Why this ride
From Mihla it runs 285 km to Mihla; allow about 5 h 38 of riding. It goes by way of Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt, Naumburg Cathedral and back through Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Hainich and Naumburg Cathedral starting at Mihla
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 285 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 38
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt → Naumburg Cathedral
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 78 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 75 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Hainich
Hainich is a long, low ridge of beech forest in the middle of Germany, and it has the distinction of being one of the few places in Europe where beech trees have been left to grow old. The national park, established in 1997, covers a large part of the ridge, and its oldest stands are part of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and other Regions of Europe, a UNESCO listing. You notice the difference at once: tall, straight silver trunks, massive fallen logs covered in fungi, and a forest floor that smells of mould and mushrooms.
Read the complete Hainich write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hainich is where the day begins. Next is Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt.
2. Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt
Erfurt is a compact, well-preserved medieval city in central Germany, and for hundreds of years it was home to one of the most important Jewish communities in the Holy Roman Empire. The Old Synagogue, with parts dating back to about 1100, is one of the oldest surviving synagogue buildings in Europe, and a ritual bath, or mikveh, uncovered in 2007 beside the Gera river was found in remarkably good condition. UNESCO listed the Jewish-medieval heritage of Erfurt in 2023, recognising the buildings as testimony to a community that thrived and then suffered.
Read the complete Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt comes up about 67 km into the recorded legs. Next is Naumburg Cathedral.
3. Naumburg Cathedral
The twelve figures in the west choir of Naumburg Cathedral are among the most famous sculptures of the Middle Ages, and once you have seen them, you understand why. Carved around the middle of the thirteenth century by an unknown artist known as the Naumburg Master, they represent the founders and benefactors of the cathedral, noblemen and noblewomen who had died two centuries earlier, but they look like real people, with individual faces, expressions and gestures. The most famous is Uta, the wife of Margrave Ekkehard, standing with her cloak drawn up to her face, cool and enigmatic, who has become an icon of German art. The cathedral, with its Romanesque and Gothic architecture and its rich sculpture, was listed by UNESCO in 2018.
Read the complete Naumburg Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 142 km into the recorded legs you reach Naumburg Cathedral. Next is back through Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt.
4. back through Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt, late in the day. Next is Hainich.
5. Hainich
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Hainich write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Hainich. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Hainich to Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt
Hainich → Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt to Naumburg Cathedral
Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt → Naumburg Cathedral is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Naumburg Cathedral to back through Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt
Naumburg Cathedral → back through Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt is 77 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt to Hainich
back through Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt → Hainich is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.