Discover Ruhla: Clocks, Bauhaus and Winter Trails

Ruhla combines a history of clockmaking and architecture with hiking trails, cycling routes and seasonal winter sports. If you are looking for a hotel in Ruhla, deciding what you want to focus on during your trip can make it easier to choose a destination: would you mainly like to explore culture, or spend time on trails and in nature? The local highlights below offer concrete starting points for your plans.

Clockmaking and Bauhaus history

The Watch and Clock Museum Ruhla offers insight into the history of Ruhla’s clock industry, from its beginnings in 1862 to the present day. On display are over 1,300 clocks, 35 machines and 50 information panels. Alongside this broad overview of clockmaking, the Clock Cube focuses on a single technical object: the building next to the Ruhla cultural center displays the former clock mechanism, 160 years old, from the tower clock at St. Concordia. Three former clockmakers fully restored it in their spare time. The Clock Cube is freely accessible around the clock.

The Bauhaus ensemble offers a different cultural and historical focus. It was built in Ruhla between 1926 and 1928, based on plans by Bauhaus architect Thilo Schoder. It comprised social housing, a town café, a cooperative grocery store and a playground. The apartments generally had two rooms, a kitchen and a toilet. On the top floor, each stairwell had a shared bathroom; a bathing schedule regulated its use. Today, the building is a protected historic monument. While the museum and Clock Cube tell the story of clockmaking, the ensemble turns the focus to architecture and everyday life at the time.

Experience nature and explore the trails

The Ruhla Nature Park, Geopark and Tourist Information Center is housed in a renovated half-timbered building on the market square. In the exhibition, panels provide information about the city’s historical development, settlement, crafts and geology. An adventure cave, a model of a grinding mill and a rock puzzle complement the displays.

GeoRoute 10, the nature trail on Breitenberg, is a circular route about 2.4 kilometers long on the 697-meter-high Breitenberg, Ruhla’s highest mountain. Information panels share facts about fauna, flora and habitats, and invite visitors to make practical discoveries. The trail combines a clearly defined circular route with nature-related topics. The circular hiking trail around Ruhla offers a different perspective, with views of Ruhla, Thal and Kittelsthal.

Winter sports and cycling

Above Ruhla lies the Alte Ruhl winter sports area, with five ski jumps of different sizes and a partially illuminated cross-country skiing technique park. In the immediate vicinity of Alte Ruhl, the Storchswiese cross-country skiing area has trails 2.3 and 5 kilometers long. For winter in Ruhla, around 15 kilometers of ski touring trails and around 10 kilometers of cross-country ski trails are also listed. Use of the winter sports facilities depends on snow conditions; check current conditions before setting out.

For cycling, the described route from Ruhla via Thal, Farnroda and Wutha is worth considering. It connects the Rennsteig Cycle Path with the Thuringian Cities Chain Long-Distance Cycle Route and other cycling routes. This gives you a choice of different activity focuses when planning your trip: circular routes on Breitenberg and around Ruhla, cross-country skiing and ski touring trails in winter, or a cycling route connected to named long-distance cycle paths. Which option takes priority depends on whether you would rather explore Ruhla through culture, nature or activity.

Discover more destinations: Dorndorf, Wiesenthal, Kaltenlengsfeld, Frankenroda, Buttlar, Hörselberg-Hainich, Barchfeld-Immelborn, Hallungen

For the wider travel overview: Wartburg.