Crawinkel: Pasture Landscape and Local History

Hiking, pasture landscape and a variety of routes

Crawinkel offers good hiking conditions for guests and active holidaymakers. The pasture landscape of Agrar Crawinkel adds to the network of routes around the holiday destination. These routes are suited to hikers, mountain bikers and horse riders. This brings together different ways to experience the landscape: on foot, by mountain bike or on horseback. These activities are part of the local offering; no specific route distances or walking times are given.

The Thüringeti is an open pasture landscape for horses and cattle, notable for its great biodiversity. Visitors interested in nature and the landscape can experience it in a different way from the routes: the focus is on the grazing land, the animals kept there and the diversity of species. Agrar Crawinkel and the Thüringeti are connected with different aspects of the local landscape.

Flying experiences, excursions and guided tours

A hang-gliding and paragliding school in Crawinkel offers the opportunity to try these forms of flying. Tandem flights by paraglider or hang glider can be requested through members of the Crawinkel Air Sports Club. If you are considering a flight, check current availability directly with the club members; making an inquiry does not guarantee a booking.

Agrar Crawinkel also offers a starting point for a range of interests: excursions and specialist guided tours for different groups are held on the 2,300-hectare Agrar GmbH site. This figure describes the size of Agrar GmbH; it does not mean that every tour covers the entire area. The best way to find out which tour is right for you is to check the specific offering.

Guided tours on the production of millstones are offered at the Alte Mühle in Crawinkel. Check current dates and access arrangements before visiting. The Mühlsteinhauermuseum also features a special exhibition about the Compiègne railway carriage. In Crawinkel, you can therefore choose between a craft-related topic and an exhibition with historical significance.

Church, crafts and local history

A 1360 document issued by Landgrave Friedrich of Thuringia referred to Crawinkel as a town. The present-day St. Mary's Church has had its current form since 1758. A chapel dedicated to Mary previously stood on the site; it is believed to have been founded around the year 1000. Crawinkel's first church was built from this chapel in 1421. These dates mark separate historical milestones and do not all refer to the same phase of construction.

Instrument making is also part of the town's history. Instrument makers from Crawinkel were known far beyond Thuringia for the quality of their violins and citterns. This adds another topic to the history of the church building: craftsmanship and the reputation the instruments enjoyed beyond the region.

More topics in the wider Ohrdruf destination

The wider Ohrdruf destination offers other distinct cultural and natural attractions. The permanent exhibition at Museum Schloss Ehrenstein explores Johann Sebastian Bach's childhood and youth in Ohrdruf from 1695 to 1700. Bach spent five formative years there with his older brother, Johann Christoph. This links the museum's subject matter to a specific period in Bach's life.

The history of Tobiashammer is also rooted there: it was built around 1480 as an iron, wire and sickle hammer mill. For hiking enthusiasts, the Walter Schütz Nature Park Trail is another option in Ohrdruf. It is 12 kilometers long, has an elevation gain of approximately 284 meters and starts at the Ohrdruf Nature Park Gateway. These details help you assess the route by its length and elevation gain; they do not describe routes in Crawinkel.

Discover more destinations: Leinatal, Luisenthal, Finsterbergen, Tabarz, Friedrichroda, Laucha, Emsetal, Aspach.

View the wider travel guide: Gotha.