signpost
The 121 km long river cycle path starts at an altitude of 750 m near Allzunah am Rennsteig cycle path. From here the route leads through a narrow, wooded valley Ilmenau. It goes on over Stadtilm and Bad Berka to the city of culture Weimar. The brine places are coming Darnstedt and Bad Sulza. The route ends at 120 m behind Big herring on the Saale cycle path. Compared to other long-distance river cycle routes, green meadows dominate the landscape and the route. Riverside paths are rare. Towards the end, vineyards line the slopes. This region is called Thuringian Tuscany known and has certain similarities with the Italian original.
The best-known citizen of Weimar was the poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who also enjoyed staying in other places along the route.
The Ilmtal cycle path has been sustainably improved by the state of Thuringia and is the most popular route in this state.
Route profile
Narrow bike path in the lush green Ilm valley behind Bad Berka
- Length: 121 km
- Signposting: Overall good. Mostly smaller intermediate signposts with logo, but also standard-compliant arrow signposts. At times sparse. Often you have to look for signposts.
- Slopes: Three larger slopes (max. 50 meters in altitude) have to be mastered alongside many smaller hills. Relatively flat sections can be found between Ilmenau and Stadtilm and between Mellingen and Weimar.
- Path condition: "official" surface quality:
- Asphalt and concrete paths: 91 km
- Gravel roads ("water-bound blankets"): 26 km
- "Pavement": 4 km
- The worst section comes behind Stützerbach and is about 1 km long.
- Traffic load: mostly free of traffic, but country roads are used every now and then. Less than 5 km run alongside federal highways.
- Suitable bike: Touring bike with gear shift
- Family suitability: partially suitable for families
- Inline suitability: Ilmenau - Langewiesen
background
getting there
Public transportation
- With the train up Ilmenau
- Weimar - Central station with connections to Erfurt and Halle (Saale)
- → 4 min. Walk from the main station to Berkaer Bhf. The line to Bad Berka ends in Crane field.
- Big herring - home from here.
Note: no continuous rail connection
By bicycle
- for example about the demanding Rennsteig cycle path
In the street
- Cycle route, return by train necessary
Route description with sights
Corner points of the route
Too close - Ilmenau 15 km
This stage is short, as a direct journey to Allzunah is not possible. One of the options is to cycle from Ilmenau upstream to the Rennsteig. You can then take a break around Allzunah. On weekends and public holidays, the so-called "Rennstein Shuttle" of the Erfurt Railway runs directly from Erfurt via Ilmenau to the Rennsteig train station. This is only 2 kilometers away from Allzunah and is therefore ideal for starting a bike tour on the Ilm Valley Cycle Path.
Confluence and beginning of the Ilm
In the Feinbachtal behind Stützerbach
- All too close - at the Thuringian Forest Main ridge. The brook is the Lengwitz and not the Ilm. It only comes later and it has no source. Restaurant with snacks in the very small village. There is a connection to the Rennsteig cycle path. If you follow the path to the west, you will reach the after approx. 1 km Bunker Museum. During the GDR era, state security had a post here in the middle of the wilderness, disguised as a holiday village. About a kilometer further on the Rennsteig one encounters the station of the same name (only unscheduled train traffic). It has been restored and is more beautiful than in its heyday. He houses the Restaurant platform 1
- Stutzerbach - here the lively brooks Lengwitz, Treubach and Freibach meet to form the Ilm. The last confluence can be seen behind the place. Behind the forest swimming pool there is a path that leads to the Ilm fountain leads (approx. 5 km). The Treubach comes from the Ilmbrunnen. The place presents itself as a health resort with a spa park. The station is only used for unscheduled train traffic. The cycle path then follows the Freibach, so that the Ilm is only visible to the cyclist later. The unpaved, narrow path (photo) is followed by a narrow country road
- Manebach - a split forest path leads to
- Ilmenau - The Ilm valley widens and it becomes flatter. A new railway cycle path (some of which is signposted as a cycle route) leads to
Ilmenau - Weimar 66 km
After Ilmenau the Ilm valley widens and becomes quite flat. From Stadtilm onwards it becomes narrow again and the path is hilly.
Railway cycle path behind Ilmenau
Niederburg (from the bike path)
- Langewiesen - Cycle path of varying quality through meadows and past a pond. The last, albeit short, section (2 km) is the state road.
- Gräfinau-Angstedt - After crossing the village, you usually cycle on a well-paved farm road along the Ilm. You pass the imposing derrick of the former saltworks in
- Dörnfeld - to the left of the Ilm on a paved path
- Griesheim - Good new path, which partly runs on a dam next to the Ilm
- Stadtilm - a historic town with remains of the city wall. The station is served by the Saalfeld - Erfurt line and is therefore not very useful for the Ilm tour. The subsequent paths are largely paved, but unfortunately quite hilly, as they are often far away from the Ilm.
- Grosshettstedt
- → Connection to the Mill cycle path Saale-Ilm to Rudolstadt
- Crane field - At the entrance to the village you cycle along karst rocks. At the end of the village, high above the mountain, the Niederburg, which can be easily seen from the bike path (photo). The entire castle complex is significantly larger. The trains to Weimar start from Kranichfeld.
- Tannroda - The castle ruins that can be seen on top of the mountain were expanded as a two-part castle in the 16th century. The remaining part is the "Blue Castle". Next to it a lookout tower and the St. Michaeliskirche. The cycle path - largely reserved for cyclists - runs partly through a forest and is not always paved.
- Bad Berka - beautiful, sometimes narrow paths through the green valley (photo above). Unfortunately also a section on the country road.
- Mellingen - On the left behind the motorway you can see the Feininger Tower, built in 1999, from the path. The Feininger cycle path then you cycle a little more calmly
- Weimar - beautiful park paths here too. The cycle route leads on German Bee Museum past. You have to branch off to the center of the city. Tiefurt Castle behind Weimar is more of a stately villa, but easy to reach from the bike path.
- → Connection to the Long-distance cycle route Thuringian cities direction Jena.
Weimar - Kaatschen-Weichau 40 km
Brine drilling tower in Darnstedt
Through the spa gardens in Bad Sulza
Through the Thuringian Wine Gate
- → Detour to Apolda possible.
- Darnstedt - The demand for brine in Bad Sulza was so great that deep boreholes took place even at greater distances. The brine was pumped from the depths using water power and then passed on to the saltworks. On the photo on the right you can see one of the derrick.
- Bad Sulza - The spa park in Bad Sulza is an Ilm park and a great experience. As a cyclist, you have to find a gap between the spa guests. If that worked, a gate (photo) waits for the cyclist, with which the bath wants to remind of its winemaking tradition. Last test ;-) is a covered wooden bridge that allows one last view of the Ilm through a window before it flows into the Saale.
- Big herring after the place just under 2 km on a new bike path between Saale and Bahn and you have a connection to the Saale cycle path. The place also has a train station.
trips
References to literature and maps
- Dr. Lutz Gebhardt, bike guide Ilmtal-Radwanderweg, ISBN 978-3-935621-84-7 , Green Heart Publishing House
- Free overview maps (relatively detailed) can be found on /www.ilmtal-radweg.de can be downloaded for printing.
