At 916 m it is Great Island Mountain not the highest mountain of the Thuringian Forest, but certainly the best known. The summit plateau is not only popular for the view.
getting there
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In the street
The ascent to the Inselsberg is via the country road Bad Tabarz - Brotterode. In the area of the "Grenzwiese" car park, a small paved road branches off to the mountain. There is a parking lot just below the summit. If there is a big crowd, this is quickly occupied. It is therefore advisable to leave the car in the parking lot at the Grenzwiese and climb the mountain on foot (see section "on foot").
By train
By train to Gotha (is a long-distance stop). From here with the Thuringian Forest Railway (Tram) to Bad Tabarz. From Bad Tabarz there is a bus to the "Kleine Inselsberg". The Süd-Thüringen-Bahn also runs to various train stations around the Inselsberg. These are Schmalkalden, Wernshausen, Brotterode, Reinhardsbrunn or Eisenach. Bus routes run from these stations. All bus routes with timetables to the Inselsberg are on the page https://sued-thueringen-bahn.panomax.com/ summarized.
The last 1.5 km to the "Großer Inselsberg" must be walked as there is no public connection here. The route leads on a well-developed hiking trail.
On foot
The Rennsteig leads directly over the mountain.
- From Grenzwiese: From the large car park at the Grenzwiese, the path is a steep but paved hiking trail that can also be tackled with a stroller. However, some force is required here. A little away from the hiking trail, the Rennsteig then leads over rocky cliffs (riding stones) with a nice view of the valley. In this area, the Rennsteig is just a small stairway. This mountain path can, however, be bypassed on the paved hiking trail. The last stretch to the summit area is then covered on the paved summit road. The ascent from Grenzwiese is around 1.5 km long at around 200 meters above sea level.
- From the ski lift car park: From the place of the ski lift, you can also get to the "Großer Inselsberg" via the signposted hiking trail (Grauen Weg) and the downhill route. In winter, the island mountain plateau can be reached with the drag lift, provided that you are skiing. The opening times of the ski lift can be found on the website of Bad Tabarz to find.
By bicycle
- Rennsteig cycle path to Grenzwiese, then the paved road up to the mountain. E-bikes are available for hire in Bad Tabarz. This means that you can reach the Rennsteig in just 30 minutes from Bad Tabarz via the Lauchagrund or the Arno-Wiemann-Weg without great exertion. When renting the e-bikes (Segways can also be borrowed), small maps with GPS-recorded tour suggestions can be taken with you.
Tourist Attractions
Summit area
- There are two in the summit area Mountain inns and the youth hostel.
- Radio towers: The 126m antenna mast and the 43m tower of the Telekom are not accessible, but are still a popular photo motif. The 21m high old radio tower was converted into a lookout tower with tourist information and exhibition floors in 2014. Here is the highest wedding room in Thuringia, which can also be used as a seminar and training room for up to 40 people.
Valley views
In February 2015 a lookout tower was opened on the "Großer Inselsberg". For this purpose, the municipality of Bad Tabarz bought the 21m high old radio tower from Telekom and converted it into a lookout tower as part of the "Rennsteig year-round concept". This gives the visitor a 360 ° all-round view of the Inselsberg. There are 2 climbing walls on the outside of the tower. Furthermore, an interactive 360 ° HD panorama camera has been installed on the observation tower since September 2014. The page http://inselsberg.panomax.de/ shows the 360 ° all-round view from this tower.
But even without a lookout tower, there are enough viewing options:
- West view towards Brotterode on the east ascent over the Rennsteig (from the Grenzwiese car park). The point is not accessible by bike because the Rennsteig is an alpine stairway here.
- North view from the Rennsteig. The valley view is on the Rennsteig north of the transmitter. To find the lookout point, you have to walk from the mountain inns past the radio towers. Then after approx. 200 - 300 m leave the Rennsteig to the right.
- South view from the mountain inns or youth hostels area. These are at the end of the route.
- Northeast view from the ski slope
activities
hike
The well-known high-altitude hiking trail leads over the large island mountain Rennsteig.
Winter sports
- Alpine skiing - There is a ski lift on the northern slope of the mountain. The single tow lift is between 720 and 900 m above sea level. A total of 2.1 km of slopes are available. (blue piste: 1.1 km; moderately difficult run:). Current information on the route, snow conditions and lift operations can be found on the Bad Tabarz website.
- Nordic skiing - Cross-country trails are groomed around the Inselsberg in winter. If the snow conditions allow, there are cross-country trails on the entire Rennsteig, which also lead to Brotterode, Ruhla or Oberhof to lead.
Summer toboggan run
The track is 1000 m long with an altitude difference of 65 m. There is an adventure playground by the railway. For more see Sommerrodelbahn-Inselsberg.de
kitchen
The summit gastronomy is happy to serve you the Thuringian Rostbratwurst (e.g. in Berggasthof Stöhr).
accommodation
- There is a youth hostel on the mountain.
literature
- Hiking map 1: 75,000: The big island mountain, [Green Heart Publishing House, ISBN 978-3-929993-19-6
- Ludwig Bechstein: Legend book of the island mountain, Rockstuhl Publishing House, Bad Langensalza, 2005, ISBN 978-3-937135-72-4
- Hiking map 1:25 000: TK25 W No. 4 - Ruhla, Thuringian State Office for Surveying and Geoinformation, ISBN 3861401746
- Hiking map 1:25 000: TK25 W No. 6 - Around the Inselsberg, Thuringian State Office for Surveying and Geoinformation, 2002, ISBN 3861401762
- Hiking map 1:25 000: TK25 W No. 8 - Bad Liebenstein, Thuringian State Office for Surveying and Geoinformation, 2000, ISBN 3861401789
- Topographic map 1:50 000: TK50 W No. 50 - Rennsteig, Thuringian State Office for Surveying and Geoinformation, ISBN 3861401703
- Topographic map 1:50 000: TK50 W No. 55 - Western Thuringian Forest, Thuringian State Office for Surveying and Geoinformation, ISBN 3861402653
- Information brochure on history and natural history with pictures and maps of the Inselsberg by H. Stasjulevies, Druckmedienzentrum Gotha GmbH, 2013, ISBN 978-3-939182-56-6
Web links
- Photos and information about the Inselsberg & its surroundings at inselsberg-mineralien.de
- Historical information and photos from the Inselsberg
