An old saying from Stadtilm reads: "Gallus, anas, pons et turris, draco, fossa, suile, sunt Ilmi - septem, commemoranda poli." In German: "Rooster, duck, bridge and tower, dragon, moat, pigsty are the seven wonders of Stadtilm." Unfortunately, there is no complete record of which miracles the saying referred to in detail and so, although the seven miracles have been preserved over time, the cockerel, tower and dragon have been replaced by the market, the monastery lime tree and the crypt. Two of the wonders, the highest bridge and the monastery lime tree, can no longer be seen today. We invite you to take a "Seven Wonders Tour" through Stadtilm, starting at the town hall.

In 1275, Günther IX, Count of Schwarzburg, moved the Cistercian nunnery founded in Saalfeld in 1267 to Stadtilm. In 1492, the convent was partially destroyed by fire. It was subsequently rebuilt and reconstructed until the 16th century. It was badly damaged in the great town fire of 1780. It was then converted into a castle inn. In 1918, the town fathers acquired the building, which has been the seat of the town council since 1920.

A Gothic cross-vaulted room, the so-called crypt (today's library) and a stone oven air heater in a vault under the east wing have been preserved from the monastery period.

The monastery lime tree (Schlosslinde), which is at least 500 years old, is even said to have been 600, 700 and 800 years old. In 1937 it had a circumference (at a height of 1.60 m) of 7.20 m. It had to be felled in 1938.

The "largest Zinsboden in Thuringia" was the storage building of the Cistercian nunnery (today's town hall). After its economic upswing, construction of the Zinsboden began around 1350 as a storage facility for taxes in kind. In the past, the Zinsboden was known as the "largest pigsty in Thuringia"; this name goes back to the annual delivery of interest pigs, which were housed in the basement of the building. In 1890, part of the Zinsboden was converted into a prison, which was used until around 1945. After the Second World War, a living room was set up in the lower area. Later, the Zinsboden was used to store grain.

The town church of St. Marien has a west tower that is rare in Thuringia. The double tower complex with bridge (396 m above sea level) between the 42 m high towers was a special feature that has been preserved as a landmark in the town's coat of arms. The bridge was demolished in 1903.

With an area of approx. 10,170 m², Stadtilm's market square is the largest market square in Thuringia. Before it was paved in 1834, it consisted of a marshy area. Here you can marvel at the Methfessel monument, inaugurated in 1885, in the center of which is an obelisk dedicated to the composer Albert Methfessel, who was born in Stadtilm.

Until 1966, the Hotel zum Hirsch, where Johann Wolfgang von Goethe also stayed, stood on the site of the building that now houses the Arnstadt-Ilmenau Sparkasse branch. It was in Stadtilm that Goethe wrote his verse "Ich ging im Walde so für mich hin ...", the poem that became world-famous under the title "Gefunden".

The "highest swimming duck". The duck is a relief that commemorates the Thuringian Flood of 1613 as a water level mark. It was originally located at the Kellertor, next to the "Zur Ente" inn. It was later moved to the "Zum Bären" inn, where the relief panel was smashed by carelessness when the inn was demolished on August 6, 1968. After its restoration, it was ceremoniously unveiled in the local history museum in 1993. In 2016, the relief was moved back to its original location.

Since 1302, the town center has been surrounded by the town wall, consisting of around 35 half-towers at intervals of 22 meters. At the top, there was an uncovered walkway (for the guards). Parts of the southern and northern city walls can still be seen today.