The Rennsteig Cycle Path () follows for 195 km the

Rennsteig The () is a ridge walk as well as a historical boundary path in the Thuringian Forest, Thuringian Highland and Franconian Forest in Central Germany. The long-distance trail runs for about from and the valley in the northwest to and the ...

trail that has existed at least since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

as a courier and trade route. Most of this long distance cycle path is carefully ballasted, although parts of it also run along quiet country lanes. On the crest of the

Thuringian Highland The Thuringian Highland, Thuringian Highlands or Thuringian-Vogtlandian Slate MountainsKohl, Horst; Marcinek, Joachim and Nitz, Bernhard (1986). ''Geography of the German Democratic Republic'', VEB Hermann Haack, Gotha, p. 7 ff. . ( or ''Thüringis ...

the cycle path is identical for long stretches with the

hiking trail A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. " ...

of the same name, but departs from it in places so that steep inclines can be avoided. It starts at Hörschel west of

Eisenach Eisenach () is a Town#Germany, town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia, and bordering northeastern Hesse, Hessian re ...

and ends in

Blankenstein Blankenstein is a village and a former municipality in the district Saale-Orla-Kreis, in Thuringia, Germany. On 1 January 2019 it became part of the new municipality Rosenthal am Rennsteig. Prior to 2019, Blankenstein had been the seat of the ...

by the

River Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale ( ) and Thuringian Saale (), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale ...

Literature

* Rennsteig Radwanderweg, 1 : 50 000, Verlag grünes herz. * Radwanderkarte Rennsteig-Radwanderweg, 1 : 50 000, Publicpress-Verlag,

External links

* http://www.rennsteig.net/radwandern/radinfo.htm
Detailed route description of the Rennsteig Cycle Path with height and route profiles
Cycleways in Germany Transport in Thuringia {{thuringia-geo-stub