Möhrenbach: Trails, Pond and Local History
Accommodation in Möhrenbach
Those choosing Möhrenbach for a peaceful stay will find two distinct highlights: easy hiking trails and flat cycling routes in the surrounding area, as well as traces of the village’s history. Both can guide your choice of holiday apartment: would you rather spend most of your time outdoors, or explore the village’s history as well? The trails are open for use all year round and offer flexibility when planning your day, without prescribing a set itinerary.
Hiking and Cycling in the Surrounding Area
Möhrenbach’s peaceful surroundings offer easy hiking routes that can be enjoyed all year round. Flat cycling routes provide another way to get outdoors. If you are looking for a named hike, the “Möhrenbach to the Langer Berg and Back” circular trail is nearby. It follows the Ilm-Rennsteig cycle route towards Gehren before continuing along the “Wurzelkurtpfad” (Wurzelkurt Trail). It is marked with a yellow bar on a white background. As trail conditions can change, it is advisable to check the latest situation before setting out.
Pond and Half-Timbered House
The Pferdeteich, centrally located in Möhrenbach, is occasionally also called the Schwanenteich. It is documented as being well over 100 years old and was originally an unpaved natural pond. The name probably comes from the watering of horses kept for agricultural work: they enabled traders to climb the adjacent mountains with their goods and belongings.
Another piece of local history is the “Pochwerk” in the upper Porzel, Möhrenbach’s oldest little house. This traditionally built half-timbered house, with its small wooden-panelled room, was built in 1606. The pond and the house offer different points of interest: one focuses on the former use of a central location, the other on the construction and age of a historic building.
Memorials and Historical Traces
Möhrenbach’s history is also reflected in its memorials. From 1919 to 1936, the steel bell rang for the people of Möhrenbach from the bell tower; it was later dedicated as a memorial on the Vorder Gansleit summit. The war memorial at Hühnerstein on Gykelberg was dedicated in 1935 during the local heritage festival, near the “Eiche” (Oak). It commemorates the people of Möhrenbach who fell in the First World War.
In the neighbouring Wohlrosetal valley, a small information board and memorial stone mark the site of the incident involving forester Albin Walther. He was shot there by a poacher from Friedersdorf on 5 September 1909, and died in Möhrenbach on the morning of 6 September, gravely wounded and having lost a great deal of blood. The memorial is between Wohlrosetalstraße, near Ratsmühle, and the “Leidchen” on Gykelberg. An ivy-covered gravestone can still be found in the Möhrenbach cemetery.
More to Explore in the Wider Ilmenau Destination
The wider Ilmenau destination has its own landscape and trail highlights. Kickelhahn, Ilmenau’s local mountain, is 861 metres high; its 21-metre observation tower is one of the town’s landmarks. The 20-kilometre Goethewanderweg connects sites associated with Goethe, from Ilmenau to Stützerbach. Three different trails in the Lindenberg trail park are open to mountain bikers; it is advisable to check current local information before riding. Numerous ski trails and winter hiking routes lead from Ilmenau to the Rennsteig, as well as from Auerhahn to Kickelhahn. Snow and trail conditions can vary by season.
The cultural attractions in the wider Ilmenau destination also have their own character: the Münzkeller is right next to the Alte Münze and offers a glimpse into the 16th century. The Bergmannskapelle is on Sturmheide, in the heart of the former Ilmenau copper and silver mining district and below the spoil heap of the former “Gottes Gabe” mine. It houses an exhibition on Ilmenau’s copper shale mining.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Gehlberg, Großbreitenbach, Kirchheim, Gehren, Geschwenda, Ilmenau, Wachsenburggemeinde, Friedersdorf.
Back to the wider travel overview: Ilm-Kreis.
