Steinach: Slate, Woodcraft and Hiking Trails

Palace, Slate and Toys

The New Palace in Steinach was built from 1747 to 1755. The German Slate Museum offers an engaging introduction to the formation, extraction and processing of slate, with a particular focus on slate used for making slate pencils. The palace’s architectural history and the museum’s focus on the material offer different ways to explore the town’s culture.

The Steinach Toy Box displays wooden toys, dolls, historic ship models and papier-mâché Marolin figures made in Steinach. The collection ranges from wooden toys and figures to models, and can provide topics for conversation, especially for families. If you plan to visit, check the current visitor arrangements in advance.

Hiking Trails and Activities to Enjoy Together

Steinach has a well-marked network of five circular hiking trails, created and maintained by the Thüringerwald Verein Steinach e.V. Other options include the Griffelpfad, the “6 Kuppen-Steig” and a high-altitude trail to the neighboring town of Lauscha. This lets you choose between circular routes and a trail with Lauscha as your destination.

At Fellbergstadion, the high ropes course is an obstacle course built on tree trunks, with 16 challenges at a height of about ten meters. The challenges are designed for partner exercises or to be tackled as a team. It offers a different way to spend the day than hiking: the focus here is on completing tasks together on the course.

Advent Market and Woodcarving Symposium

The Griffel and Christmas Market takes place every year on the second weekend of Advent in Steinach’s Market Square. It features a festively decorated Christmas tree and a program; individual program details may vary. If you like to plan around a fixed date, this weekend gives you a specific reason to travel.

Woodcraft is also part of the Steinach experience: at the woodcarving symposium, visitors can watch five sculptors create wooden sculptures on site. For the 20th edition, the courtyard of Steinach Palace once again became an art workshop for a week. This puts the creative process alongside the finished pieces in the collection.

Sonneberg as a Wider Travel Destination

The wider travel destination of Sonneberg offers further landscape and cultural attractions across the district: Sonneberg district lies within the Thuringian Forest Nature Park and the Slate Land National Geopark; the German Toy Road also runs along the district. The Thüringen Alpin Skiarena Silbersattel is near the slate town of Steinach and is Thuringia’s largest and most snow-reliable ski area. Check current operating conditions before visiting.

In Lauscha, the Museum of Glass Art traces the history of glass Christmas tree decorations from 1860 to the present day, including baubles and a variety of shapes. The production of mouth-blown Lauscha glass Christmas decorations has been included in the nationwide Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Ankerbräu brewery experience in Steinach also offers beer tastings and a beer bath; check whether this experience is currently available before your trip.

When choosing a location for a holiday apartment, your travel preferences are the first thing to consider: do you want to focus on Steinach’s museums, hiking trails and events, or also include other attractions in the wider Sonneberg travel destination? Setting these priorities will help you narrow down your preferred booking location.

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