 |
Good journey to
Stedten
an der Ilm
|
 |
The sleepy Stedten-upon-Ilm
(about 600 inhabitants) is located in middle Ilm valley in SW of
country district Weimarer Land. The altitude is 310 m (1000 feet).
Stedten is incorporated into Kranichfeld (more:
scroll down). Stedten consists of two parts: Alt-Stedten
(old village, first mentioned in1325), situated in the Ilm river
valley, and Neu-Stedten (new quarter, founded
1991), situated on the slope of a 450 m (1,500 feet) high wooden
hill. In Alt-Stedten there are some farmers, whose horses in the
pastures around the village look very idyllic. Facilities:
church (15th century), kindergarten, play ground, pub
"Zur Schinne", hairdresser, bus stop, holiday guest apartment.
 |
Kranichfeld
- town
of two castels
|
 |
From Stedten to Kranichfeld: half
an hour by hiking through Ilm valley (no traffic) or 5 minutes by
car or bus. In the 1143 first mentioned town
Kranichfeld (3000 inhabitants) there are two feudal castles: The
"Niederburg" (lower caste) hosts an
open-air theatre where concerts, stage and dance performances
(annually Tanzfest) take place. The "Oberschloß"
(upper castle) hosts a museum and a rustic tavern. The German
poet Rudolf Baumbach ("Hoch auf dem gelben
Wagen") was born in
Kranichfeld 184in 0. Geological peculiarity:
Near Kranichfeld the Ilm river has broken through an huge lime
massif. Sights and facilities:
Oberschloß (12./16. Jhdt.), Niederburg, Church of St. Michael (1499), "Baumbachhaus" (where R.
Baumbach was born), library, shopping, school, kindergarten,
petrol station, public swimming pool, railway station, tourist's information office, several
pubs and restaurants. More about: here
or here.
 |
Further
sights around
Stedten and
Kranichfeld
|
 |
- Dienstedt:
hiking time from Stedten 30 to 45 minutes (through Ilm
valley, no traffic), 5 minutes by car; karst cave, well-kept inn "Zum goldenen
Löwen". More about: surroundings, near town Stadtilm (2) with castle, twin-tower-church, viaduct.
- Hohenfelden:
90 minutes of hiking from Stedten via
"Hochfeld" and "Zieglers Grund" (no
traffic), 10 Minutes by car; folklore open-air museum, reservoir lake with bathing area
and boat rental; camping, deer park, restaurants. More
about: here.
- Bad Berka: 10
minutes by car from Stedten or 10 minutes by train from Kranichfeld; health-resort
with "Kurpark" and clinics, baroque church,
castle ruin, "Paulinenturm" (lookout tower);
near village Tiefengruben (origin circular ground plan;
known apple growing). More about.
here.
- Reinstädter Grund:
idyllic, unspoilt valley between lime rocks, rare
orchids. More about: here and here.
- Further sights
(use the links). District Weimarer Land: here; District Ilmkreis: here; District Rudolstadt: here.
 |
Museums & theatres more
than enough:
Weimar,
Rudolstadt, Arnstadt, Erfurt, Jena, Saalfeld, Ilmenau ...
|
 |
- Weimar: from
Stedten 30 minutes by car (bus goes from Barchfeld), from Kranichfeld 40 minutes by train; German classical town No. 1 (Goethe,
Schiller, Herder, Wieland, Nietzsche, Liszt...), museums,
galleries and important buildings wherever one goes; a
first-class theater (Deutsches
Nationaltheater);
in near Buchenwald KZ memorial. More about:
here.
- Rudolstadt:
from Stedten 30 minutes by car (bus available from Barchfeld); castle "Heidecksburg"
(residence of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
princes) with museums (natural history); theatre, annual folk festival. More about:
here.
- Erfurt: from
Stedten 30 minutes by car (bus available from Barchfeld); capital of Thuringia,
worth seeing original town, Dom (cathedral), varied galleries, museums and theatres; zoo, garden park ega. More about:
here.
- Arnstadt:
from Stedten 25 minutes by car; oldest town of
Thuringia (first mentiones 704 AD),
"Bach-Gedenkstätte" (remembering the German
composer J. S. Bach who lived in Arnstadt some years), theatre (guest performances, concerts), castle
(baroque doll exhibition). More about:
here.
- Saalfeld:
from Stedten 40 minutes by car; old buildings in the
centre; Feengrotten (a colourful cave). More
about: here.
- Ilmenau:
from Stedten 40 minutes by car (bus available from Barchfeld); University town sourrounded by
the Thüringer
Wald mountains;
some Goethe places: Mehr Infos:
here and here.
- Jena: from
Stedten 40 minutes by car; from Kranichfeld 60 minutes by
train; University town in the picturesc Saale valley; planetarium, philharmony, theatre, botanic
garden, museums. Mehr Infos:
here and here.
Perfect
point of depature for your art & culture trips: vacation home
in Stedten-upon-Ilm
Home
Overview
Prices
Pics
Journey
eMail
