Oberdorla belongs together with the neighboring villages Niederdorla and Langula to the Bailiwick. Oberdorla was first mentioned in a document in 810 in a deed of gift from Count Erpho von Bilstein. The strongly bubbling Karst springs Kainspring and Melchior Fountain on the outskirts of the village are probably the reason why the area was settled much earlier.

The largest village in the Unstrut-Hainich district has the largest area of half a hectare. Village green in Thuringia. It is overgrown with lime and chestnut trees and is home to three monuments. The old Court table is still completely preserved; court was held at it six times a year. To the right of the table is the memorial to the soldiers from Oberdorla who died in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. The monument to the left of the table from 1886 commemorates the Aisle of the Vogteier to Vienna in the summer of 1785-1786 to personally present Emperor Joseph II with a petition for the settlement of the Vogtland territorial question.

The collegiate church is worth seeing St. Peter and Paul. At the portal of the Romanesque church are the two, already heavily weathered but very impressive depictions of the apostles. And about 1,000 m east of the former Oberdorla railroad station is the geographical Center of Germany. On the border of the village on the road to Langula is the medieval court square Mallinden. It consists of three old lime trees where, according to tradition, court was held.

The Local History Room Oberdorla offers interested visitors an exhibition on everyday village life, village and church history and Vogtland customs. The small museum also has a room dedicated to the composer and choirmaster Gunther Erdmann (1939-1996), who was born and grew up in Oberdorla.

Oberdorla is a good starting point for hiking or cycling tours to the nearby Seebach Dam or in the Mühlhausen municipal forest and the UNESCO Hainich National Park.