The Schwalbenstein is a rock in the Thuringian Forest that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe liked to visit when he was in Ilmenau. It was here that the poet prince wrote Act IV of Iphigenia on March 19, 1779. Act IV of Iphigenia, as indicated by a plaque on the rock.

Today, there is a small hiker's hut on the rock with a wonderful view of the Ilm valley. The Schwalbenstein, which is not far from the Waldgasthof Schöffenhaus, is a popular hiking destination and a stopover on the popular Goethe hiking trail. However, it is also worth taking a 6 km circular walk from Schwalbenstein or Waldgasthof Schöffenhaus to Waldgasthof Mönchhof, from there to the Hohe Warte viewing tower and back to Waldgasthof Schöffenhaus.