Rennsteiggarten – Floral mountain beauties in Oberhof

Botanical gardens cover a large area and lead their visitors to the beauty of the floral world. In most cases the astonished visitor is introduced to the exotic variety of the tropical rain forests. Some gardens also exhibit local plants of fields and meadows. In every case the visitor acquires an insight into a world which would otherwise remain concealed to their gaze by the concrete of everyday life.  

The Rennsteiggarten is the botanical garden in Germany which has specialised in mountain flora from all over the world. In a huge area of 70,000 square metres at an altitude of just under 870 metres on the Pfanntalskopf, around 4000 different species of mountain plant are revealed to visitors. The plant lover is plunged into secret worlds from those of the low mountain ranges of the Harz, Thuringian Forest, Hunsrück and Eifel through to the rich plant world of the Alps. Visitors also obtain insights into beautiful flowering plants from the Asian high mountain region of the Himalayas, the Latin American Andes and other European mountains, such as the Pyrenees. There are even Arctic plant species to admire.

Thanks to its moderate altitude, the Rennsteiggarten offers the optimal climatic and growth conditions for the global world of mountain plants. Visitors here discover small flowering treasures and the wealth or species of another world, which they would otherwise only catch a glimpse of as an active mountaineer with a lot of luck. Where else could you admire the edelweiß, which is a protected species, in all its glory or the Himalayan willow?

The Rennsteiggarten treats its visitors generously with a varied programme of events containing interesting activities spread across the whole of the year. Thus the flower festival is one of the highlights of Oberhof in the summer. The flower festival is organised during the main flowering period, because in the middle of June the plants reach out to their admirers with fully opened blossoms offering the numerous visitors a sea of gloriously coloured blooms which are justly celebrated. As well as rustic regional musical offerings the visitor can also enjoy traditional handicrafts and watch the masters of the ancient guilds as they go about their interesting work. In autumn most of the plants take their leave of the world with another special burst of colour before they withdraw to the peace and quiet of the coming winter. The leaves on the trees take on glowing colours and the special autumn-flowering trees open their blossoms for a short time. This spectacle is celebrated with the autumn festival, a further high point for visitors to Oberhof.   

In the Rennsteiggarten they have also thought about children and recently installed a range of children’s play equipment in the famous Botanical Garden, so that the children can not only have fun passing the time but also as a great side effect learn all kinds of things about plants and botany. Thus the Rennsteiggarten has now become a popular and very attractive destination for family outings.

With the Rennsteiggarten, Oberhof proves once again that the town and the entire region are an appealing holiday destination all year round. With the rich variety of plants you can enrich your active hiking holiday with an extended walk past rare blossoms, or treat yourself to additional relaxation on your holiday trip by offering your eyes recuperation from the sequence of natural floral colours. Nowhere else can you find a better place to unwind and leave everyday life behind you than in nature.

The Rennsteiggarten can be reached conveniently on foot from your comfortable room at our hotel, as you stock up on fresh air and get your circulation going. Leave the park and cross Gräfenrodaer Straße, heading immediately into Zellaer Straße. Follow the entire length of this road until you reach the Rennsteiggarten. This comfortable walk takes around twenty minutes, during which you are doing yourself good and will then be rewarded with an undreamed of diversity of flowering species of mountain flora worldwide. The Rennsteiggarten is well worth visiting once in any event.
Opening hours (no guarantee):
19.04. - 30.09. Admission daily 09.00 - 18.00
01.10. - 02.11. Admission daily 09.00 - 17.00
More information at: www.rennsteiggartenoberhof.de