Wallbach: Hiking, the Stream and the Forest of Peace

The stream of the same name, the Wallbach, flows through the village and gave it its name. Two different nature themes take center stage in Wallbach: exploring the surrounding area on foot in the Wallbach Valley and the “Am Heiligenberg” Forest of Peace, which is used for tree burials.

Wallbach on Foot and in the Forest of Peace

The Wallbach Valley invites hikers and nature lovers to explore the surrounding area on foot. A guided tour of the “Am Heiligenberg” Forest of Peace, by contrast, focuses on the site itself: visitors receive information and can ask questions. When choosing what to focus on, visitors can distinguish between exploring the surrounding area and taking a tour with explanations about the forest.

The meeting point for a forest tour is the information board near the parking lots. Sturdy footwear is required. Group tours can be arranged individually. Forest tours do not take place during storms, thunderstorms, or natural disasters.

The Forest of Peace can be entered at your own risk from sunrise to sunset. Temporary closures may apply during severe weather or maintenance work. The site has benches, a memorial area, and parking lots. In 2014, the Forest of Peace was the first of its kind in Thuringia.

Meiningen: Culture and Landscape

In the wider destination of Meiningen, Elisabethenburg Palace offers a glimpse into the history of the ducal residence. It was built from 1682 to 1692 under Bernhard I as the residence of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen and is home to the Meiningen Museums, as well as an important cultural monument under the patronage of the Meiningen-Eisenach Cultural Foundation. The palace museum exhibits paintings, sculptures, and arts and crafts. The “Magic World of Scenery” Theater Museum displays a stage set about 14 meters long, as well as costumes, playbills, and autographs from the history of the Meiningen Theater.

Other cultural attractions in Meiningen include the town church, or Marienkirche, “Unserer lieben Frauen,” with its 50-meter-high towers in the heart of Meiningen’s Old Town, and the English Garden. At the suggestion of the former Duke Georg II, monuments to Jean Paul, Johannes Brahms, and Max Reger were erected there, including the world’s first monument to Johannes Brahms.

Meiningen also offers a range of options for walks and hikes: more than ten routes are between three and twelve kilometers long and follow in the footsteps of Johannes Brahms, Ludwig Bechstein, and Friedrich Schiller. The palace park lies directly on the Werra River and was transformed into an English landscape garden. A stone arch bridge designed by Eduard Fritze in 1883 crosses the river there; the park is also a starting point for leisure activities and hikes. The Goetz Cave above Meiningen is considered Europe’s largest and only walkable fissure cave. After your visit, you can take in views across the city from Meiningen’s highest beer garden.

Discover more destinations: Springstille, Kühndorf, Rotterode, Floh-Seligenthal, Oepfershausen, Friedelshausen, Sülzfeld, Wasungen.

View the wider travel overview: Schmalkalden-Meiningen.