Vollersroda: Village Church, Village History and Feininger Cycle Route
Accommodation in Vollersroda
Vollersroda can be explored as a regularly laid-out street village, as a place with a centrally located village church, and as a stop on the Feininger Cycle Route. The combination of these themes makes the village interesting to people with different interests: you can learn about its village layout and history, or get to know Vollersroda as part of a longer cycling route. The village lies southwest of Belvedere Park at an altitude of 330 metres.
A street village with a distinctive centre
Vollersroda has a layout typical of settlements founded in the High Middle Ages: the village is regularly laid out and sharply defined at its edges. The rows of houses do not simply form an arbitrary sequence of buildings. Their plaza-like expansion creates space for the church in the centre. The church therefore does not stand in the row of houses, but occupies a central position in the village. Those interested in village layouts will find two clearly distinguishable features here: the regular course of the street village and the arrangement opening towards the village centre.
The church on Dorfstraße was built in 1775. Its central location is one of the striking features of the village’s appearance; at the same time, the church, together with its furnishings, churchyard and war memorial, is listed as a historic monument in the Weimar region’s register of listed buildings. Lyonel Feininger painted a total of four pictures of the church in Vollersroda. The village church thus features both in the history of the village and in Feininger’s artistic engagement with the subject. The four paintings offer a distinct point of interest for visitors interested in art and in the depiction of a specific building.
Local history and changes to the surrounding area
Vollersroda was first mentioned in 1262: a charter from Volrad von Kranichfeld to Oberweimar Monastery lists the village under the name Volradshrode. This early form of the name differs markedly from the village’s present-day name. Together with the village layout typical of High Medieval settlements, the charter provides insight into two distinct aspects of its history: the village’s layout and its early written record.
The surrounding area also reflects later uses and changes to the landscape. Peat was cut in Vollersroda in the 19th century; the area in question was subsequently converted into ponds.
The inn’s hall was used for the Vollersroda Kirmes, the annual church consecration festival held in autumn. This connection adds a community tradition to the village’s architectural and local history.
Vollersroda on the Feininger Cycle Route
The well-signposted Feininger Cycle Route is 27.8 kilometres long and runs from Weimar through Niedergrunstedt, Gelmeroda, Possendorf, Vollersroda and Mellingen. In the southern Weimar region, it connects several of Lyonel Feininger’s favourite subjects and also passes through Vollersroda. The village is thus part of a route with several stops; the route is not limited to Vollersroda. If you are travelling by bike, you can take this route into account when planning and consider Vollersroda as one stop along the full route.
If you plan to include the Feininger Cycle Route in your trip, you can consider Vollersroda as a possible location for your holiday apartment.
For the wider travel overview: Mellingen.
