Discover Hildburghausen

From ducal residence to landscaped park

The palace garden was laid out as a Baroque garden around 1700 and transformed into a landscaped park around 1780. This sequence of dates illustrates a change in garden design: the Baroque layout was followed by its transformation into a landscaped park. A canal laid out around 1700 surrounds the preserved garden, which covers just under 6 hectares. Its history and size give the palace garden a distinctive place among Hildburghausen’s cultural attractions.

The garden can add a different note to your travel plans from the town’s historic buildings and exhibitions. If you’re travelling with children, different interests may guide your choice: some may prefer learning about the history of a garden, while others are more interested in local history, theatre or a bike ride. These are different possible ways to shape a stay, and you don’t have to turn them into a shared itinerary.

Local history at the museum

Since 1993, the Hildburghausen Town Museum has been housed in the historic “Alte Post” building, which was restored from 1989 to 1993. Its permanent exhibition traces the town’s history from its first documented mention in 1234 to everyday life in the 20th century. In between, it covers crafts in the small farming town, court life and 19th-century industrialisation. The exhibition thus spans several eras and different aspects of town life.

Books are also among the museum’s themes: it displays first editions from the Bibliographisches Institut, founded by Joseph and Hermann Meyer, including a 52-volume first edition of Meyer’s Konversations-Lexikon. For families and other groups travelling together, this offers a range of ways to connect with history: from the town’s development to work and daily life, as well as a substantial encyclopaedia edition. If you’re considering Hildburghausen as a holiday destination, these cultural history themes may help you decide whether they suit the kind of stay you’re looking for.

Buildings with different stories

Christ Church was built after the town fire of 1779, replacing the destroyed late Gothic St. Lorenz town church. It was consecrated on 24 November 1785 and designed in the style of “classically restrained late Baroque.” Its origins connect a specific event in the town’s history with a clearly defined architectural style.

The town hall was built in 1395 as a council and market hall, replacing a stone building that had burned down. It is considered probably the oldest surviving building in the town. The town theatre reflects a different historical development: built in 1721 as a ballroom and fencing hall, it was converted into a ducal court theatre around 1755. It is one of Germany’s oldest freestanding theatres still in continuous use. The town hall, Christ Church and theatre each tell a different aspect of the town’s history.

Cycling route and choosing your trip

A cycling route is another option: the “Around the District Town of Hildburghausen” route begins and ends in Hildburghausen. If you’d like to focus on culture during your holiday, the museum, palace garden and architectural history may make the destination appealing. If cycling is more important, you can consider including the named circular route in your plans. When looking for a holiday apartment in Hildburghausen, the first thing to consider is which of these interests you want to shape your stay; your specific requirements for a property’s facilities or location will depend on your own needs.

For more travel ideas, you can also explore Henfstädt, Römhild, Masserberg, Goldlauter, Auengrund, Schnett, Eisfeld and Suhl.

For the broader travel overview: Hildburghausen–Suhl.