Once important to the mining trade, the town of Ronneburg these days is more important to the tourism trade. What? Like there’s something wrong with that? All that means is you’re especially welcome to this Thuringian town who loves its visitors; and visitors will no doubt love Ronneburg.
Bordering Gera, Ronneburg lies along the Fuchsbachtal Route, and is quite close to the Elster Cycle Path.
Oooh, goodie… two bike routes for the price of one. :-)
Now before you go cycling off too far, make sure you’ve gotten to see some of the sights around town. You know, like the Stadtkirche (City Church) found right on the appropriately named Church Square, or Kirchplatz. The “modern day” church you see before you today only dates back to around 1668, since the original one from the early years of the 13th century burned down in the 1660s.
In fact, that devastating fire in the mid-17th century ruined hundreds of building, but along the Altstadt (Old Town) Passage are several reconstructed half-timbered houses — preserving an Old World flavor in a more modern metropolis.
Speaking of blending old and new, the Dragon’s Tail Bridge is a modern engineering marvel, and does it as a 225 meter undulating wooden structure (you know, like in the old days); and all the better to “preserve the integrity of the landscape.”
As for old, you don’t get much older than at the Knights Hall at the Hinteres Schloss, which is found within the oldest part of the castle. These days the castle isn’t bustling with knights and bellowing barons, it’s the venue for all sorts of concerts and exhibitions.
In addition to the concerts at the castle, Ronneburg hosts other kinds of events, like the Spring Ball; Easter Egg Hunts; the Drachen- und Familienfest (in September); and the Pyramidenfest in December.
I told you that you’d love Ronneburg (Thuringia) — and as you can see with everything there is to do, it loves you right back.