The rural municipality of An der Schmücke is surrounded by the mountain ranges Hainleite, Hohe Schrecke and the eponymous Schmücke. Here are the municipalities Heldrungen, Bretleben, Gorsleben, Hauteroda, Hemleben, Oldisleben, Braunsroda and Sachsenburg with a total of about 6000 inhabitants. The landscape is characterized not only by extensive mixed forests and rolling hills, but also by rivers such as the Unstrut, along which the cycle path of the same name runs. For recreation seekers and nature lovers, the rural community is thus a worthwhile destination.

The region has been settled for a long time, Heldrungen is documented since 777. The town impresses with a moated castle, the only completely preserved fortified moated castle of French fortification architecture in Germany. In the 12th century a first castle was built here, from 1512 to 1519 the complex was rebuilt into a Renaissance moated castle and the extensive ramparts with two moat systems were constructed. After the Peasants' War battle in nearby Bad Frankenhausen in 1525, peasant leader Thomas Müntzer was imprisoned in the moated castle, where he wrote his last writings.

From neighboring Braunsroda, guests can easily hike into the Hohe Schrecke, an old, unspoiled forest area. A wilderness has developed here over decades of military use and an important habitat for rare animals and plants. A worthwhile hiking destination is the suspension rope bridge in the Bärental. For refreshment the café in the manor house of Bismarck. Once a month, the popular farmer's market with many regional and handmade specialties takes place here in the large courtyard.

Gourmets get their money's worth in the Oldisleben district. In the Goethe Chocolaterie factory with café and factory outlet, guests can immerse themselves in the delicious world of chocolate and coffee. Numerous hiking trails also lead through the wooded surroundings of the Hainleite, for example to the two Saxon castles in the neighboring village of the same name. The remains of the 11th-century Saxon castles, which are well worth seeing, offer an impressive view of the Thuringian Gate, where today a stone arched bridge crosses the Unstrut River.