Suhl Tourist Attractions
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The old Thuringian town of Suhl lies in the valley of the Lauter and the Hasel on the southwestern fringes of the Thuringian Forest.
Markt
In the Suhl Markt is the Town Hall (rebuilt in the early 20th C.). In the center of the square is a fountain with the town's heraldic emblem, the Armourer of Suhl (1903).
St Mary's Church
To the south of the Suhl Markt stands St Mary's Church (17th C.; remodeled in Baroque style 1757-61), with a fine interior (altar; organ case).
Steinweg
On Steinweg, Suhl's old main street, are a number of handsome burghers' houses, some of them with Roccoco facades. Particularly notable are No. 26, a Roccoco house (1755-56) that belonged to an arms manufacturer named Steigleder, and No. 31 (sumptuously decorated interior), which belonged to another manufacturer named Spangenberg.
Holy Cross Church
At the end of Steinweg in Suhl is the Kreuzkirche (Holy Cross Church; 1739), with a fine Baroque altar. Immediately adjoining the church is the Kreuzkapelle (1642).
Arms Museum
The old Malzhaus (Malthouse; 1663) on the Herrenteich in Suhl, one of the oldest and handsomest half-timbered buildings in the town, houses the Arms Museum.
Town Hall
In the district of Heinrichs can be found the former Town Hall (1657), one of the finest half-timbered buildings in southern Thuringia. In this area are many well-preserved half-timbered houses belonging to carriers. The Marktplatz of Heinrichs is protected as a historic monument.
Surroundings
Schleusingen - Schloss Bertholdsburg
20km/12.5mi southeast of Suhl is Schleusingen, a little town dominated by Schloss Bertholdsburg, a Renaissance castle flanked by four towers (Heimatmuseum, with a fine collection of toys). Until 1583 this was the seat of the powerful Princes of Henneberg.
Hildburghausen
Some 14km/8.5mi south of Schleusingen (near Suhl) is Hildburghausen. In the idyllic Marktplatz are a number of burghers' houses of the 16th-19th centuries and the Late Gothic Town Hall, originally a moated castle belonging to the Henneberg family. Baroque estate office (18th century); Baroque church, with unusual interior.
Toy Museum, Sonneberg
60km/37mi from Suhl is Sonneberg, which has been for centuries the leading doll and toy manufacturing town in Thuringia. The German Toy Museum at Beethovenstrasse 10 has a large and varied collection of dolls and toys from many parts of the world.
Kloster Vessra Agricultural Museum
9km/6mi west of Schleusingen, near Themar, is Kloster Vessra, a house of Premonstratensian canons founded in 1131, with the Museum of Agricultural History: a collection of old peasants' houses gives a vivid impression of country life in this area from the 17th C onwards.
