Goldlauter: Mining History and Song Hiking Trail

Hiking trails with different themes

The mining history trail in Pochwerksgrund, Goldlauter, is 3 km long and explores regional history, including mining, smelting and weapons production. It offers a clear thematic focus: the hike takes you back in time to the region’s history of work and production. For comparison when planning, the 4 km Dr. Ernst Anschütz Song Hiking Trail in Goldlauter-Heidersbach invites people of all generations to join in singing folk and children’s songs. The trails therefore differ both in theme and in stated length: one is a kilometre shorter, while the other combines hiking and singing.

The names of other hiking routes also offer a useful point of reference when choosing. The Rennsteig-Leiter Suhl-Goldlauter/Heidersbach is a hiking route. The Suhl-Goldlauter Song Hiking Trail is a circular route. When planning your trip, you can thus distinguish between an option explicitly described as a circular trail and other named hiking routes, without assuming that all the trails follow the same format.

Gliding and winter routes

The Goldlauter airfield in Goldlauter-Heidersbach is appreciated for its excellent thermals, which make gliding a special experience. This adds another subject alongside the hiking trails: here, the focus is on gliding. The cross-country ski trails add a wintertime dimension. The Goldlauter-Heidersbach–Großer Beerberg ski area has competition and training trails around the ski stadium.

Suhl also lists the “Anbindung Goldlauter / Pochwerksgrund” ski touring connection and the “Skibaude Goldlauter-Adlersberg” ski touring route. Together with the trails around the ski stadium, they offer a selection of named winter routes and trails.

Suhl as a destination in its own right

Suhl offers its own cultural and stargazing experiences. The Suhl Planetarium can accommodate up to 56 visitors beneath an 8-metre dome. The Zeiss “Skymaster” small planetarium projects around 6,000 fixed stars, as well as the movements of the Sun, Moon and planets. At the Suhl Observatory, visitors can observe the sky under expert guidance using a 40 cm Cassegrain reflecting telescope and an 11 cm refractor. The planetarium and observatory thus offer different experiences: projections of the starry sky at the former, and guided observations with telescopes at the latter.

The Suhl Weapons Museum is part of the town’s history and presents nearly 600 years of Suhl’s small-arms manufacturing tradition across three floors. A separate section is devoted to Suhl porcelain production, which played an important role between 1861 and 1930. The Suhl Vehicle Museum displays original Simson motorcycles ridden by European and world champions to their titles, as well as the legendary Greifzu racing car. These collections offer different ways to explore the history of technology and production.

At the Suhl Marionette Theatre, visitors can enjoy puppet theatre and artists from near and far up close. The International Shooting Sports Centre Suhl offers visits, guided tours and shooting sessions by prior arrangement; check availability before visiting. For hiking enthusiasts, the Herbert Roth Hiking Trail is a panoramic route around Suhl, Herbert Roth’s home town. The Suhl Planet Trail is also listed as a hiking route in Suhl. Suhl is close to the Rennsteig.

Choose the focus that suits you

Goldlauter offers specific points of interest for a trip centred on hiking, song traditions and mining history; cross-country skiing and gliding add winter and sporting options. Suhl can be considered as a separate cultural and hiking destination. If you are looking for a holiday apartment, these different themes can help guide your choice of destination.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Auengrund, Gießübel, Ummerstadt, Biberschlag, Lichtenau, Schleusingen, Hildburghausen, Ehrenberg.

Back to the regional travel overview: Hildburghausen-Suhl.