Großer Inselsberg Summit & Observation Tower
At 916.5 metres, the Großer Inselsberg is not the highest peak in Thuringia but it is by far the most visited — its steep, isolated silhouette is visible from the valley long before you reach it, and the panorama from the top stretches to the Harz and the Rhön on a clear day. This is the mountain Brotterode was built in the shadow of, and it rewards every step of the ascent.
The summit experience
The Großer Inselsberg sits at the junction of two districts on the legendary Rennsteig ridge path, and a public observation tower on the plateau pushes your sightline even further across the Thuringian Basin.
On a clear day the ridgelines of the Harz mountains to the north and the Rhön to the south are both visible — a sweeping, 360-degree reward that no photograph quite captures.
Hiking up from Brotterode
The classic circular route from Brotterode (around 13.5 km, moderate difficulty) passes the Wartburgblick viewpoint, the Beerberg Grotto and the Schierlingsborn spring before the final steep push to the plateau.
The trail runs along sections of the Rennsteig, Thuringia's most famous long-distance path, so the walk itself is as memorable as the destination.
Berggasthof Stöhr: summit hospitality
After the climb, the Berggasthof Stöhr on the summit plateau serves hearty Thuringian food and cold drinks — a proper mountain inn where walkers collapse gratefully into wooden chairs.
The Großer Inselsberg lies within a protected nature reserve, so the forest approaching the summit is pristine and the air noticeably cleaner than in the valley.
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