Spechtsbrunn: Baroque Church and Border History

Baroque Church in Spechtsbrunn

The village church in Spechtsbrunn is St Matthew’s Church. It was built in 1746/47 as a Baroque church, replacing a medieval predecessor. It is known for its richly painted interior and is also considered an example of the heyday of Baroque church architecture in the Thuringian Slate Mountains. Its construction dates and older predecessor bring the architectural development to life, while the paintings add an art-historical dimension. If culture is part of your holiday, you can make the church a focus of your travel plans.

Trails and Border History

The Kleine Grenzwanderung (Short Border Hike) along the Green Belt starts at the Spechtsbrunn Nature Park and Geopark Information Centre. It begins on the Rennsteig, follows it for the first few metres and leads through the natural landscapes of the Green Belt National Natural Monument. The circular route is well signposted and can be walked on snowshoes in winter.

The Green Belt runs directly alongside the Spechtsbrunn Nature Park Information Centre, where you can hike and cycle in the footsteps of inner German history. The “German Unity” ski touring trail invites visitors to take an active route along the former inner German border in the district of Spechtsbrunn. This offers several different options: a circular border hike, hiking and cycling along the Green Belt, and a more athletic ski tour.

The “Green Belt – from Death Strip to Habitat” rucksack school programme is available at the Spechtsbrunn Nature Park Information Centre. The walk explores the history and present-day significance of the Green Belt and is aimed at pupils in grades 3 and 4. If you plan to take part, confirm availability with the centre in advance.

Rennsteig Festival in May

The Rennsteig Festival takes place every year in May in the district of Spechtsbrunn. The exact date may vary; if the festival is a deciding factor for your trip, check the date for that year before arranging your travel dates around it.

More Things to See in Sonneberg

In Sonneberg, the German Toy Museum displays 5,000 toys that trace the history of toys from their beginnings to the present day. You can also see the “Thuringian Fair”: a group of 67 lifelike figures depicting a typical 19th-century rural folk festival in the Thuringian-Franconian region. The museum also has three play areas.

Sonneberg’s 1.4-hectare town park was laid out in the 19th century as a private public park by a Sonneberg toy manufacturer. A path of around 250 m, developed in 2026, takes visitors past seven stations on the theme “Little Animals, Up Close”. It is designed for children and is almost fully accessible; some sections have gravel paths with gentle slopes.

Choose the Right Focus

When looking for a holiday apartment, it helps to decide first which themes you want to shape your stay: church architecture, border history or the Rennsteig Festival in May bring Spechtsbrunn into focus. The toy museum and town park offer different highlights in Sonneberg. Choose your destination based on the experiences that matter most for your trip.

Discover more destinations: Neuhaus am Rennweg, Frankenblick, Mengersgereuth-Hämmern, Föritz, Effelder-Rauenstein, Lauscha, Neuhaus-Schierschnitz, Goldisthal

See the full travel overview: Sonneberg.