So I recently got to revisit one of my fave little hikes near my home town in Central Germany. There’s so much you can visit around the city of Jena and I wanted to dive a little deeper into why you should also visit Bad Klosterlausnitz if you’re in the state of Thuringia.
To my parents, it’s a boring walk around a pond. To me, it’s just so beautiful and unique. Here’s why.
You can also watch the video if you don’t want to read right now.
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What makes the moors in Bad Klosterlausnitz special?
The Rote Pfütze (translated: red puddle), as the swampy pond is called by locals, is located North of the spa town Bad Klosterlausnitz. Locals come here to do some physical rehab after accidents or to enjoy the public pools (Bad Klosterlausnitz Therme) with their healing waters, sound baths and saunas.
Fun fact: “Bad” in German means spa town (or bathing/public pool/bath tub, depending on context). And it is pronounced more like bahd (as in “Bah! Humbug!”) rather than bad.
There’s a spa park in front of the hospital with ample opportunities to sit down among flowers, do some light exercises, step into a Kneipp flootbath (Kneipp cure is a big thing in Germany), watch some birds in a teeny tiny bird zoo next to the playgrounds and just lay low.
The town itself is small and pretty uneventful when it comes to sightseeing in Central Germany.
However, I’m mostly here for the nature. And hiking in central Germany is kinda a must do. And even if you’re not entirely fit you have no problems walking here. Everything is even, the forest and swamp paths are well kept (though there are roots and rocks … because nature).
Btw, if you want to explore high moors, then check out the educational high moor trai lin Oberhof (here are my Thuringian Forest tips for you) Harzer-Hexen-Stieg in Lower Saxony.
About the forests in Bad Klosterlausnitz
I love just beelining for the mixed forests with its towering pine trees and tall ferns growing left and right among the mossy patches of the undergrowth. It’s super refreshing during hot summer days (not that we had many this year in Germany…).
I love me a good moor landscape and swamp walks.
(Which is why I love Yorkshire and the Lüneburger Heide in Northern Germany so much. Heath and rugged landscapes are the best in my opinion. Tell me I’m not the only one… And guess who’s also a fan of the Brontë Sisters.)
So ultimately I guess you can say that I love the drama of nature. Combine that with dramatic days on an almost-rainy day and you get the perfect backdrop.
The downside of the Bad Klosterlausnitz moors
I wish I could say you can come here with a good book but alas, there are waaaaaaay too many mosquitoes waiting for you. Even with insect repellent. Total nuisance. So come prepared.
Here’s an insect repellent* that is good. (It’s an affiliate link but I do use it too, so why not share with you?).
Also note that Thuringia is tick territory and they can carry lyme disease. So make sure to wear long clothes and check your body after your walk for any of these parasitic crawlers. If you do have one attached to your skin already, it’s best to use special tweezers like these*. You can also use a tick card* if you prefer.
If you are on the ground and you forgot to buy them in advance, you can get them in local pharmacies too. (Remember, they are closed on Sundays.)
How to get to Bad Klosterlausnitz
From Jena to Bad Klosterlausnitz, it takes about 25 minutes by car. There is no train station in town. The nearest one is Hermsdorf-Klosterlausnitz and you can take a local bus from there (line 470 towards Eisenberg).
If you come by car, you can park right outside the tourist information of Bad Klosterlausnitz and then take one of the paths behind it into the forest.
After 15 minutes you reach a more open landscape full of tall grass swaying in the breeze, hiding the wet ground that lurks beneath them. (Stay on the paths!)
An alternative parking spot is right next to the ponds. It’s free to use, has more space and you’re much closer to the trails. You can type “Rote Pfütze Bad Klosterlausnitz” into Google Maps and click on the parking symbol. Or use these coordinates:
- Location: 50°55’37.7″N 11°52’03.6″E
- Address: Eisenberger Straße 77, 07639 Weißenborn, Germany
Doing an entire round walk around the ponds (all the way to autobahn A9) takes about an hour but you can also follow the trails around the woods.
I wouldn’t necessarily rely on Google Maps if you are keen on using a map app. My maps.me app was so much more helpful. (It’s free, and no, it’s not sponsored.)
That being said, there are signs and the trees also have markings so you cannot get lost.
And that was my little tip for a day trip to Bad Klosterlausnitz in Thüringen (Thuringia, the most central state in Germany).
If you want to read more travel stories by yours truly (with lots of drama and all the things that went wrong 😅), check out the books I wrote. You can get them off of Amazon in digital and printed formats in English and German. Order here*.
More travel tips for central Germany
- What to look out for in Weimar
- Why seeing wild orchids near Jena is a hugely popular thing + how to find them
- Celebrating Christmas in German castles – Christmas markets to not miss out on
- The top 50 German castles besides Neuschwanstein you cannot miss
- Hiking lovers bucketlist: 3 days on the Vogtland trail in central Germany
- Why the Rhoen region is perfect for a little down time
It had to happen, after ditching the 9-5 for a prolonged break, Annemarie’s wokaholic tendencies led her to start a daily blog about her adventures. Annemarie has released books about her tumultuous travel adventures and creates quirky travel video series.
