[3] Rennsteig- Park

Description

Rennstein Park in Steinbach a.Wald is a small oasis where you can relax in peace. The park lies directly on the Rennsteig, the famous high-altitude trail that has connected the Frankenwald with Thuringia since the Middle Ages. About 14 kilometers of the route run through Bavaria.

The park is located on Rennsteig Street in front of the railway embankment and the bridge. Here, two figures point to the special situation on the Rennsteig: for the bridge symbolizes the connection and coexistence of Bavaria and Thuringia. The bridge stones were created in 1984 by sculptor Heinrich Schreiber. A four-ton sandstone from Franconia is the symbol for the Bavarian side. It shows a riding messenger delivering a message. On the corner stands Saint Bishop Otto of Bamberg, who in 1128 traveled as a missionary through Thuringia to Pomerania. The second stone, an eight-ton boulder from the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, represents Thuringia. Here is depicted a messenger with a scroll and below him a tradesman with a wagon and horse. Saint Elisabeth spreads out her protective hands. On the back of the stone is the poem “A Like” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe with his famous words “Quiet along the peaks above!”

In Rennsteig Park, a fountain and covered benches invite you to refresh and relax. A board provides information about the historical Rennsteig. The grounds feature plants that were once cultivated in the Frankenwald. Due to the harsh and damp climate and the acidic soils, only modest species thrived here, such as foxtail millet, which was used as grain, or dyer’s thistle, dyer’s camomile, and dyer’s woad, which were used for dyeing. You can also observe native insects here, for which their own habitat has been created. And there’s a touch of humor in Rennstein Park: take a look at the Weather Stone!