Lehesten: Slate History and Church Art

Lehesten lies in the “Schieferland” Geopark and is closely connected with slate. Church art, the roofing trade, historic slate extraction and the Slate Park landscape offer various starting points for a trip. If you are looking for a hotel in Lehesten, you can plan your stay around whether you would mainly like to learn about the history of architecture and mining, or also spend time outdoors.

Slate in the Church and in Craftsmanship

St. Aegidien showcases the material in its furnishings: the altar, crucifix and the altar in the baptistery are made of slate. The church also houses a slate slab that is probably the largest ever carved from a single piece. It was extracted at the “Kießlich” slate quarry in 1872 and measures 308 cm high and 253 cm wide. The combination of a large-format slab and church furnishings shows the different ways slate has been used.

The roofing trade is also part of the town’s character: Germany’s oldest roofing school is located in Lehesten. It reopened in 1992 after being modernised and expanded, and today once again serves as a training centre for the roofing trade in Thuringia. If you are planning a visit, check in advance whether visits are possible.

The Industrial Monument at Its Original Site

The “Historic Slate Mining in Lehesten” industrial monument preserves historic 19th-century buildings at their original site as a slate extraction facility. The exceptional industrial complex includes the Göpel shaft system, unique in Europe, and the striking Doppelspalthütte. The complex illustrates the history of slate and the tradition of slate mining in Thuringia and Franconia. Expert-guided tours cover mining traditions and processing techniques.

On request, visitors may cut a slate souvenir themselves at the slate shears under supervision. This is done at their own risk; work gloves and an apron are provided. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, arrange it before your trip.

Slate Park, Lake and Hiking Trails

The 60-hectare Lehesten Slate Park can be explored year-round on foot, by bicycle or on skis. At Staatsbruch, the Slate Lake now lies where slate was once extracted in an open-cast mine. Lehesten is also a starting point for hikes in the Thuringian Slate Mountains, including along the Slate Trail. The 168 km Rennsteig high-altitude hiking trail also passes through the Lehesten area; in Brennersgrün, it runs right through the village. In the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, the hiking landscape stretches from the Saale Valley to the Thuringian Forest.

Discover Schmiedebach

In Schmiedebach, which belongs to the municipality of Lehesten, the Slate Village Museum displays around 2,000 exhibits on the history of the village and the region. Individual guided tours about local history are available by arrangement; parking is available at the museum. The Laura memorial site is also located in Schmiedebach, a place for remembrance, meeting and historical learning.

Discover more destinations: Rudolstadt, Lichte, Meuselbach-Schwarzmühle, Middle Schwarzatal, Saalfeld, Piesau, Großkochberg, Cursdorf.

For the regional travel overview: Saalfeld-Rudolstadt.