Discover Bad Blankenburg

Greifenstein Castle and the Schwarzatal valley

Greifenstein Castle stands high above Bad Blankenburg at the entrance to the romantic Schwarzatal valley. It was first mentioned in a document in 1208. At the castle museum, you can learn about the castle’s history through an exhibition. This gives the town a specific historical attraction as well as a connection to the landscape of the Schwarzatal valley. If you are particularly interested in castles and history, you can take this focus into account when planning your trip; if you prefer to spend time outdoors, Bad Blankenburg also has a designated starting point for hikes.

From spring to autumn, the falconry at Greifenstein Castle offers a flight display for all ages. This is another way to give your stay a particular focus. The castle museum and falconry offer different experiences: one focuses on the castle’s history, while the other features a flight display. If you are travelling with your family, you can decide together which of these experiences sounds most appealing to the different interests in your group.

Hiking starts at Chrysopraswehr

The hiking starting point in Bad Blankenburg is at the entrance to the Schwarzatal valley, specifically at the hiking car park at Chrysopraswehr. From there, one option is the 5 km Felsenpfad am Goldberg circular trail. Its stated length gives you a specific point of reference when considering a hike as part of your day’s plans. Since it is a circular trail, you can focus on this particular route rather than thinking about hiking in the area only in general terms. This documented starting point is another reason to consider Bad Blankenburg as a base for a trip focused on hiking when choosing a holiday apartment.

Friedrich Fröbel and getting there

The exhibition area at the Friedrich Fröbel Museum explores Friedrich Fröbel’s life and the first kindergarten in Bad Blankenburg. This gives a visit to the museum a clear focus: it covers both a notable figure and the kindergarten Fröbel founded in the town. If you want to include culture and history in your trip, you can plan this visit as a separate activity.

There is also a specific way to reach the museum by regional train: it takes one hour from Erfurt and 90 minutes from Jena. You can take these connections into account when planning your journey. Together with the hiking starting point and experiences at the castle, Bad Blankenburg is a destination where you can give different weight to cultural and active pursuits. A holiday apartment in Bad Blankenburg is one accommodation option if you have chosen this particular town as your destination.

Brewing tradition in Watzdorf

Beer has been brewed in Watzdorf since 1411, making Watzdorf Brewery one of the oldest breweries in Germany. A brewery tour with tasting gives you an insight into the historic brewhouse, the modern brewing facility and the bottling process. The visit also includes the brewery museum and a film screening. The tour therefore covers both the history of brewing here and different areas of the brewery. If you are interested in regional brewing traditions, this adds another theme to the cultural and nature experiences that define Bad Blankenburg.

When choosing your accommodation, you can start by considering the experiences that matter to you: the castle and exhibition, the Fröbel Museum, the Felsenpfad trail or brewing culture. Each of the activities described has its own focus, making it possible to explore Bad Blankenburg as a destination when planning a trip around different interests.

More places to discover: Gräfenthal, Schwarzburg, Unterhain, Mellenbach-Glasbach, Reichmannsdorf, Leutenberg, Lichte, Drognitz.

For the overview of the wider area: Saalfeld-Rudolstadt.