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Panorama Trail Schwarzatal - 1st stage Schwarza to Schwarzburg - Thuringian Forest

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Thüringer Wald

Valley church in Schwarzburg
Photo: Christian König, CC BY-SA, Christian König, Wikipedia (cc-by-sa-3.0) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Start your journey around the picturesque Schwarza valley at the mouth of the Schwarza into the Saale.

closed

moderate

Distance 15.5 km

5:30 h

325 m

256 m

391 m

204 m

One of the most beautiful hiking trails in the eastern Thuringian Forest on the border of the Thuringian Sea and the Thuringian Slate Mountains begins between Bad Blankenburg and Rudolstadt in the small village of Schwarza.

The first stage on the Schwarza Valley Panorama Trail leads southwest for just under 17 km, away from the Saale towards dense forests. After a short detour to Bad Blankenburg, you follow the banks of the Schwarza upstream.

Between Bad Blankenburg and Schwarzburg, the trail leads almost 10 km through a deeply incised notch valley. Geological features here, apart from the steep rock cliffs, are the so-called Strudeltöpfe (whirlpools), which can be seen in places in the riverbed of the Schwarza. Here, the water has eroded the soft rock over thousands of years, forming the unique structures for which the river is so well known.

At the end of the stage, you reach the forest botanical garden near Schwarzburg via the mountain ranges. On the 6-hectare woodland you will find over 250 different plant species typical of the region.

The proud forest botanical garden is located in the middle of the forest.

The proud Schloss Schwarzburg with its armoury and imperial hall towers visibly over the valley.

Author’s recommendation

Pay a visit to the valley church in Schwarzburg. A special feature is the completely wood-panelled nave.

Author

Tourismusregion Rennsteig-Schwarzatal

Update: February 06, 2023

Difficulty

moderate

Technique

Stamina

Experience

Landscape

Highest point

391 m

Lowest point

204 m

Best time of year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Track types

Asphalt

0.9 km

Dirt road

5.3 km

Forested/wild trail

6.2 km

Path

2 km

Road

1.2 km

Show elevation profile

Safety information

Be aware of the typical dangers of the forest!

Walk at your own risk!

Tips and hints

Schloss Schwarzburg

Tourist and Service Centre Bad Blankenburg

TourismRegion Rennsteig-Schwarzatal

Start

Schwarza estuary in Schwarza near Rudolstadt (hikers' car park) (203 m)

Coordinates:

50.682856, 11.321579

DMS

50°40'58.3"N 11°19'17.7"E

UTM

32U 664003 5617129

w3w

///rams.subgenre.stuns

Destination

Schwarzburg (town)

Turn-by-turn directions

Mouth of the Schwarza - Bad Blankenburg - Schwarzawehr - Eberstein - Schweizer Haus - Dürres Schild refuge - Viehruh - Forest Botanical Garden - Schwarzburg

Note

all notes on protected areas

Public transport

Public-transport-friendly

You can travel to Schwarza near Rudolstadt comfortably by train either via Erfurt - Ilmenau or from the direction of Jena or Saalfedl. Use the travel information of Deutsche Bahn. Select "Schwarza Bremer Hof, Rudolstadt" as your destination. The bus connections from the station to the destination stop are also displayed.

If you do not stay overnight in Schwarzburg or continue your hike on stage 2, you can take the Schwarzatalbahn to return to Bad Blankenburg / Rudolstadt in a relaxed manner (trains run hourly between 6 am and 9 pm).
Beware, however, that the station in Schwarzburg is on the other side of the valley (west of the "Weisser Hirsch" hotel) and there is a small climb to the track.

Getting there

From the A9, take exit 26 (Triptis) and continue on the B281 towardsNeustadt an der Orla.

Follow the B281 to Saalfeld and stay on the main traverse B281/B85 heading west and continue on the B85 towards Rudolstadt.

Shortly before crossing the Saale, turn left onto the B88 towards Bad Blankenburg. After approx. 600m you will reach the hikers' car park.

Parking

Use the hikers' car park in Schwarza / Rudolstadt (NAV-LINK)

Coordinates

50.682856, 11.321579

DMS

50°40'58.3"N 11°19'17.7"E

UTM

32U 664003 5617129

w3w

///rams.subgenre.stuns

Arrival by train, car, foot or bike

Book recommendation by the author

Wanderführer Panoramaweg Schwarzatal: Maßstab 1:30.000

Author’s map recommendations

Hiking, Skiing and Cycling Map Schwarzatal, Bad Blankenburg, Oberwei;bach and Surroundings

Book recommendations for this region:

All publications

Equipment

Sturdy shoes, rainwear for bad weather.

Localization

Parts of this content were machine translated using German as the source language

Questions and answers

Question from Sibylle Lanzendorf · June 05, 2022 · Community

Das Caffee Kaffebohne in Bad Blankemburg ist geschlossen, also nicht mehr aktuell. Das Saalemaxx liegt auch nicht direkt auf der Wanderroute. Hier könnte man das Freibad in Schwarzburg und das Caffee Holub in Schwarzburg empfehlen. Nur so zur Info. Kaffe trinken kann man noch im Netto in Bad Blankenburg( Filiale Bäckerei Scherf) oder im Rewe( Filiale Bäckerei Bielert) , allerdings nur Montag bis Samstag geöffnet.Auf der Schlossterrasse in Schwarzburg befindet sich ein Imbiss, welcher auch Kaffee und Kuchen anbietet. Bitte nehmen Sie das on Ihren Tourenguide mit auf.

Answered by Dirk Fischer · June 07, 2022 · Thüringer Wald

Sehr geehrte Frau Lanzendorf, vielen Dank für Ihre Rückmeldung. Solche Informationen sind wirklich sehr wertvoll für uns. Wir haben das Kaffee "Kaffeebohne" und das Freizeitbad "Saalemaxx" aus der Tourenbeschreibung entfernt. Die vorgeschlagenen Empfehlungen werden wir prüfen und bei Gelegenheit auf das Portal einpflegen und in der Tour als mögliche Verpflegungspunkte hinterlegen. Ich wünsche weiterhin eine schöne Zeit. Mit freundlichen Grüßen Dirk Fischer

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Status

closed

Difficulty

moderate

Distance

15.5 km

Duration

5:30 h

Ascent

325 m

Descent

256 m

Highest point

391 m

Lowest point

204 m

Public-transport-friendly Multi-stage route Scenic Refreshment stops available Cultural/historical interest Geological highlights Linear route Flora

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