Langenbach lies in the narrow meadow bottom of the Langenbach valley, at the foot of the Naturtheater. Behind the houses of the village begin the dense forests that extend up into the hills. Langenbach is still an agricultural village today.

This small village has a history of the glass industry that was once so widespread in the Thuringian Forest. In 1525, the Swabian Hans Greiner and his associates founded the first village glassworks with twelve chairs. It is regarded as the "mother glassworks" for other village glassworks in the Thuringian Forest, such as Fehrenbach and Lauscha.

This little village also became famous for its cooperage. A small cooper's workshop still bears witness to the former craft.