What a mouthful the town of Mohlsdorf-Teichwolframsdorf is. Yeah, try saying that fast ten times — it ain’t easy, is it?
Oh, it wasn’t always this hard since Mohlsdorf and Teichwolframsdorf used to be two separate towns, only united on January 1, 2012 — increasing its size to just over 50 square kilometers, and its population to around 5,000 people
While its name isn’t all that easy to say, falling in love with the place is simple enough — thanks to its great location along the Werdauer Forest, its old churches, and its castle ruins. What else more could anyone ask for?
How about a place to start?
I’d suggest doing that in one of Mohlsdorf-Teichwolframsdorf’s smaller villages, like Gottesgrün. Literally translating to God’s Green, this village doesn’t have but just over 250 residents, and it’s where you’ll find a lovely 17th century church. Or, you could start in Neudeck, a village of farms once ruled over by “East German Agriculture.” The same could be said for the village of Rüßdorf (which lies along the Weiße Elster, BTW), too.
The river makes a grand place to go hiking around this part of Thuringia, or you could venture out to the Katzenberg, the highest point in the area at 476 meters above sea level. The Thuringian Slate Mountains, known as the Thüringer Schiefergebirge in German, also await you. The biking trails might seem a bit daunting at these heights, but you’re richly rewarded with the most astounding views.
Yeah, you’re right, best to stick locally… this way you can visit places like the village church in Sorge-Settendorf, or the mausoleum that’s the final resting place for an aristocrat from the House of Reuss. Hey, they were kind of important in German history, warranting their very own scenic route — the Princes of Reuss Route.
And what’s a prince (count, duke, whatever) without a castle? You’re awfully close to Schloss Dryfels, a proper medieval castle from at least the early 13th century. OK, it might be in ruins today, but at one time its donjon had walls some 3 meters thick. No one was escaping from that, were they?
Some other wonders await here in Mohlsdorf-Teichwolframsdorf, like the pretty village church in Waltersdorf and its 16th century Corn Mill. And in the village of Kleinreinsdorf, a place of rolling hills, are tidy cottages that make for great photo-ops — so do the half-timbered houses in the village of Großkundorf.
I told you there was plenty to see in the double-mouthful town of Mohlsdorf-Teichwolframsdorf — and by combining them, made it doubly nice to be here. :-)
