Sömmerda – City History, Nature and Trails
Accommodation in Sömmerda
In Sömmerda, a well-preserved city wall, a town garden with a long history and insights into industrial development meet trails through the countryside. The surrounding district also offers a variety of options: you can explore historic sites, choose cycling and hiking trails, or spend time by the water. Which holiday apartment is the right base depends mainly on which experiences you want to put at the heart of your trip.
City history and green spaces
The Erfurt Gate, a listed monument, is a striking part of Sömmerda’s history. According to historical chronicles, it was built in 1395 as an entrance to the town, as part of the existing fortifications. It was one of the first of the city wall’s five gates; construction of the wall began in 1589. Thanks to ongoing restoration and renovation, the historic city wall is well preserved. If you would like to learn more about the town, you can request individual guided tours from the Sömmerda Tourist Information Office; the tours follow the wall and pass the town’s sights.
The town park shows another side of the city: it was laid out as a public garden and opened at Pentecost in 1903. Behind the Dreyse House, there is also a Biedermeier-style garden with around 140 historic and English roses. These places offer different reasons to combine a stay in Sömmerda with the town’s history and landscaped green spaces.
Technology, tradition and regional cuisine
The Historical and Technical Museum explores Sömmerda’s 200-year industrial development. It traces the story from the founding of the Dreysesche Gewehrfabrik (Dreyse Rifle Factory), through Rheinmetall’s production sites, to the office machine factory in the former GDR. Those interested in local technology and industrial history will find a distinct way to discover the town. In Kölleda, a local history museum and a radio technology museum offer further regional insights.
You can encounter a special tradition at the Waidmühle (woad mill) in Rohrborn, a district of Sömmerda, which has been restored to its original condition. At the annual Mill Day on Whit Monday and the Waidmühlenfest in August, woad is ground there as it was in the past, and visitors can learn about the old tradition. At Sömmerda’s weekly markets, local producers offer regional foods, including fruit and vegetables, sausages and other meat products, fish, baked goods and cheese. These products are often organic.
Trails, countryside and water
For hikers, the 91.7-kilometre Finne Hiking Trail is one way to explore a longer route in central Germany. In the area around Rastenberg, you can also hike part of it as a circular route. Other circular trails, a geological nature trail and cycle routes start there, by the town hall or the outdoor swimming pool; they lie within the Finne Landscape Conservation Area. The Finnebahn Cycle Path follows the former Finnebahn railway line and runs between Kölleda and Rastenberg, alongside streams and floodplain meadows at the northern edge of the Thuringian Basin. The Laura Cycle Path connects the Ilmtal Cycle Path in Weimar with the Unstrut Cycle Path near Schallenburg in Sömmerda.
The Alperstedter See also offers a range of options: in the Sömmerda district, you can camp, swim, sail, surf, paddle, relax and dine there. The 66-hectare lake is connected to central Thuringia’s long-distance and regional cycle path network; from there, you can take cycling trips to places such as Erfurt, Sömmerda or Weimar. For a stay focused on water and cycling, this location offers a different experience from the cities’ museums and historic buildings.
In Kölleda, Streitseebad was ceremonially reopened on 14 May 2022 and refurbished as a place for recreation and sports. The Rastenberg outdoor swimming pool has been open since 1925. Its facilities include almost 5,000 square metres of water surface, historic changing rooms and a colonnade. Those interested in early history can visit the Steinrinne in Bilzingsleben, a former travertine quarry: around 370,000 years ago, the site was a campsite used by Homo erectus bilzingslebenensis. The Time Travel Trail connects the “Leubinger Fürstenhügel” rest area on the A 71 with the Leubingen princely burial mound; its exhibition and stops explain historical, archaeological and geographical connections.
Getting here and other places
Sömmerda is connected to the regional and long-distance transport network by the B 85 between Weimar and Bad Frankenhausen, the B 176 between Bad Langensalza and Naumburg, and the A 71 between Erfurt and Sangerhausen. The junctions are called “Sömmerda-Süd” and “Sömmerda-Ost”. Regional trains run between Erfurt and Sangerhausen and between Straußfurt and Großheringen; numerous bus routes serve neighbouring towns. You can take these connections into account when choosing your accommodation and planning your excursions.
Other places to discover in the region: Großrudestedt, Gebesee, Markvippach, Elxleben an der Gera, Beichlingen, Guthmannshausen, Kannawurf, Straußfurt, Kindelbrück, Weißensee and Henschleben.
For the main travel overview: Thuringia.
