Bermbach: Charcoal Kiln Festival, Outdoor Pool and Local Heritage Room

Among the defining features of Bermbach are the Charcoal Kiln Festival, which is connected with traditional charcoal burning, the local heritage room and an outdoor pool on the outskirts of the village. If you are planning a stay, you can combine these local attractions with other offerings in the broader Steinbach-Hallenberg destination.

Charcoal burning, local history and an outdoor pool in Bermbach

The annual Charcoal Kiln Festival keeps Bermbach’s charcoal-burning tradition alive. If you would like to plan your visit around the festival, check the event date before you travel. This lets you plan around the specific date rather than relying solely on a general schedule.

The local heritage room also offers an insight into the village’s history. It is housed in a building that once held the village school on the ground floor and the church on the upper floor. The former use of the two floors makes the building’s history tangible in different ways. Bermbach’s outdoor pool is on the outskirts of the village and includes a non-swimmer pool, a swimming pool and a sunbathing lawn. If you are planning a visit to the pool, check in advance whether it is currently open.

The Knüllfeld ski and hiking area, with its ski lift, is near Bermbach. This gives you a choice of different activities in the area: the village’s charcoal-burning tradition, an outdoor pool and a nearby ski and hiking area. If the ski lift is important to your trip, check in advance whether it is currently operating.

More experiences in the broader Steinbach-Hallenberg destination

The Metalworking Museum offers a special focus in the broader Steinbach-Hallenberg destination. Visitors can tour workshops preserved in their original condition and see how people worked in the past. The museum includes three historic workshops: a nail forge, a corkscrew workshop and a file-making workshop. The permanent exhibition “Ons Schdaaimicher” opened in January 2022 and offers insights into the way of life, language development and club life of the people of Steinbach-Hallenberg.

From April to October, blacksmithing demonstrations take place at the Metalworking Museum on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Check the specific dates before your trip. This allows you to plan the demonstration as a separate activity, while the workshops and permanent exhibition offer another way to explore craftsmanship and local history.

Hallenburg Castle was built around 1212 on top of older building remains. A walk up to the castle offers views of the town and the surrounding mountains. To access the tower, you may need to collect the key from the Tourist Information Office. It is centrally located in the town center, directly opposite the Metalworking Museum. Free parking is available for longer visits on Bismarckstraße or Hennebergstraße, behind the town church.

At the Unterlautenberg wildlife enclosure in the district of Unterschönau, there is a circular trail about 3 km long. Red deer, fallow deer, mouflons and goats can be seen there. The circular trail and wildlife viewing offer a different focus from the museum and Hallenburg Castle. Knüllfeld is also part of the range of excursions in the broader destination: during the summer holidays, horse-drawn carriage rides there and back to the town center are regularly offered in partnership with Fuhrbetrieb Falk Nattermann. During the ride, you can enjoy views down into the valley and of the surrounding mountains. The rides are seasonal; check the dates in the events calendar.

In honor of Hallenburg Castle, a large town festival, the Castle Festival, is held every five years. If the festival is a deciding factor for your trip, check the current event date in advance. This will help you decide whether a stay for the occasion or a visit focused on the museum, views and nature experiences better suits your plans.

Discover more destinations: Rohr / Thuringia, Schmalkalden, Frankenheim/Rhön, Roßdorf, Oepfershausen, Meiningen, Breitungen/Werra, Benshausen.

Go to the broader travel overview: Schmalkalden-Meiningen.