A German Must - A Day at the Bad Salzungen Spa! and other Rhön, Germany Things to Do Tips

Kur - or the Cure, as the Germans call it. Wallow in the lap of luxury for a day.
The Spa has more a "recreation facility" character, where you can pick out your choice of attractions and services from a menu at the cashier's window.
Bad Salzungen is especially famous for the saline silo, this thing in the picture, which is a wooden frame stacked with birch branches, where the salt water is pump to the top of the piled birch branch stack, and allowed to trickle down, and making the air cool with a water-fall effect (ionized air). The air is perfect for relieving hay fever, asthma, and bronchitis. When you pay to go in, you get a white cape to put over your clothes, otherwise the salt mist will bleech your clothes.
Besides the saline silo, they have a thermal swimming pool, and the bitter salty water is good for getting rid of athlete's foot, eczema, and pimples, and relieving neuro dermititis. If you want , they have single intense bathtubs.
They have 6 different kind of massage (classical, relax, sport, face, foot reflex zone and lymph drainage). As a special plus they also have vulcanic powder fango mud packs or moore mud packs, which activate cellulite zones to make them disappear.
If you never have been to a European Sauna this is the place to experience it. They have 5 different saunas with different temperatures. The attendant will tell you how to use them. Please bring your own towel and shower shows. You do not wear a bathing suit in the sauna - do worry about perverts, they will be immediately ejected from the park.
Extras: fitness room, Rasul (Celtic cleaning ritual body painting), Thalasso (algea pack), hay pack alcove (where they bury you in fresh hay), warm sand room, oil body message.
Special Deals
The have everything from single day deals to 3 week cures. The one day deals cost as little as 42 Euro, and include a day pass for the baths and the saunas, fitness training, hay packing in the alcove, sport massage, celtic salad with a glass of Kefir.

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Phone: (0049-3695) 6934-0
Address: Am Flößrasen 1 • 36433 Bad Salzungen
Directions: On the A4 Autobahn, take the Eisenach exit and head south on Highway B19 to Bad Salzungen - there will be wooden signs there with Celtic lettering showing the way.
Website: www.keltenbad.de
Other Contact: kur.basa@t-online.de

Deep underground in Thuringia lies the Barbarossa Cave, a true natural wonder.
First you have to go deep down through a mine shaft to access the caverns, and when you get there, it's basically one huge room, with gypsum stalagmite and stalagdites. There is a very clear cold lake of water in the cavern, too.
Unfortunately, you are not allowed to photograph any more, which means that the photo here is a loaner. The reason for this is that the flashbulbs of tourist cameras cause algea to grow on the stalagmites, and this supposedly weakens them. Funny thing is, is you are not even allowed to take pictures with your digital camera without a flash, since there is enough low lighting for most cameras to take a picture.

Open:
Nov-Mar daily 10-16, Apr-Oct daily 10-17

Good explination site:
http://www.showcaves.com/english/de/showcaves/Barbarossa.html

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Phone: (0049-34671) 5450
Address: Barbarossa Höhlen, Mühlen 6, D-06567 Rottleben
Directions: Between Steinthalleben & Rottleben, at Kyffhäuser. 1.5km NW Rottleben, 5km NW Bad Frankenhausen.
Website: http://www.hoehle.de/
Other Contact: Fax: (0049-34671) 54514

At the foot of Mount Dolmar, on the eastern border of the village of Kühndorf near Meiningen, thrones the mighty castle of Kuhndorf, at the gate to the Rhön. It’s impressive structure reflects the pride and the determination of the early lords of this castle, which despite the changes has survived all of the wars and sieges since it was erected in 1137 A.D. by Gottfried von Kühndorf.
At the turn of the 14th century, the castle became the property of the Dukes of Henneberg-Schleusingen, and turned it into a ward of the Teutonic Order of the Knights of St. John. (Johanniter). This was a religious military chivilery order that avowed to the virtues of loyalty, chastasy, purity and charity. The thick walls (in some places 23-30 meters thick) once surrounded five towers, only two of which are still standing today.
Today the castle.
The castle remained the property of the local gentry, the descendants of the Henneberg Dynasty, who used the Order of St. John as a military force, and the castle alternatively as a court of law and a residence. It also houses an interesting museum about the history of the castle, as well as vacation apartments to rent, if you want to stay here.
Like many medieval castles, it has a moat (without water) and a single bridge going into the castle. The castle has been pretty much kept up, except for a few ruins, such as the former main tower.
You’re allowed to climb around the castle if you like (at your own risk), to explore the remaining architectual details if you want to.
Inside, the old court room is really impressive, with it’s age old wall medieval paintings. It was built in 1543, and kept immacculate until the beginning of the 20th century. Hair raising is to see the original executioner’s block, which has been worn down through the centuries from the number of axe chops that have bitten into it.
Open:
April - October: Tu - Sa 10.00 - 17.00
November - March: Tu - Sa from 10.00 - 16.00
Year 'round: Sundays & Holidays: 14.00 - 17.00

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Phone: (009523) 54-01; Fax: -03
Address: Schloßstraße 17, D-98547 Kühndorf
Directions: On Highway B280 going from Meiningen towards Erfurt
Website: www.johanniterburg.de
Other Contact: gudula@voneichborn.de

In contrast to the taxidermy museum in Tann, you can visit the Wildlife Park in Gersfield, where it is reassuring to know that many of the animals that where stuffed on display and definitely dead, are alive and running free in Gersfeld.
The animals in the picture are wild piglets, called in German "Frischling" or "Wutz", and they are so cute, when they're littlle, because they like to play with each other.
This park is a place that the whole family will enjoy, and will have the chance to see European reindeer (Rentier), deer (Hirsch), and antelope (Reh). You can even feed the deer. They also have a large collection of birds of prey, such as Merlin, Hawks, Falcons and Owls. Alpine animals such as murmets, chamois, and mufflons are here, as well as the big shaggy Auer Oxen.
There are some strange animals here that you wouldn't normally get to see, such as polecats, the European wildcat (looks like an overgrown house cat), lynx, red foxes, artic foxes.
Open:
Daily: 9.00 until 18.00
In the Winter: 10.00 until 16.00

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Phone: (0049-6654) 680
Address: 36129 Gersfeld/Rhön

Checkpoint Charlie is not the only famous Cold War border outpost in Germany. In the Rhön, it’s "Point Alpha", the former outpost of the U.S. 11th Armored Cavalry Regiments (ACR) "Blackhorse" which occupied this outpost between 1972 and 1989. It’s located on a small rural road running between the Hessian village of Rasdorf and the Thuringian village of Geisa.
The outpost was located as the center of the defense line known back then as the “Fulda Gap”. During the last third of the Cold War, NATO troops feared a Soviet invasion through the Ulster River Valley, since this rural area was optimal for launching a tank attack. In addition to this, if you look on an old German/German map, you will see that this area had a little “mushroom” shape that protruded into East Germany, making it a good outpost area for the Soviet friendly German Democratic Republic – they could have attacked on 3 sides.
Today the outpost is a museum and you can see former miltary vehicles from both sides (U.S. & Soviet), German border patrol vehicles, and even climb the outpost lookout-towers – there is one from the U.S. side, and one from the East German side. It’s also a nice place to walk (for miles) in no man’s land, which is still pretty much the same since the fall of the wall.

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Phone: (0049-6651) 919030
Address: Hummelsberg 1, D-36169 Rasdorf
Directions: On the mountain road between Geisa and Rasdorf, next to the lumber yard in Rasdorf

Who would have guessed that the Free Lord von der Tann & Rathsamhausen's Hobby would have turned into a natural wildlife museum?
In the old castle granary near the castle, itself, the old Lord stored his dusty old hunting trophies until the next generation decided to get rid of the sizeable taxidermic collection of hunting trophies - thus was born the natural wildlife museum in the Rhön.
Inside you can see a number of examples of extinct and near extinct forms of wildlife that was once indigenous to the area. They also have examples of wildlife that still live and thrive in the area. To add for prehistoric interests, displays of ice age mammals (including human models) have been added, and include animals such as the European Bison, and Valley Ox. Kids will love the lighted, smoking display of the volcano. The Rhön is a chain of extinct volcanoes.

Prices: 2.10 Euro for adults; Children & Students 0,80 Euro; Groups of 8 or more 1.60 per person.

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Phone: (0049-6682) 1655
Address: Schloßstraße 1, D-36142 Tann (Rhön)
Directions: Down the alley right across from the town square.
Other Contact: Fax: (0049-6682) 1613

The Black Moor is around 60 hectares in size and is nearly 6.5 m deep with quagmire (peat) in the middle. Fortunately, it was never used as a harvesting pit. Peat moss is excellent for gardens, and you can even use it a fuel for making a fire. It was declared a national park on January 6, 1939.

The only disturbance in the moor is the planked viewing platform for visitors that goes around the moor, but this has disturbed it much. Take a walk around the moor, and you will discover the complex and unusual flora and fauna of central Germany. This is where plants like the Venus Flytrap are native. There are billboards which explain about the things you will see. It is extremely important that you stay on the planked path, though. First of all, in order not to disturb nature; secondly, the moor is like quick-sand and you could “drown” by sinking in it; and last but not least, the moor is one of Germany’s last refuges for the Cross (Black) Adder snake, a poisonous (but not deadly) snake, the will only bite if it feels threatened.
The moor also contains more rare animals and plants, such as the Birch Hen, the Dew Drop plant (similar to the Venus Flytrap), or sharp Wool Grass, whose blossom looks like bushy wool.

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Directions: You can reach the Black Moor by taking the Hochrhönstrasse. When you reach the top of Ehrenberg Mountain, you will see a large parking place (usually full of motorcycles).
Website: http://www.rhoenline.de/wasser/wasser_schwarzes_mo
Other Contact: There is no entrance fee.

The Rennsteig is with it’s 168.3 kilometers the oldest mountain trail in the Thurgian Forest. This natural wonder area stretches from Hörschel near Eisenach to Blankenstein, and is visited by thousands of visitors every year and offers these visitors great scenery and relaxation. Because of it’s mild central mountain climate, and the variety of things to see and do, it makes it one of the most poplars spots in the Thurgian Forest. The well-marked trail is a good opportunity for even inexperienced hikers to appreciate the unique nature of the Thurgian Forest. The Rennsteig is a historical trade road which runs along a long mountain ridge, and goes further back than 1330, were it was only first officially documented as the “Rynnestig”. This road served as a connection between numerous passes and borders between many small Thurgian States.

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Website: http://www.rennsteig.net

This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, that you can imagine. Listening to the wind as an experienced pilot takes you soaring high above the Rhön highlands.
There are three glider clubs and they are all located on the Wasserkuppe Mountain in the Rhön.
You can take lessons if you want to, they are pretty reasonable - 100 US$ for half a day - and if you have the time, you can get your license here.
Otherwise you can take a photo-trip and let someone else do the piloting.
You can only go if you call ahead - they won't just take you if you show up on a Saturday. Call the number or check the website below.

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Phone: (0049-6654) 364
Address: 36129 Gersfeld (Rhön)
Directions: Follow the signs from Fulda towards Gersfeld.
Website: http://www.segelflugschule-wasserkuppe.de/

The idyllic castle is located on top of a steep cliff of the Saale River right on the southeast corner of the Aschach Shire. It’s not only worth visiting because it’s picturesque and well-preserved, but it also has three museums in it. There is plenty of parking nearby, which is only a few meters from the main entrance.

There are 3 museums in the castle, which are well worth seeing, and are open every day except for Mondays, from May until the end of September from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.; and in October only until 5 p.m.
(If Monday is a holidy, the museums will be open and closed on the following day)
If you call ahead, you can arrange a guided tour.

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Phone: (0049-9708) 6142; Fax 6104
Address: Schloss Strasse 24, 97708 Bad Bocklet
Directions: Town of Aschach in Lower Franconia on the Highway B286 heading South.
Website: http://www.rhoenline.de/museum/museum_aschach.html