The late Baroque building of today's Jagdhaus Gabelbach museum was hastily erected in the summer of 1783 to serve as a guest house for Charles Augustus and his hunting party. Building materials included the ruins of Ilmenau Castle and the surrounding forest. Goethe visited the hunting lodge several times up until 1831. Today's museum features an exhibition on Goethe's scientific studies and provides insights into the hunting habits and social life of the Weimar court. The hunting lodge can be found below the summit of the Kickelhahn directly on the Goethe hiking trail, which starts at the market square in Ilmenau.