Plaue is the smallest town in the Ilm district - situated on the B4 and at the confluence of the Zahmen and Wilde Gera rivers, 8 km from Arnstadt and 11 km from Ilmenau. Plaue has been a town since 1335 and can look back on a long and eventful history due to its location on the old Erfurt - Nuremberg trade route. In addition to the remains of the old town wall and several churches, it is above all the natural treasures that are of particular attraction and interest to visitors. Numerous springs originate in the water-rich Plaue bottom of the Gera Valley, the most important of which are the Karl Marien Spring and the Kaiser Günther Spring and the Springwegen with its special geological features.