Discover Orlamünde

Orlamünde lies where the Orla flows into the Saale, directly on the Berlin–Munich railway line and roughly halfway between Jena and Rudolstadt. The town consists of an Upper Town and a Lower Town. These distinct points of reference may determine where you stay: you can orient yourself around the town’s layout, plan specifically to attend a traditional procession, or focus on hiking and water-based experiences.

Upper Town and Lower Town

The Lower Town is colloquially known as Nachhausen and lies on the B 88. The Upper Town sits on a long Buntsandstein ridge, 70 m above the Orla-Saale confluence. Because of its elevated position, it is also known as “Thuringian Bethlehem.” The two districts, the location on the federal highway, and the elevated ridge give Orlamünde a clearly defined layout. The river confluence, railway line, and approximate location between Jena and Rudolstadt also provide different geographical points of reference.

Customs and the castle festival

Every year at Carnival, on the day before Ash Wednesday, winter is driven away with the straw bear. The event is carried out by the eighth-grade students of Orlamünde School. Two bear leaders escort the straw bear throughout Orlamünde; the procession, which lasts about two hours, passes through the Upper and Lower Towns and continues to the edge of town. If you are planning your trip specifically around the driving away of winter, check in advance whether it is taking place this year.

Orlamünde also maintains the traditions of a field procession, the castle festival, and the fair. The castle festival at the foot of the Kemenate has included a medieval market since 1996. Orlamünde Kemenate houses an exhibition on local history. It is another cultural attraction within the wider Saale-Holzland destination. If you would like to plan your stay around the castle festival, check the current event dates.

Hiking trails and water experiences

Around 40 km of well-marked trails in the natural surroundings of Orlamünde and the town itself invite you to enjoy extended hikes. Hiking offers a different focus for a visit than the time-specific winter-driving procession: here, extended walks take center stage, while the procession lasts about two hours and takes place on a particular Carnival day. When planning your stay, you can decide whether you would rather focus on local customs or spend time in the countryside.

The water experience area is located by the sports ground in Orlamünde and was created as part of a renaturation project for an old side channel of the Saale. Using pumps and miniature buildings, visitors can explore the course of the Saale and the risk of flooding in a hands-on way. The miniature buildings depict settlements between Orlamünde and Jena. This place therefore focuses on the river’s course and flood-related issues, with a particular site and its models at the center.

A nearby destination

During the annual Buchberg Festival, visitors can climb the Bielerturm in the vicinity of Orlamünde and look west from there as well. If you would like to plan a visit to the tower, check the festival’s current access arrangements.

Discover more destinations: Dornburg-Camburg, Eisenberg, Mörsdorf, Golmsdorf, Großbockedra, Weißbach, Hermsdorf, Hummelshain.

See the wider travel overview: Saale-Holzland.