Adventure Trail Schlossberg

The Bad Berka Schlossberg offers a nature adventure trail of a special kind. The mascot Eichold tells in an imaginative way about giants, knights and treasures, about the Ilm mermaid Erlinde or the elm that gave the Ilm its name. In a playful way, both children and adults learn interesting facts from the lively history of this region and are encouraged to solve puzzles and participate. The area, now protected as an archaeological monument, was the seat of the Lords of Berka from the late 13th century until the early 17th century. The atmosphere of this enchanted place and the ruins of the former castle had already inspired Goethe’s imagination, so he advised the people of Berka over 200 years ago to open the Schlossberg, located at the edge of town towards Hetschburg, to visitors. The castle complex is protected as a valuable testimony to the medieval history of the Ilm valley and the town. In recent years, the few remaining wall remains threatened to collapse into the former castle moat. Therefore, reinforcement work was carried out in 2009 and 2010 to preserve the southwestern outer wall of the main castle.