keyboards, and a pedal. Two-storey galleries run around the church interior. Outside, a sundial is mounted on the south side of the nave.

Another historical thread leads beyond the town: a Romanesque figure of Christ, carved around 1200 and originally from St. Peter and Paul, is on display at the Thuringian Museum in Eisenach. The figure is thus part of the church’s history, while its present-day exhibition location is in Eisenach.

Past events at the church

Historical programmes also offer a glimpse of different cultural events. The 2012 Heritage Day programme listed the church as open from 1 to 3 pm, with an organ tour at 2 pm. The Elxleben programme for August 2023 listed a concert by the Thuringian Organ Academy on 28 August at 6:30 pm. For 13 July 2025, the programme listed a 4 pm concert by the TU Ilmenau Chamber Choir, conducted by Sophia Müller. Thus, the programmes for those respective years featured an organ tour and concerts by different ensembles; the times given apply to these specific events.

Culture and routes in the wider destination of the Ilm-Kreis

The wider destination of the Ilm-Kreis offers other places and themes as well. In Arnstadt, the baroque doll town “Mon plaisir” is housed in the Neues Palais. The Thuringian Forest Creative Museum in Großbreitenbach also includes the 1st German Museum of Dumpling Presses. In Gehren, the Town and Castle Museum presents the history of the princely house and the castle. These examples have different focuses: a baroque collection, a specialist museum theme and the history of a castle.

Routes in the Ilm-Kreis also vary in length and theme. The Kleinbreitenbach Art Trail is two kilometres long. Works of art adorn the Romanesque fortified church, the cemetery, the church forecourt, the village and the path at the edge of the village. The 21-kilometre Pilzsteig trail runs from Gehren over the Langer Berg to the European Mushroom Park in Gillersdorf, then continues through the Reicheltal valley to Neustadt am Rennsteig. The comparison illustrates two different scales: a short art trail with stops in several places and a longer route with several named landscape features and destinations.

The region’s cycle routes provide another way to explore. The Ilm-Rennsteig Cycle Route follows a former railway line from Ilmenau to Großbreitenbach or Neustadt am Rennsteig. It connects the Ilmtal Cycle Route with the Rennsteig Cycle Route, is almost entirely paved and is signposted as a cycle street. For the Ilmtal Cycle Route, the total distance and the section in the Ilm-Kreis are specified separately: the route is 123 kilometres long, of which 45 kilometres run through the Ilm-Kreis; it is certified with four stars.

Thuringian dumplings, Thuringian Rostbrätel and Thuringian Rostbratwurst are part of the Ilm-Kreis’s culinary scene. These regional specialities add a distinctive flavour to the region’s cultural and landscape offerings.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Kirchheim, Ichtershausen, Möhrenbach, Bösleben-Wüllersleben, Geschwenda, Elleben, Herschdorf, Schmiedefeld Am Rennsteig

Back to the wider travel guide: Ilm-Kreis.