Bad Tennstedt: Spring, spa park and town history

Spring and spa park

Bad Tennstedt’s main spring is called “Stinkender Molch” (Stinking Newt) and is located in the present-day spa park. The spring basins at Gläserlöcher and Bruchteich also offer something distinctive: minerals washed out there create a play of colors. The spa park therefore features both the named main spring and other spring basins with a special natural phenomenon.

The spa park also has two barefoot trails. Those who would rather continue on foot can follow the “Von Park zu Park – Wanderweg in den ‚Haun‘ nach Ballhausen” (From Park to Park – hiking trail in the “Haun” to Ballhausen): it starts at the Haus des Gastes in the spa park. The tourist information office is also located at the Haus des Gastes, Kurstraße 10, 99955 Bad Tennstedt.

Town tours and little discoveries

The children’s town tour “Auf der Suche nach dem Tannenbaum und dem Einhorn” (In Search of the Christmas Tree and the Unicorn) is for pupils in grades 1 to 4. The tour “Eine Zeitreise in die Vergangenheit” (A Journey Back in Time) is intended for pupils in grade 5 and above. Both tours are available on request or by prior registration. Their topics range from searching for a Christmas tree and a unicorn to traveling into the past; when planning, consider which age group will be joining you.

The Goethehäuschen is also located in the spa park. It was the town’s first bathhouse and is now a small café. The tourist information office lends out two bicycles during its opening hours. The Heimat- und Brunnenfest (Local Heritage and Spring Festival) is celebrated every year on the last weekend in June in honor of the spring. The spring and the festival are thus part of both the town’s history and its annual calendar today.

Town wall and Romanesque traces

The limestone town wall was built between 1443 and 1489, with four gates. It replaced an older fortification with a rampart and moat. The Osthöfer Gate reveals another chapter in the history of the buildings: its passage has a groin vault, while the octagonal structure with its Welsh hood and lantern dates from 1579.

The Evangelical Trinity Church, also known as Wigbertikirche, preserves traces of earlier construction as well. Remains of a Romanesque predecessor building are located in the north tower. Together with the town wall and Osthöfer Gate, this offers another perspective on Bad Tennstedt: here, the focus is on building phases, fortifications and the town’s older church history rather than the spring and spa park.

In the wider destination of Unstrut-Hainich

Bad Tennstedt is located in the wider destination of Unstrut-Hainich. The Unstrut-Hainich district is part of the Wartburg Hainich World Heritage Region. Other nature and cultural experiences in this destination include the treetop walk: its path runs 24 meters above the canopy of the Hainich, and from the treehouse you can look out over the national park. Visitors who are comfortable with heights can climb the tree tower to a platform 40 meters up; from there, the view extends across the Hainich to the Thuringian Basin.

The national park center at Thiemsburg offers a different experience, presenting its exhibition through films, large-format image panels, interactive exhibits and hands-on stations. In Bad Langensalza, the rose garden displays almost 450 rose species and varieties on a former factory site covering 18,000 m².

Choose the right focus

To decide whether Bad Tennstedt suits your travel plans, it helps to consider your interests: in town, the spring, spa park and historic buildings take center stage; the children’s town tours add two age-specific themes to the offer. The wider destination of Unstrut-Hainich adds nature experiences at the treetop walk and other cultural and garden-related attractions. You can therefore look for a holiday apartment according to whether you want to devote your stay mainly to Bad Tennstedt’s distinctive features or also to the range of themes in the wider destination.

Discover more destinations: Sundhausen, Obermehler, Heyerode, Anrode, Schlotheim, Rodeberg, Großengottern, Blankenburg.

Back to the wider travel overview: Unstrut-Hainich.