Oohh, another town that is made even better by the life of a local resident. Excuse me, a man who was once a resident.
Eisfeld, an appealing Thuringian town at the Bavarian border, was the birthplace of notable German writer, Otto Ludwig, who was born here back in the early 19th century.
And you can kind of kill two birds with one stone in Eisfeld; getting to visit its stately medieval castle, and seeing its Otto Ludwig Museum housed inside. Lovers of literature will be fascinated by how one of Germany’s most famous writers studied under Felix Mendelssohn, one of Germany’s most famous composers.
In addition to finding more tidbits about Ludwig, you’ll learn about the former East/West German border (there’s also a memorial outside of town), marble production (look after the Steinmärbelmühle from 1867 in the museum), as well fascinating facts about Porcelain Painting. Don’t as me how they do it, all I know is it takes sheer talent.
You might find yourself coming to Eisfeld if you’re following along some of Germany’s scenic routes.
Porcelain put the town on the Thüringer Porzellanstraße, or Thuringian Porcelain Route. The reason Eisfeld is on the Luther Trail is Justus Jonas, a contemporary of Martin Luther, died here in 1555. He’s buried in the town’s Old Cemetery, by the way.
A lesser known scenic route (but a good one nonetheless) is the Werra-Burgen-Steig, whose “theme” is hiking along the Werra River to many of the federal states’ castles. Which is not to be confused with the Werra Radwanderweg, a bike route trekking along rural roads and green meadows.
Who wouldn’t love riding along the Thüringer Schiefergebirge (Thuringian Slate Mountains) and the Thuringian Forest? It’s places like this that earn Eisfeld its rightful spot on the Rennsteig.
As I mentioned before about the former East and West German border, Eisfeld lies along the Grünes Band, or Green Belt, a scenic route all about a once divided Germany.
Today everyone can come to Eisfeld to see its countryside, experience its history, or party like there’s no tomorrow. This is a town that likes to have a good time — and you can too, at its Kirmes (September), Herbstmarkt (Autumn Market, October), Martinimarkt (November), and Christmas Market (December). However, the Kuhschwanzfest (I won’t translate that), held the Tuesday after Pentecost, is probably the most popular.
Stick around for a whole year, and get back to me on that — but, then again, with all these scenic routes you’ll be back time and time again. ;-)
