"Arnstadt has charming walks on all sides".Johann Wolfgang von Goethe already appreciated this. Perhaps he was referring to the many walking and hiking trails on the Alteburg.

The Alteburg Tower towers prominently on the northern tip of the plateau with its magnificent panoramic view of the town of Arnstadt and the Thuringian countryside. It has been a popular excursion destination since its inauguration in 1902.

With an area of around 25 hectares, the Alteburg is one of the most important prehistoric and early historic fortifications in Thuringia. The plateau between the Gera and Wilder Weiße river valleys was inhabited from the Neolithic period to the late Bronze Age. Today, it is mainly used by walkers and hikers.

Whether Kreuzchen, Schneckchen, Königstuhl or Felseck - the views along the circular hiking trails are breathtakingly beautiful! What's more, interesting flora and fauna are waiting to be discovered.

Historical facts:

The Alteburg is a mountain spur with an altitude of 398 meters above sea level, located northeast of the plateau of Gossel on the Ohrdrufer Platte, near the southern outskirts of Arnstadt in the Ilm district, Thuringia. It lies between the Gera valley and the Jonastal valley and was originally known as Jonasberg.

This hill was already inhabited in prehistoric times. An old mountain path once led from the Thuringian Forest via Oberhof and Ohrdruf over this spur. There were fortified settlements on the hill dating from the Neolithic Age to the late Bronze Age. Archaeological finds prove this historical settlement. Today, two ramparts, the remains of a rampart and dry wall fragments still exist.

The ruins of the original Alteburg were discovered in 1841. These remains of the castle belonged to a watchtower, which was located in front of a medieval town wall. A document indicates that such a watchtower was built and financed in 1455. Between 1788 and 1789, the mountain plateau was developed for agricultural purposes. The ruins of the watchtower were demolished at the end of the 19th century and the stones were used to build the "Ganz" inn.

In 1822, Ch. Schierholz had a ring of poplar trees planted. In 1897, work began on the construction of a tower on the mountain spur, which was known as the Kaiserturm or Bismarck Tower to commemorate the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1871, but is now usually referred to as the Alteburg Tower. Construction of the 30-metre-high tower was completed in 1902 and the poplar ring was replanted in the same year.