Why this ride
361 km from Erfurt to Erfurt, about 8 h 16 of riding. On the way it passes Hainich, Mines of Rammelsberg and back through Hainich. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Old Synagogue and Mines of Rammelsberg
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 361 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 16
- 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. Old Synagogue
For a long time nobody in Erfurt knew that they were living above one of the oldest synagogues in Europe. The Old Synagogue stands in the narrow streets of the medieval centre, and its oldest walls date from the late eleventh century, with later enlargements in the Gothic style. After the pogrom of 1349, when the Jewish community was destroyed, the building passed into other hands and was used as a warehouse, a restaurant and a ballroom. Its original function was largely forgotten, until a restoration in the 1990s revealed the medieval walls under the later alterations.
Read the complete Old Synagogue write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Old Synagogue 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 Old Synagogue.
5. Old Synagogue
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Old Synagogue write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Old Synagogue. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Old Synagogue to Hainich
Old Synagogue → 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 Old Synagogue
back through Hainich → Old Synagogue is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.