Circular hiking route - No. 2 around Steinach - Thuringian Forest

From the shelter on the Hämmerer Ebene (630 m), we use the almost level forest path heading south and soon walk through the beautiful beech forest, winding across the Ranzengrund (nature reserve) and reach an ascending path to the Schlossersgeräum, a meadow touched by our route.

After about 400 m, we encounter a forest road leading from the Tischplatte to Wiefelsburg. We follow it to the right and reach a mountain saddle.

In the midst of green meadows, we see on the right the small group of buildings belonging to Wiefelsburg, a former guesthouse. A small seating area invites you to rest here.

Heading south, the forest road now ascends, crosses a crossroads at about 650 m altitude, and continues toward Sonneberg.

We hike here on the "Hohe Straße," which crossed the slate mountains here centuries ago.

After about 1 km, we reach the Schustershieb. Here stands a memorial stone for the death march of concentration camp inmates in the final days of World War II.

From here we follow the road, which leads steadily downhill to the left through the Kuhgründlein, past the reclaimed spoil site of the city of Steinach into the Höll.

At the first houses, our "2" leads us from this lowest point of the circular route back up the hill to the left. But first, a stop at the inn "Zur Höll."

The climb through the Höll is strenuous, but after about 300 m, the path that branches to the right leads relatively level along the edge of the last gardens around the town, always with beautiful views over it to Fellberg, Tierberg, Vogelsberg, and Weinberg.

Shortly before an old whetstone quarry, our path now climbs more narrowly to the Hämmerer Hieb just behind the garden plots and joins the road to Mengersgereuth-Hämmern at about 575 m altitude. Ascending, we still have 400 m back to our starting point.