Iron curtain / green ribbon kayak tour

Rosenthal am Rennsteig Trip Overview

Until 1989, the hostile military blocks of the Warsaw Pact and NATO faced each other on the Saale, between Hirschberg and Blankenstein. The Iron Curtain separated East and West, tearing families and friendships apart. With the European Green Belt project, the GDR’s death strip became a lifeline for strictly protected animal and plant species. Today there are lynxes, wolves, deer, kingfishers, ospreys, red kites, cormorants, gray and great egrets and since 2019 also the beaver in the area.

Especially for former members of the US Army and international travelers, but also for German guests, this tour offers a breathtaking insight into the past and present, combined with the experience of a vital river, the Saale, already used by the Greek geographer and Argonaut Strabo ( 67 BC – 23 AD) was described in his Geographica.

Additional Info

Duration: 5 hours
Starts: Rosenthal am Rennsteig, Germany
Trip Category: Water Sports >> Kayaking & Canoeing



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What to Expect When Visiting Rosenthal am Rennsteig, Thüringen, Germany

Until 1989, the hostile military blocks of the Warsaw Pact and NATO faced each other on the Saale, between Hirschberg and Blankenstein. The Iron Curtain separated East and West, tearing families and friendships apart. With the European Green Belt project, the GDR’s death strip became a lifeline for strictly protected animal and plant species. Today there are lynxes, wolves, deer, kingfishers, ospreys, red kites, cormorants, gray and great egrets and since 2019 also the beaver in the area.

Especially for former members of the US Army and international travelers, but also for German guests, this tour offers a breathtaking insight into the past and present, combined with the experience of a vital river, the Saale, already used by the Greek geographer and Argonaut Strabo ( 67 BC – 23 AD) was described in his Geographica.

Kayak / canoe tour on the Saale, the former border river on the inner German border. Relics of the Iron Curtain, beavers, kingfishers, dippers.

Along the formerly most heavily guarded border in the world, by kayak, experience the Green Belt as a death strip became a species-rich strip of life with many endangered and strictly protected animal species. Ospreys, kingfishers, dippers and the beaver, which has been at home again since 2019, accompany us on our tour. You will learn a lot of interesting things about the geological origin of the mountains, the history of the region and the diverse flora and fauna. We follow in the footsteps of Alexander von Humboldt, who worked here as the Royal Prussian Oberbergrat from 1792 – 1797 and developed his research here, which made him the greatest researcher of his time and beyond with his trip to South America. After an eventful tour, a small snack and a visit to the beaver island, the tour ends in the Blankenstein district of Rosenthal am Rennsteig at the base camp of ausWILDert.

Stop At:

• Blankenberg, Blankenberg, Thuringia
• Blankenstein, Blankenstein, Thuringia

Sample Menu

• lunch packet – Depending on your taste, from vegan to carnivor, a packed lunch with regional specialties and a drink.



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