Why this ride
From Erfurt it runs 362 km to Erfurt; allow about 8 h 18 of riding. The stops in between: Hainich, Mines of Rammelsberg and back through Hainich. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mikveh and Mines of Rammelsberg
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 362 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 18
- 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Mikveh
In 2007, during construction work near the Krämerbrücke in Erfurt, archaeologists uncovered a medieval ritual bath, a mikveh, beside the river Gera, which had been forgotten for centuries. It dates from the thirteenth century and was used by the city's Jewish community until the pogrom of 1349, when the community was destroyed during the panic of the Black Death. It is now protected and can be visited on guided tours. Together with the Old Synagogue and the Stone House, a medieval residence, the mikveh forms the Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt, listed by UNESCO in 2023.
Read the complete Mikveh write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mikveh is where the day begins. Next is Hainich.
2. 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 comes up about 67 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mines of Rammelsberg.
3. Mines of Rammelsberg
The two belong to the same story. The Upper Harz was one of the great silver and lead mining districts of Europe, and its engineers built an astonishing network of ponds, ditches and tunnels to bring water to the wheels that drove the pumps and hoists. That water system is part of the UNESCO listing, which took in Rammelsberg and Goslar in 1992 and was later extended to cover the Upper Harz. Today the ponds look like natural lakes, and it takes a moment to realise that someone dug every channel by hand.
Read the complete Mines of Rammelsberg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 181 km into the recorded legs you reach Mines of Rammelsberg. Next is back through Hainich.
4. back through 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 through Hainich, late in the day. Next is Mikveh.
5. Mikveh
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mikveh write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Mikveh. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Mikveh to Hainich
Mikveh → Hainich is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hainich to Mines of Rammelsberg
Hainich → Mines of Rammelsberg is 114 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Mines of Rammelsberg to back through Hainich
Mines of Rammelsberg → back through Hainich is 111 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Hainich to Mikveh
back through Hainich → Mikveh is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.