Jenaprießnitz: St. Mary’s Church and nearby trails

The hike is listed as 6.2 kilometres long; Jena offers additional garden, forest and cultural destinations. You can tailor your stay to the subjects that interest you most.

St. Mary’s Church: architectural history and furnishings

The present-day choir of St. Mary’s Church beneath the tower was part of an early Gothic predecessor building dating from the early 13th century. A donation by Burgrave Otto IV of Kirchberg is recorded for 1306: he donated the church in Prießnitz and the chapel at Kirchberg Castle to Bosau Abbey near Zeitz.

One of the most valuable pieces of furnishings in St. Mary’s Church is a well-preserved Gothic altar crucifix. The organ marks a later period: organ builder Adolph Poppe from (Stadt)Roda built it in 1855. The building history, the donation and the organ’s construction thus offer different historical points of reference, from the early 13th century to the mid-19th century.

Hiking trail in the immediate area

Jena Circular Hiking Trail 10 is 6.2 kilometres long and passes above Jenaprießnitz. Heading towards the Fuchsturm, the trail runs through mixed forest and alongside meadows, offering views of Jenaprießnitz and the Jenzig. For your plans, the route combines a specific distance with a variety of landscapes: forest, meadows and views of the village and mountain.

More destinations in Jena

The Botanical Garden of the University of Jena covers 4.5 hectares and contains around 10,000 plant species. It includes five greenhouses: the Succulent House, Cool House, Tropical House, Evolution House and Victoria House. Water lilies, among other plants, grow there. Alongside outdoor landscapes, Jena therefore offers the diversity of a garden with several distinct types of greenhouse as a destination in its own right.

The approximately four-kilometre-long Schlauer Ux Forest Trail has few climbs and runs through Jena’s municipal forest. It starts near the forum natura nature experience centre, passes the Forstturm and goes by the Bismarckturm and the Sternlinde. At 20 stations, children and other hikers can discover animals, trees and plants. The route is suitable for families, kindergarten groups and school classes.

The 91-kilometre-long SaaleHorizontale offers a different scale. It follows narrow paths through steep Muschelkalk limestone slopes and provides views of the landscape of the Middle Saale Valley, with its villages, castles and palaces. The Forest Trail and the SaaleHorizontale therefore differ both in their stated lengths and in the terrain described.

Culture is also a recurring theme in Jena: the Kulturarena has been held there every summer since 1992 and attracts tens of thousands of visitors. It adds a summer events focus to the garden and landscape destinations, without referring to any specific future edition.

Discover more travel destinations: Gösen, Großlöbichau, Tautendorf, Renthendorf, Seitenroda, Dornburg-Camburg, Bürgel, Hermsdorf.

Go to the main travel overview: Saale-Holzland.