Here in the middle of the national park are the remains of the former settlement of Ihlefeld.

It is one of the few settlements to be found on the ridge of the Hainich. The High Road has existed since the High Middle Ages, connecting the villages to the east and west of the forest. At the instigation of the Archbishopric of Mainz, the Hainich region was expanded from the 12th century onwards, which also led to the founding of the village of Bischofroda. The Hospitaller Brotherhood of St. Anthony was entrusted with the construction of a hostel in Hainich in order to be able to cater for travelers and pilgrims on the approximately twelve-kilometre-long High Road and to establish further settlements. After a major fire caused by lightning on April 30, 1826, the Ihlefeld forester's lodge had to be rebuilt. The result was a modern estate with an adjoining forester's lodge. It was not until 1931 that Ihlefeld was sold to a tenant and was expropriated by confiscation in 1945. Resettlers and refugees were accommodated in the Ihlefeld estate, the settlement was expanded by the construction of a Konsum sales outlet, and a school and a children's holiday camp were also operated for a time. Due to the NVA's plans to expand the Weberstedt firing range, Ihlefeld had to be vacated in 1964. The buildings on the Ihlefeld estate were leveled by a demolition squad.

The former forester's lodge was rebuilt in the mid-1990s by the municipality of Mülverstedt together with hiking friends of the Rennsteigverein 1896 e.V. OG Hainich-Rennstieg and now serves as a refuge and is a popular hiking destination.