Discover Wasungen: gardens, carnival and hiking trails

A botanical highlight in Wasungen

The Wasungen Forest Botanical Garden covers about 5 hectares. It is home to 162 genera of woody plants, with 1,700 different species and forms. These figures give a sense of the garden’s diversity: its focus is on a wide range of different woody plants and forms, not just a single type of plant. If you are interested in the collection, you can arrange a guided tour. These tours are subject to a fee and available by prior arrangement.

Circular Hiking Trail 1 runs around the Forest Botanical Garden. This also lets you explore the garden from the perspective of a circular route. When planning, you can decide whether to allow more time for the botanical exhibits or for a hike around the grounds. No specific route length or walking time is given for this loop.

Carnival and the historic town centre

Wasungen Carnival reaches its high point with a historic festival parade. It takes place every year on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday. This fixed date makes the carnival a special seasonal occasion for a trip to Wasungen. If you want to plan your stay around it, the Saturday before Ash Wednesday is an important date to keep in mind.

The carnival tradition also has a museum connection: the collection of the Thuringian Carnival Museum, housed in the former convent for noblewomen in Wasungen, documents the diversity of carnival traditions in Thuringia through written records and artefacts. Wasungen’s historic town centre is a protected ensemble designated as a historic area. So, alongside its annual traditions, the town also offers a historical highlight. Your trip can therefore focus more on the festival parade, the history of carnival or the historic town centre.

Hiking trails to a range of destinations

Several trails with clearly distinct destinations are available for hiking. Circular Hiking Trail 2 loops around the Rupperg and leads to the Kleine Zehn Buchen. Circular Hiking Route 3 passes through the Mordtal valley and leads to the Oberwallbachsmühle. Both routes are described as circular trails, but they lead to different named destinations. If you enjoy comparing different hiking destinations, these names can help you choose a route.

There are also longer-distance routes: the 96 km HWO2 long-distance hiking trail connects Wasungen with Schlitz. One section of the Heinrich Cotta Hiking Trail runs from the Forest Botanical Garden to Heinrich Cotta’s birthplace in Kleine Zillbach. Another hiking route passes Burg Maienluft to the former Henneberger Haus and continues to Schmalkalden. When choosing, consider whether you want to focus on a circular trail, a section with a named historical connection or a route between different places. The descriptions give different starting points and destinations for each option.

Cycling along the Werra

There is also a specific option for a cycling trip: the Werratal Cycle Route runs through Wasungen along the left bank of the Werra. Wasungen campsite is right on the Werra and has recreational facilities and a fire pit. You can consider these amenities alongside the hiking trails and cultural attractions when choosing your destination.

If you are looking for a holiday apartment as a base for your trip, it helps to decide on your preferred focus first: carnival and the town centre, the Forest Botanical Garden, hiking destinations or the cycle route. You can then assess Wasungen in terms of which of the themes described best suits your trip. If you are travelling with others who have different interests, you can treat these options as separate priorities rather than combining them into a single tour.

Discover more places

More places: Oepfershausen, Brotterode-Trusetal, Grabfeld, Brotterode health resort, Schmalkalden, Floh-Seligenthal, Struth-Helmershof and Friedelshausen.

For the wider travel overview: Schmalkalden-Meiningen.