Brotterode-Trusetal
Accommodation in Brotterode-Trusetal
The Trusetal Waterfall gives Brotterode-Trusetal a striking natural backdrop: the water plunges 60 metres over a granite formation in three cascades. The waterfall is switched off in winter. The region also offers mining history, Romanesque architecture and marked trails—different highlights for vacation days you can plan around your interests.
Experience the waterfall and trails
As well as visiting the waterfall, you can climb a staircase with 228 steps. This combines views of the cascades with a clearly defined activity. A hut by the Pfingstweide on the Nature Park Trail invites you to take a break.
Several tours offer different highlights. The marked Sightseeing Tour covers 17.5 kilometres from Bad Vilbeler Platz, passing the Wallenburger Tower, the “Hühn” Visitor Mine and the waterfall viewpoint, among other places. The marked Trusetal Adventure Tour also passes Teufelskanzel and the waterfall viewpoint. The waterfall viewpoint is a waymarker on both tours.
Another route is the Trusetal Rennsteig-Leiter: it leads from the waterfall via Fünf Gärten, Laudenbach and the Mining Educational Trail to the Rennsteig. For cycling, the Inselsberg Cycle Path is a route in its own right. It starts at the bus station in Brotterode and is about 17 kilometres long. When choosing a route, you can therefore look at the waymarkers listed for the marked tours or at the cycle path’s starting point and approximate length.
Mining history and architecture
At the “Hühn” Visitor Mine, you can experience a mining history that is said to date back almost a thousand years. After a guided tour, you can dig for mineral stones at “Klonike am Hühn.” Searching for mineral stones yourself afterwards offers a different experience from simply viewing historic buildings.
The Wallenburger Tower on the outskirts of Trusetal is a monument to Romanesque architecture dating from the 13th century. Alongside mining history, it offers an architectural perspective on the past. The local history room in Trusetal was established and is run by the Trusetal Mining and Local History Association—another connection to local culture.
More cultural highlights in the wider Schmalkalden-Meiningen destination
The wider Schmalkalden-Meiningen destination also has its own places of interest. In Schmalkalden, you can experience the production of melt-in-the-mouth nougat at the Viba Nougat World, in a glass-fronted workshop. Hands-on confectionery courses include moulding chocolate, decorating nougat and creating pralines. Dates and booking conditions may change; check them if a course is part of your plans.
The “Neue Hütte” Blast Furnace Museum in Schmalkalden offers a different historical perspective. The blast furnace dates from 1835; locally mined iron ore was smelted there with charcoal to produce pig iron until 1924. The exhibitions cover the region’s almost 1,300-year history of iron and steel goods production, including the well-known “Schmalkalder Artikel.” A 45-minute guided tour focuses on the history and operation of the blast furnace.
The waterfall, mining and local trail network offer practical points of reference when choosing a holiday apartment in Brotterode-Trusetal. If nougat or the history of iron processing are also among your vacation interests, you can associate them with the wider Schmalkalden-Meiningen destination; the venues mentioned are in Schmalkalden.
Discover more destinations: Friedelshausen, Schmalkalden, Trusetal-Laudenbach, Kaltensundheim, Breitungen/Werra, Oberhof, Frankenheim/Rhön, Ellingshausen.
Back to the regional travel overview: Schmalkalden-Meiningen.
