Roßdorf: History, Church Art and Hiking Trails

Roßdorf brings together regional history, church architecture and hiking. The village is located in the Thuringian part of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve. For planning your trip, you can take your cue from the village’s memorial sites and two hiking trails with different routes. If you are looking for a hotel in Roßdorf, you can first consider whether local history or a hiking route will be the main focus of your stay.

Memorial Sites Commemorating the Battle at Nebelberg

On July 4, 1866, Bavarian troops fought on the Austrian side and Prussian troops fought in the Battle at Nebelberg near Roßdorf; hundreds of people were killed or injured. A sandstone obelisk in the Roßdorf cemetery, the Bavarian Monument, commemorates the fallen Bavarian soldiers. A small museum in Roßdorf focuses on the battle; it is also known as Museum 1866.

The memorial site and the museum place different emphasis on the events: the monument commemorates the fallen soldiers, while the museum focuses on the Battle at Nebelberg. Together, the war memorial and the historical events offer two ways to understand the commemoration.

Trinity Church and Wagner Room

Roßdorf Trinity Church is primarily a Baroque building. It was extensively renovated from 1682 to 1733 and extended by two window bays to the east; at the same time, the tower on the unusual north side was rebuilt. The church is an elongated hall with an unusually deep interior. Rich figurative paintings adorn the barrel vault and the galleries, which run around three sides on two levels.

Another specific detail is the octagonal baptismal font dating from 1674. Its date predates the extensive renovation of 1682–1733, giving it a distinct place in the chronology of the church’s furnishings. The structural changes and paintings also offer different ways to appreciate the architecture of the church interior.

The art at the Roßdorf estate adds to this picture: the exhibition known as the Wagner Room features several reproductions of important oil paintings and a number of original prints by Carl Wagner. The works differ both in form and status: reproductions of oil paintings are displayed alongside original prints.

Hiking: Circular Trail or Route to Breitungen

The Wagner-Mosengeil Memorial Trail commemorates Ernst Wagner and runs from Roßdorf via the Pleß to Breitungen. It is 14 km long. Roßdorf is located in the Thuringian part of the Rhön Biosphere Reserve; if protected-area boundaries are important for planning your specific hike, please check their current route.

The memorial trail starts at the Roßdorf rectory and runs via Kirchweg, Badegasse, Schlosspark, Salzunger Weg, Hohe Straße and Eichberg to the Stoffelskuppe. It then continues via Roßdorfer Tor, Roßdorfer Ausspanne, Hohlweg, Kleine Pleßwiese, Pleßkuppe, Roten Stock and Breiten Weg to Breitungen. Points passed along the way include the turnoffs for Helmers and the Wittgenthal restaurant, Knollbach, the Breitungen Landwehr, the path toward the train station, Breitungen Lakes Nature Reserve, as well as the church, forestry office, market square, Zehntmauer, Zur Linde restaurant and the Frauenbreitungen rectory.

The 12 km Roßdorf 2 circular trail starts at the community center and runs via the park, Roßdorfer Kutte, Salzunger Weg (Wagner-Mosgeil-Weg), Stoffelskuppe, Hoher Rain, Bernshäuser Kutte, Bernshausen, Horn, Langer Rain and Bernshäuser Straße before returning to Roßdorf.

The trail descriptions differ clearly in length and route: the Roßdorf 2 circular trail returns to its starting point, while the Wagner-Mosengeil Memorial Trail runs from Roßdorf to Breitungen. If you are looking for a hotel in Roßdorf, this information can help you decide which route better suits your planned stay.

Discover more destinations: Oberschönau, Wallbach, Brotterode-Trusetal, Fambach, Frankenheim/Rhön, Friedelshausen, Kühndorf, Rohr / Thuringia

Go to the main travel overview: Schmalkalden-Meiningen.