Lichtasenland Edition 1/2021

E d i t i o n N o . 1 A p r i l 2 0 2 1
LICHTASEN
LAND
A L O V I N G G R E E T I N G
In this Edition:
AROUND THE VALLEY
Beautiful walks and
day touring by foot
OTHERWORLD
CROSSING
Between fairytale world
and reality
WALKING THROUGH
ESSENTIAL
WORKING
Water bubbles, murmurs and
rushes in the Lichtasenthal
SO IS LIFE
Creative force and loving
construction inside Lichtasenthal
THURINGIA
A view into history of the region

Lichtasen
Land
Country walks
Along the ponds and the little stream
From the Waldschlösschen simply walk along the Lichtasenthal. See
the reflecting light on the water, listen to the stream and the birds.
Breathe in the fresh forest air and perceive the energy of the
surroundings. This is how a wonderful visit to the Lichtasenland
begins, full of energy and joy.
Circular trail to the Questenstein with a view, approx.5 km, 2 hours
From the Waldschlösschen follow the path westwards with the
markings yellow bar on a white field, towards Kleefleck. At Kleefleck
turn right into the "Breitunger Rennweg" with many border stones
towards Questenstein (marked green/yellow/red). Be watchful, there
are several rustic beeches, worth mentioning. After another 600m you
will see the turn-off to Questenstein on the left (from the crossroads
approx. 300m). Return to this junction and follow the signs to the car
park at "Unterer Beerberg". At the car park, go slightly downhill to
Lichtasenthal. In the valley, keep right along the stream towards
Waldschlösschen.
Walk with a view over Brotterode approximately 4km 1 hour
From Waldschlösschen follow the valley up to the turning with the
bridge to "Brotterode" (yellow bar on white). Continue up the valley
following the markings. At the end of the valley (after approx. 700m)
turn right and walk slightly uphill. After approx. 200m turn right
(Nordic Walking route blue) and follow the path around the hill in an
anti-clockwise direction. After almost 2km you will come to a
wonderful viewpoint over the spa town of Brotterode. Continue on the
path around the hill once completely and back to Lichtasenthal.
country walks 06

The waterfall
Water is mobile and wonderfully reflects the spirit thirsting for
knowledge. It flows and soaks every gap, it penetrates the smallest nooks
and crannies to emerge discerning after the experience. The desire for
this project arose because of the beauty of the rocks.
In 1865 the waterfall was created by Trusetal miners under the
supervision of Baurat Specht. A dam diverts the water from the Truse
below Brotterode. At first, the 3.5 km long, constructed waterfall ditch
winds along the edge of the forest and then approaches the actual river
valley again. At Öhmigshauk, the Trusetal waterfall first falls over two
smaller falls and then over the granite rock from a height of 50m into a
collecting basin. The water then flows back into the Truse.
The Trusetal Waterfall is only in operation from Easter to the end of
October each year. A circular walk, starting at the waterfall with 228
steps, brings us closer to the water and lets us see rainbows.
Accompanying festival events are the annual waterfall festival in July
and a small summer market.
Hike on page 13: From Waldschlösschen 4km to the waterfall. Walking
around the waterfall and back the same way is about 9km.
07

A refreshing-senses day tour
14 KM HIKE WITH VIEWPOINTS, REFRESHMENT STOPS,
CASTLE & PARK, BAROQUE GARDENS, KNIGHT'S CHAPEL,
ROMANTIC PICNIC AREA, ROTUNDA
Castle & Park Altenstein
Altenstein Castle is an excursion
destination with a park and court
marshal's facilities (also an Inn). The
landscape park is considered a baroque
jewel with a variety of park architecture.
These include The Chinese Tea House,
the Flower Basket, Boniface Rock and
Knight's Chapel. The castle ruins (directly
behind the castle with its witch's tower)
bear witness to its origins around 1120
under the knightly dynasty "von Stein".
The hiking trail (yellow bar on white)
starts at Waldschlösschen following up
the valley, then towards Unterer
Beerberg parking, Kratzersrasen and on
to Steinbach. In Steinbach (west side) the
trail starts through the hilly park at the
Pakplatz in Glasbachstrasse at the
information board. There one follows the
signpost to the "Rotunde". From there it
is easy to continue to the "Morgentor"
Rock (signpost) and later the Chinese
house (picnic area inside and outside!)
and further on to the Flower Basket Rock
(a typical 1800 phenomenon). From there
it is just a shor walk through the
secluded beech forest to Altenstein
Castle. The colourful baroque flowerbeds
are worth seeing and the castle invites us
with a beautiful view.
view to the Rhön mountains
knot flower beds at the castle
Chinese house
Hiking 08

Beautiful essential beings landscape
gardens, embedded baroque
architecture, panoramic views, fresh
forest air, places of contemplation,
fairy meadows, flower splendour and
a redwood baby tree.
You can walk through the entire park and
admire the baroque flowerbeds, tree
monuments and the knight's chapel.
From here you can either take the bus
back to Brotterode or hike back.
The way back leads via the Altenstein
cave (past Glücksbrunn Castle) to
Steinbach, then via Schindgasse to the
Hohle car park (information board). From
there, follow the "green bar on white"
markings in the direction of Atterode
(also to the former Arminius mine).
Follow the stream uphill towards
Judenkopf, but in the direction of
Kleefleck and back to Waldschlösschen.
fairy gardens at the castle
Wonderful impressions of nature and
views of the surrounding area. The
extensive Altenstein Landscape Park is
a gem with peaceful squares,
mythological figures and park
architecture adapted to the natural
forms. Exploring the park alone is
worth the trip, even by car.
www.schloss-altenstein.org
Altenstein Castle
A special feature of Altenstein Castle
is its extensive and magnificent park.
A castle existed from as early as 700
and had a chequered history until
1630, when the dukes of Saxe-
Meiningen took over the castle.
When the building was destroyed by
fire in 1733, Duke Anton Ulrich of
Saxe-Meiningen and his son
converted the castle into a hunting
lodge and then a summer residence.
The cavalier buildings and gardens
were built from about 1800 onwards,
and the parks were extended and
slowly shaped to their present
beauty. You will find small quiet
places with secluded spots, beautiful
views, artistic flower arrangements
and proud botany with trees from
distant countries.
09

A half day´s hike
9km hike with Trusetal waterfall mining trail,
visit to the sound trail with wildly romantic
path in Truse valley.l
Beginn des Wasserfallgrabens, ca. 1,8km oberhalb des Parkplatzes
The Waterfall & the Truse
The Truse has been mentioned in
documents since 930 AD and was once an
important mill river. Today it murmurs
through the valley, telling stories...
We start at the Waldschlösschen in the
direction of Kleefleck (1km) and turn left
there in the direction of Laudenbach
(marked with a green bar). After approx.
1km keep left (direction Brotterode) and
then turn right after approx. 200m,
through the weavers' meadows to
Laudenbach. In Laudenbach you will
come across the mining trail (2 crossed
hammers), which leads us to the Trusetal
waterfall (approx. 1km). We stay at the
ditch of the waterfall and reach the
falling water from atop, following the
stairs down, you can walk around the
spectacle and go straight back or
additionally visit the "sound path". The
sound path begins 300m behind the ice
cream café, past the "Zwergen-land" car
park (cross the Trusenbrücke bridge) on
Laudenbacher Strasse (signposted path
to own car park). The circular route is
approx. 700m long. In hot weather the
path back through the Truse valley is
cool and shady, but the last 2km are on
the road. You can return to Laudenbach
by following the waterfall ditch in front
of the ice cream café and then return
along the familiar mining trail.
Truse and a possible derivation of the name
Open from April - November
Entrance free
from 9 o´clock until dawn
(guided tours possible)
© www.klangpfad-trusepark.de
In Norse mythology, Thrud is - goddess of vegetation,
power and strength. She is the goddess of trees, flowers,
grass and willows, as well as the protective goddess of all
nature beings. She is said to live high in the trees, in her
Thruden's nest, the mistletoe, which is also considered a
magic herb. As one of the Valkyries, Thrud is also
responsible for storms and clouds. Therefore, the rune
Thurisaz, assigned to this goddess, stands for (female)
power and strength, for protection and defence, as well
as for storms. The parents of the Norse Thrud are the
harvest goddess Siff and the thunder god Thor. The root
of her name goes back to the Old Norse "Throta", the
Middle High German "Trute" or the Gothic "Trudan". On
the one hand, it means strength or power, on the other
hand, it also means to press, stomp or push. -just ike a
little river would do.
www.artedea.net
13

Poetry for the hike
In the middle of the water
The oak rose like a hermitage,
Majestic princely seal
To such green forest foliage;
Watching itself at its feet,
Seeing the sky in the flood:
So to enjoy slow life´s beat
Solitude is highest good.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(world literat, Naturalist)
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,
places to play in and pray in,
where Nature may heal and cheer
and give strength to body and soul alike.”
John Muir (Preserver of Yosemite valley, never visited Thuringia)
Strive for tranquillity, but through balance,
not by the standstill of its activity.
– Friedrich von Schiller
Those who contemplate nature are captivated
by the mystery of life.
– Albert Schweitzer
(Theologian, doctor, writer, pacifist)
Poetry 14

Art & Nature
Nature and Art still shun each other’s sight,
Yet mate as fellows, ere one wotteth well.
My stubborn mood hath long since left me quite;
So, which most draweth me I scarce may tell.
There needs must be a strait and true endeavor:
But, the full doe once paid—of life we owe,
Bound mind and will as thralls of Art forever,
Fiercely at heart as erst may Nature glow!
Like token market every high emprise.
All spirits undisciplined strove in vain to stand
Where heights of pure perfection reach the skies.
Who great things would, shall hold his soul in
hand.
Only self-mastered may man master be,
And law fulfilled, alone can speak us free!
Who else but nature
can we ask to know
how we should live,
to live well?
Christoph Martin Wieland
(poet of the enlightenment)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
translation by Robyn Lowrie (www.frenchquest.com)
Solitude, seclusion from people,
outer quietness around me and
inner occupation are the only state
in which I still thrive.
Friedrich Schiller
Come forth, young man, into the open field, and mark:
the most ancient, most glorious revelation of God
appears to me every morning as fact,
the great work of God in nature.
Johann Gottfried von Herder (cultural philosopher)
15

Otherworld Crossing
BETWEEN FAIRY TALE & REALITY
THE FOLIAGE MAN
In the old town of Ruhla, for centuries, in early summer, as soon as the forest was green again,
young people and children would go out into the forest and tie one of their boys completely in
green branches so that only his shoes were visible. A slit was left for the eyes, but the branches
protruded above the head and were tied together to form a point. Then the "little leaf man", still
draped with colourful ribbons and scarves, was led into the town amidst singing and joy. A kind of
spring festival with dancing and special old folk songs then took place under the lime tree or at the
market.
The "foliage man" is the personified spring itself or the old Germanic god of light "Baldur", who, dead
in winter, was now awakened to new life. This custom was common in the Thuringian Forest until
around 1840.
THE WUWWERBÖZER
Since ancient times, a powerful mountain spirit has lived in the mountains and forests of Ruhla.
Even at the time when no humans inhabited the Ruhla valley, he was the lord of the mountains. He
had power all the way to the tops of the trees and down into the depths where precious ores and
wonderful treasures lay. In his subterranean kingdom, which has a centre in the Ringberg, it shines
with precious metals and stones. Dwarves and gnomes, later called hats by the inhabitants of Ruhla,
were in his service. They collected the treasures, extracted and worked ores, and were active here
and there in the woods and fields. Later they were also sent out to help the hard-working people in
the Ruhl, the miners, smelters and blacksmiths.
The Ringberg is also the actual residence of the mountain and forest spirits. It is said to be large
rooms similar to a palace. From a pulpit on the unwooded height of the mountain, the area in which
the mountain spirit can exercise his power can be easily overlooked. In his realm above the earth,
he was the guardian of the landscape. He cared for the animals, the trees of the forest, the plants
and flowers in the fields and groves. He also played with them, as well as with the waters and the
rocks of the mountains.
When the people came to the land, he was not hostile to them, but always felt like observing and
getting to know them in their activities. He watched the miner, the charcoal burner and the forest
smith at their work. He accompanied the hunter on his hunt for game, helped the woodcutter with
his hard work, and the cattle farmer with cutting grass and making hay on the barren mountain
meadows. He drove the herd to the forest pasture with the shepherd, hiked or drove over stony
paths with the merchant, pushed the cart or helped to brake.
He could take on many different guises and was often invisibly present. Sometimes he did people
good, but he also teased and frightened them. Evil-doers, cheats and hard-hearted people were
treated bitterly.
People soon noticed the existence of the mountain spirit. When they thought they would meet him
or thought he was nearby, their hearts beat faster with excitement or fear, bubbled more violently -
they said it was worth it.
But the spirit also made it a point to make the wicked fearful by will-o'-the-wisps or sudden rushes
and gusts of wind, even thunderous blows - to bogey them.
That is why they gave him the name Wuwwerbözer - which was meant to express timidity and awe of
him. He can be recognised by his oversized figure. He is dressed in a wide-brimmed hat, a dark
reddish shimmering cape and a gnarled branch as a mountain stick. If he appears in another form, he
is not recognisable to people.
(Source: legends of Ruhla and area)
Otherworld crossing
18

Legends & fairytales
BETWEEN FAIRYTALE FOREST &
REALITY
MRS. PERCHTA AND THE BROWNIES
In the fertile Saale valley between Ruhla and Wilhelmsdorf, Perchta, the
queen of the brownies, had taken up residence, and her invisible
proximity spread happiness, prosperity and cheerfulness over the whole
area. The inhabitants of the valley were such good friends with the
brownies, that they took pleasure in the little ones' games and teasing,
in their sudden appearances and disappearances during their work in
the fields. It was a joyful activity and everyone was diligent in their daily
work.
Thus, the people lived a happy, joyful life for a long time. Mrs. Perchta was known for her kindness
and severity. She had two faces, so to speak. Sometimes mild like the young spring and sometimes
severe like the cold winter, depending on how the people rejoiced or just wanted to complain.
But then discord arose between the people and Perchta. The reason was as follows: a long time ago,
a greying man came from a foreign land and warned the people that Perchta was not to be trusted.
He said, the little ones she ruled over were little human children who had died before being
baptised and had thus fallen prey to Perchta. Once a year, on the night before the Feast of the
Epiphany, she was given the power to work her wiles on people. Such talk made people suspicious,
for they knew the seemingly dark face of the Perchta as well as the friendly one. Over a long period
of time they began to fear Mrs. Perchta and her brownies more and more, and everything bad that
happened in the valley was attributed to her; they avoided her fearfully and locked the children up
in their homes. The joy of the people became less, they looked around more and more suspiciously.
Bad harvests came and the people now put all the blame on Frau Perchta.
One "Perchta" evening (the night before Epiphany), the ferryman from the village was ordered to
cross the river late at night, at about the twelfth hour. When he came to the bank of the river Saale,
he saw a stately woman surrounded by a large crowd of weepers who looked like children. Startled,
the man remembered that it was "Perchten- night" and wanted to hurry back to his flat. But the
woman threateningly demanded to cross the river. She stepped into the vehicle, the brownies
followed and dragged a plough and a lot of other equipment into the barge. As they did so, they
complained loudly that they had to leave the beautiful area.
The skipper pushed off, and when Perchta had reached the other shore, she ordered him to sail
again and to fetch all the littl ones who had stayed behind. This too was done. In the meantime
Perchta had been whittling at the plough, pointed to the large heap of wood chips and said to the
ferryman: "Here take this, this is the reward for your toil!" Grumpily, the man
pocketed some of the shavings, threw them on the window sill at home and
went to bed. The next morning there were three golden pennies in the
place where he had put the wood chips. He ran off at once, but on the
whole river-bank the ferryman could not find any more no matter
how diligently he searched. It is said that Mrs. Perchta had moved
to the direction of the Werrathal and had found a new home
for herself and her little helpers, where people appreciated her
doings.
Source: Legends of Thuringia
19

C R E A T I V E F O R C E
Projects
at Lichtasenthal
The animals inside
the valley
FALLOW DEER
The white stag pleases the eye anew every day.
The group of deer looks over to visitors and are
also interested in people. Sometimes they are a
little shy, but this passes after a few minutes.
They are the typical representatives of the game
in the Thuringian Forest. They enliven the
meadows with their noble gait and upright
heads. When the stags shed their antlers, they
can be used for buttons, decorative carvings and
many other things. The stag itself gets new
antlers, which become larger than the previous
ones. The white stag is also a mystical deer.
THE SHEEP
They work diligently at "mowing" (= "mähen" -
like the sound of a sheep in German) and
keeping the meadows in the nature reserve in
order. In spring around Easter there were lambs
to greet. The woolly helpers can be noisy at any
age. They enrich the soil organisms. With them
come the dung beetle and help to create good
soil.
INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS
The "Indian runners" in a colourful troop are now
waiting to be used as assistant gardeners. They
are good snail eaters and help to make the salad
and vegetable harvest bigger. They love a pond
to splash around in and are otherwise very
independent in their search for food.
"But everything he had seen strengthened his conviction: That man - on the
one hand related to the beasts of the field, on the other to the higher beings
and the Godhead itself - was just as incapable of being a mere animal as a
mere spirit; but that he only lived according to his nature when he always
rose upwards. "
Christoph Martin Wieland
(from "Stories of Agathon")
Projects 20

C R E A T I V E F O R C E
The dry stone wall
The pair of swans
The new dry stone wall at the Waldschlösschen
will offer a variety of habitats.
Those stone monuments have been built for
thousands of years and are a typical landscape
element everywhere. They exist as retaining
walls or as free-standing walls, at houses and in
gardens in a variety of designs all over the world,
made of the rock available in each case.
The cracks in the wall provide habitats for
beautiful plants and various small animals. It is
nice when lizards and slow-worms come to visit
and have food and a place in the sun. The rock
stores heat and releases it to the surrounding
area, which also benefits what is planted in front
of it.
In permaculture, open masonry provides a
home for a variety of animals and insects and
increases the health and diversity of a garden or
landscape. The more diverse the natural
inhabitants of a garden, the better the biological
balance.
Building a dry stone wall requires patience,
strength and an eye for stones that fit together.
Such an element connects the earth with the air,
stores moisture and can be warming - similar to
a fire.
In July we have a pair of swans to welcome at the
Waldschlösschen. The swan with its nature stands
for grace, beauty and mercy. This is easy to
understand when you watch how these wonderful
birds behave. According to animal symbol expert
Regula Meyer, it is not about outer beauty but inner
beauty and grace. It is about awakening the light in
us. The swan inspires our perception to rise to the
highest levels, to open our light eyes and find
spiritual experiences. "Plant a light in your inner
heart and marvel at the growth and inner strength
and beauty". This experience can make us bow our
heads - just like a swan: experiencing, ennobling,
graceful and humble, it makes our appearance
outwardly, through inner experience, graceful and
beautiful.
It is said that a swan flew into the light up to the
steps of God's throne. This experience made his
feathers pure white and through this blissful
sensation in his heart he always bowed his head in
noble humility about this experience from then on.
(inspired by the book "Tierisch gut" by Regula Meyer)
"Create for yourself within yourself;
this creating,
by giving you to yourself,
gives you to the world."
Wilhelm von Humboldt
21
www.stiftung-rufe.de/Lichtasenland

LICHTASEN
LAND
"So there that blood also ran cold
That once was accustomed to flow,
So the nerves, too, quivered to rest,
And night was all to the senses.
And heart and brain must be still:
You are dust and lifeless clay alone.
Ah eternity-longing, thou wondrous!
There is but dust, a deed and a name.
For every good thought
Dieth no more so long,
Till from its germ
A better one sprang up.
Light across the land.
Light across the land, -
That's what we want."
Jens Peter Jacobsen
(danish poet)
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