Rennsteig

The () is a ridge walk as well as an historical boundary path in the Thuringian Forest, Thuringian Highland and Franconian Forest in Central Germany. The long-distance trail runs for about from and the valley in the northwest to and the river in the southeast.
The is also the watershed between the river systems of the , Elbe and Rhine. The catchment areas of all three river systems meet at the ("Three Rivers Rock") near .
Route.
The runs along the ridge of the Thuringian Central Uplands (') from northwest to southeast mostly at heights of around 500 to 970 metres. It starts in the town quarter of by the River (196 m above NHN) and ends in by the River (414 m above NHN). In 2003 the was re-surveyed by the Thuringian State Office for Survey and Geoinformation; they reported that it had a total length of . The marking along the trail is very good, usually indicated by a white 'R' (called '). Along the there are small, open shelters about every 5 to 10 kilometres.
The course of the stream, the only river in the central section of the , crosses the trail in the nature reserve, at a height of 700 metres, before feeding the nearby Waterfall. Another stream that crosses the trail is the in the southeastern part of the route, which forms part of the Franconian Forest immediately by the Thuringian–Bavarian border west of , part of the borough of .
Four tunnels run under the ridge: One is the eponymous Tunnel, which comprises two tubes that are and long, making it the longest road tunnel in Germany. The tunnel was opened in 2003 as a motorway tunnel for the A 71 autobahn. The second is the long Brandleite Tunnel, which was opened in 1884 and leads the railway under the Thuringian Forest. The vertical height difference between the two tunnels is less than seven metres. The third is the long Tunnel on the Railway. The long Tunnel is part of the high-speed railway.
Districts along the.
The runs through the town of , and the districts of , , , the town of , the districts of , , , , and the district.
Towns and villages.
From northwest to southeast: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
History.
First record and meaning of the name.
The ' was first mentioned in a 1330 border charter issued in . Etymologists are inconclusive about the origin of its name. It may go back to ', hunter's jargon for "border". In Old High German, a ' is a narrow footpath or bridleway in contrast to a ' or military road. In records dating back to 1546 the path is referred to as the ".
In addition to the well-known trail itself, there are about 250 other " and "" in German-speaking countries. Some of these are older and some more recent than that of the Thuringian Forest. This casts doubt upon its meaning as a genuine boundary path.
Middle Ages.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the marked the boundary of the Duchy of Franconia with the Landgraviate of Thuringia. Even today it forms a clear border between the Franconian part of South Thuringia from the otherwise Thuringian–Upper Saxon lands of Thuringia. The as a language border separates the East Franconian dialects (', ' and "Upper Franconian") from the Thuringian dialects ("Central Thuringian", " Thuringian" and "Southeastern Thuringian") spoken in the mountains, in the northern part and east of the Thuringian Forest.
Modern era.
The hiking trail was first described and mapped by the cartographer (1791–1858) in his 1832 book '. In July 1889 the author (1851–1919) hiked along the ridge and published his book ' the next year, whereafter the trail became famous well beyond the borders of Thuringia and Franconia mainly through the publications of the Club founded in 1896. From 1897 to 1942, the club organised the annual ' hiking tour in six stages along the . The ' is a wandering song written in 1951, that symbolises the spirit of the Thuringian people.
After World War II, the trail was not completely passable as it crossed the inner German border several times. After the Peaceful Revolution of 1989, it was officially reopened on 28 April 1990. In Thuringia, the trail was declared a heritage site in 1997
Rennsteig stones.
Along the there are about 1,300 historic boundary stones. Since the 16th century the , most of which was a border path, was marked with these political and national emblems. Of particular note are the 13 so-called , of which only ten lie immediately on the . In local parlance these stones became known as " or stones. The boundary stones surviving today stem mainly from the 18th century. In addition to boundary stones, there are also forest stones, stone crosses and monuments along the trail.
In during the GDR period, there was a hotel (later demolished) of the same name in the shape of a boundary stone.
trail.
Today the is designated by the German Mountain and Hiking Club (") as an outstanding "high-grade hiking trail". The Cycle Path was opened on 19 June 2000. Most of it is provided with a water-bound surface, some sections also run along quiet country lanes. Here and there it departs from the course of the historic , so that steep inclines may be avoided. It is therefore about 30 km longer than the hiking trail.
The is connected to the E3 European long distance path, which goes from the Atlantic coast of Spain to the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, and the E6 European long distance path, running from Arctic Finland to Turkey.
In the winter, in good snow conditions, skiing or hiking in snowshoes is possible and the is maintained as a winter hiking trail in places.
Transport.
The Railway running to station near is a branch line, that has not been regularly used by passenger trains since 1998.
Rennsteig Run.
Since 1973 the GutsMuths Run, an organised ultramarathon, has taken place on the . With more than 14,000 participating runners and walkers it is one of the largest events of its type in Europe.