Ilmtal-Weinstraße: Palace Park, Castle and Leonardo Park

Ilmtal-Weinstraße offers culture-minded travelers a variety of points of interest: a landscaped park wall in Kromsdorf, a listed passage castle in Liebstedt and mechanical machines in the Leonardo da Vinci Park in Leutenthal. The wider Weimarer Land destination also offers hiking and cycling trails, as well as museums covering a range of subjects. You can plan your trip around architecture, art, technology or outdoor activities.

Cultural attractions in Ilmtal-Weinstraße

From 1664, Baron Johan Theodor de Mortaigne had the wall of the palace park at Kromsdorf Palace adorned with 64 sandstone busts. They depict historical and exotic figures. Here, the focus is not only on the park, but also on its wall of portraits. Their number, material and subject matter make the design a cohesive ensemble and offer a tangible introduction to art and architectural history.

The listed Liebstedt Castle is the only surviving European passage castle. Its distinctive name and classification set it apart from the portraits in Kromsdorf: here, the focus is on a type of castle. The access restriction is important when planning your visit: the castle is open only during events. Plan your visit for a suitable event date.

In Leutenthal, the Leonardo da Vinci Park, which is connected to the open-air museum, displays mechanical machines that transform motion, based on the artist’s drawings and concepts. This makes the relationship between design and mechanical principles the main theme. If you are weighing up different cultural interests for your trip, this technical perspective complements the architectural history of the castle and the sculpture in Kromsdorf, while each of the three places tells a different story.

Trails and museums in the wider Weimarer Land destination

The wider Weimarer Land destination offers a range of routes for different interests. The Thuringian Three Towers Trail is a circular hiking route through the protected landscape of the Middle Ilm Valley in the southern Weimarer Land. It links the Paulinenturm near Bad Berka, the Hainturm in the Belvederer Forst near Weimar and the Carolinenturm near Blankenhain. The Goethe Adventure Trail, by contrast, focuses on Goethe’s journey to Charlotte von Stein and twelve experience stations combining nature and culture; the trail connects Weimar and Großkochberg. Stage 25 of the Luther Trail runs from Weimar to Apolda. This makes it easy to distinguish a circular hike featuring three named towers from routes with literary or historical themes.

The Weimarer Land also has a dedicated Nordic walking offering: the VitalParcours Bad Berka features trails through varied landscapes. A total of four routes were certified as quality trails by the German Nordic Walking Association in 2011. For cycling trips, bike paths between Weimar, Apolda and Bad Sulza combine nature, cultural history and regional cuisine, making them suitable for multi-day tours. The Ilm Valley Cycle Route passes through the Thuringian Wine Gate in Bad Sulza. Check the route conditions before a cycling trip; you should also check the conditions before setting out on the Goethe Adventure Trail.

The museums in the Weimarer Land offer a choice of themes rather than a single, uniform cultural program. The GlockenStadtMuseum Apolda focuses on the cultural history of bells and the region’s textile industry. The Saline and Local History Museum in Bad Sulza presents the salt-making tradition, which dates back to 1046. Those interested in historic buildings can find more than 40 structures from the 16th to the 20th century at the Thuringian Open-Air Museum Hohenfelden. The permanent exhibition at the Coudray House in Bad Berka covers 200 years of the development of the spa and healthcare sector in Bad Berka; check the current access arrangements before visiting.

For art, the Kunsthaus Apolda Avantgarde has hosted exhibitions by international and regional artists since 1995. It also holds lectures, auctions, book readings and film screenings; individual events vary. Check current opening times and event dates before your visit. The renovated Wielandgut Oßmannstedt, with its Wieland memorial and multimedia museum, offers insights into Wieland’s life, work and influence and is open to visitors. Here too, it is advisable to check the current visiting arrangements in advance.

If you are looking for a culinary focus, seminars or training sessions for up to 80 people can be booked year-round at the Thuringian Dumpling Museum. The Dumpling Cooking School and the Potato Pancake School offer the chance to prepare Thuringian classics. Availability depends on bookings and scheduling. Art, literature, regional history and cooking experiences thus offer a range of themes for planning a trip to the wider Weimarer Land area.

Discover more destinations: Kromsdorf, Magdala, Kranichfeld, Kleinobringen, Tonndorf, Kleinschwabhausen, Nohra, Berlstedt.

See the wider travel overview: Weimarer Land.