Kaltennordheim: Churches, Museum and Trails

Churches, the local history museum, and the Amtshaus give Kaltennordheim a cultural and historical focus. The wider destination of Kaltennordheim also offers guided town tours on request, the Whitsun marriage market, and two Rhön circular trails. This gives you a choice when planning your trip between local history, an annual festival, and trails with different described highlights.

Churches, Amtshaus, and Local History Museum

The Kilianskirche in Kaltennordheim was built in the 14th century to replace a wooden church. The wider destination of Kaltennordheim is also home to the Nikolaikirche, built in 1597 as the city’s second and larger church. The two building histories mark different points in time. If you are interested in the churches and the town’s history, you will find both a 14th-century building and a later church dating from 1597 here.

The Amtshaus was built on the grounds of the former Merlinsburg from 1752 to 1754. Today, the Amtshaus in the Merlinsburg palace complex houses a café, the town library, and the local history museum. The building’s history and its current uses come together in this place. If you are planning a visit, please check current access arrangements beforehand.

The barn of the local history museum displays historic agricultural equipment, including a wooden plough, a threshing machine, and a reaper-binder. These named exhibits provide tangible examples of agricultural history. In the reconstructed classroom, visitors can write on slate boards with slate pencils. Alongside viewing the equipment, visitors can also take part in this described activity in the classroom. If you are planning to take part, please check current access to the museum before your visit.

Guided Town Tours and the Marriage Market in the Wider Destination of Kaltennordheim

The “Auf alten Spuren” (“Following Old Paths”) town tour is offered on request. It includes stops at the Kilianskirche, the historic old town, and the surviving town wall, among other places. If you would like to visit several historic sites on one tour, this option brings together different aspects of the town’s history: church architecture, the old town, and the town wall. When planning, bear in mind that the tour takes place on request.

The “Heiratsmarkt” (“Marriage Market”) is also one of the recurring traditions in the wider destination of Kaltennordheim. It takes place at Whitsun, was first held in 1563, and is still held annually. In the 19th century, the market developed into a folk festival in the Thuringian Rhön. The Whitsun date varies from year to year; if you would like to plan your trip around the Marriage Market, check the date for that year.

Rhön Circular Trails and Nature Reserve

Rhön Circular Trail Kaltennordheim 1 is 11.0 kilometres long, takes about four hours, and is rated easy to moderate. It starts at, among other places, Kaltennordheim Town Hall. Its length, approximate duration, and difficulty rating give you specific information for planning your time. Rhön Circular Trail Kaltennordheim 2 also starts at the town hall and initially follows the Felda through the town. Part of the route passes through the approximately 50-hectare Große Hardt nature reserve. The descriptions therefore emphasize different aspects: the first trail focuses on time and difficulty, while the second highlights its initial route through the town and the nature reserve.

Discover more destinations: Schwallungen, Ellingshausen, Wernshausen, Rotterode, Oberschönau, Benshausen, Rohr / Thüringen, Wasungen.

View the wider travel overview: Schmalkalden-Meiningen.