High above the town of Waltershausen and visible from afar, Tenneberg Castle sits enthroned on the 400 m high castle hill. Thuringian landgraves built the former castle with its horseshoe-shaped ground plan at the end of the 12th century.

Over the centuries, Tenneberg has seen many lords and fundamental alterations. It was the court and administrative seat, hunting lodge and summer residence of the Dukes of Gotha as well as the military center of the former Amt Tenneberg. Its architecture primarily reflects Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles. Three baroque rooms are preserved today, the most magnificent of which is the banqueting hall with paintings by the Gotha court painter Johann Heinrich Ritter. The romantic, arcaded courtyard with its castle café is particularly charming. Today, the castle is actually a large museum of local history, which is known far beyond the borders of the state for its extensive doll exhibition.