Discover the Altenburg District: landscapes, trails and culture

Choose landscapes and trails to suit you

The hilly countryside and forests give the region its rural character. Idyllically situated bathing lakes are also part of the landscape. If you want your trip to focus mainly on nature and activity, consider the Luther Trail or the modern long-distance hiking trail Neuseen-Challenge. The Luther Trail passes through the Altenburg District and can be walked as a pilgrimage route. The Neuseen-Challenge is marked by a bright neon-yellow shoe sign.

The Pleiße Cycle Route also passes through the Altenburg District, offering a different way to experience the landscape from the two hiking trails. If you are planning a walking trip, you can choose between the pilgrimage route and the modern long-distance hiking trail; if you prefer to cycle, the Pleiße Cycle Route offers a separate option. No route distances or stages are specified. When choosing a holiday apartment, it is therefore helpful to start by considering which of these activities matters most to you on your trip.

Altenburg: castle, playing cards and art

Altenburg Residential Palace stands on a porphyry rock and houses the Castle and Playing Card Museum. The Playing Card Museum is one of the oldest and most extensive museums of its kind in Europe. It is a special attraction for anyone interested in playing cards, while the palace adds a place with its own distinctive history. The Red Spires are the surviving Romanesque towers of a former Augustinian collegiate monastery and are recognised as a cultural monument of national importance. They represent another, much older aspect of Altenburg’s history.

The Lindenau Museum owns 180 precious panels of early Italian painting dating from the 13th to the 16th century. The Mauritianum Natural History Museum offers a different focus: its exhibitions include a historic bird collection, fossils from brown-coal opencast mines and an interactive area about local flora and fauna. These varied collections give culture enthusiasts and nature lovers their own reasons to explore the Altenburg District. When planning your trip, you can therefore decide whether art, natural history or the story of the palace should take centre stage.

More experiences and regional stories

A visit to Posterstein Castle Museum includes access to the castle dungeon and a climb up the 25-metre-high keep. The museum also presents exhibitions on the cultural history of the region. Since 2014, the Brothers’ Church has served as a pilgrimage and information centre for the Luther Trail and the old imperial road, Via Imperii. Alongside the collections, you can also explore regional cultural history and pilgrimage routes.

The Schmecktouren food tours in Altenburg combine a guided city tour with regional specialities and stories about the people and traditions of the region. Anyone who wants to pair culinary experiences with tales of the area and its people will find a different perspective here than in the museums. The Altenburg Botanical Experience Garden offers a place to relax and unwind. Together with the trails and cultural attractions, these experiences make it possible to give your stay a variety of different focuses, without every holiday day having to look the same.

When looking for a holiday apartment in the Altenburg District, consider whether you want to focus your trip mainly on trails and landscapes, museums and history, or a mix of these interests. That way, you can choose accommodation to match the experiences that appeal to you most.

Places in the Altenburg District

If you would like to explore individual places in the Altenburg District in more detail, find them here: Altkirchen, Fockendorf, Lucka, Löbichau, Langenleuba-Niederhain, Schmölln, Altenburg, Saara, Heukewalde, Nobitz, Gösdorf, Nischwitz, Burkersdorf, Pleißenaue, Windischleuba, Göllnitz, Posterstein, Gößnitz, Meuselwitz, Vollmershain, Ziegelheim, Lumpzig and Rositz.

For the broader travel overview: Thuringia.