Discover Weida: Tannery, Osterburg Castle and a tradition of cake

Craft and culture in Weida

The tannery explores a multi-stage production process: cowhide is turned into durable sole leather, and visitors can learn how many steps this takes. It offers a hands-on introduction to craft production—not only to the finished material, but also to the individual steps involved in making it. Those interested in manufacturing and materials will find a different focus here than on a visit centred primarily on historic buildings or exhibitions.

St. Mary’s Church (“Sankt Marien”) is the former monastery church of the Franciscan Order. This historical context gives the church a clear connection to the town’s past. Osterburg Castle houses a museum, a gallery, an artist’s studio, exhibition and event spaces, and dining establishments. The castle brings together a range of cultural and culinary themes. Check the current opening hours and schedules of the facilities before planning your visit.

The tourist information centre is located in the Schlosswache at the foot of Osterburg Castle. It provides information on restaurants, accommodation, places to visit, and walking and cycling routes. If you would like to do more than visit cultural sites, you can also find information there about outdoor activities. Information on restaurants and accommodation can also help you address various travel-planning questions in one place.

Weida’s cake-making tradition is another of the town’s special attractions. The 2026 Weida Cake Market traditionally features numerous varieties of home-baked cakes. Bakeries, individuals, clubs and up-and-coming bakers all contribute. The range of participants is as much a part of the market as the selection of cakes. If you would like to include a visit to the market in your travel plans, check the event dates for your travel period.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Weida, your interests can guide your decision: would you like to focus on craft production and local history, are you interested in exhibitions, or would you like to plan around a market date? Think about which of these themes you would like to explore during your stay. This can help you find a base that suits your travel plans without linking the different sights into a fixed itinerary.

In the wider Greiz travel destination

The wider Greiz travel destination offers additional, distinct cultural and landscape attractions. Since 2010, the Upper Castle in Greiz has housed the permanent exhibition “From the Land of the Vogts to the Principality of Reuss Elder Line.” It covers the history of the Vogts, lords, imperial counts and imperial princes of Reuss, as well as the associated culture of small-state residences. A computer-animated history of the building and an interactive journey through time round out the multimedia historical experience.

The Lower Castle in Greiz houses a museum and a textile demonstration workshop. Established in 1998, the workshop presents the production and history of Greiz’s textile industry; children and adults can take part in the manual production process. The Summer Palace in Greiz was built as a summer residence for the princes of the Elder Line of Reuss and is among the earliest Neoclassical buildings in central Germany. Greiz Park lies at the foot of the wooded Schlossberg. As a 19th-century landscape park, the ensemble as a whole is a national cultural monument.

The landscape and outdoor activities also shape the wider Greiz travel destination. Greiz district lies in the Thuringian Vogtland, a landscape of low mountain ranges, narrow valleys with castles and palaces, plateaus, rock formations with river gorges, floodplains, rolling hills, forests and cultural landscapes. In Ronneburg, the “Dragon’s Tail” adventure bridge is 225 metres long and forms part of a long-distance cycling route. The BUGA companion project “Paths into the New Landscape” comprises a network of high-quality cycling, horse-riding and walking trails in the region. In Wünschendorf, you can rent a rowboat for a fee at the gondola station in Cronschwitz and explore the White Elster; the Canoe Barn also offers boat-building sessions with a buoyancy test, as well as tours in completed canoes. So, alongside the history of castles and exhibitions, the wider destination offers a choice of different interests, including scenery, cycling and walking routes, and activities on the water.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Moschwitz, Münchenbernsdorf, Mohlsdorf-Teichwolframsdorf, Schwarzbach, Bad Köstritz, Harth-Pöllnitz, Großebersdorf, Ronneburg.

Back to the main travel overview: Greiz.