Eisenacher Drachenschlucht

Dragon Gorge

Useful Information

Location:	South of Eisenach, in the Mariental. (50.945556, 10.308056)
Open:	No restrictions. Closed because of ice in winter. [2020]
Fee:	free. [2020]
Classification:	Gorge
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Eisenach-Wartburgregion Touristik GmbH, Markt 24, 99817 Eisenach, Tel: +49-3691-79230. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1832	made passable for walkers and renamed Drachenschlucht by Oberforstrat Gottlob König.
1850	Mariental develops into a villa colony and recreation area for Eisenach.
1879	Hotel Sophienaue built.
1897	tram line to the entrance of the Drachenschlucht built.
1961	designated a Natural Monument with the NSG-No. 29 nature reserve Wartburg-Hohe Sonne.
1977	Drachenschlucht, Landgrafenschlucht and some grottos in the vicinity are protected as geological natural monuments.
2015	Nature reserve forests with gorges between Wartburg Castle and Hohe Sonne.

Description

The Drachenschlucht (Dragon Gorge) is probably the most spectacular gorge in central Germany. It is 200 m long and is only 70 cm wide at its narrowest point. At the bottom of the 10 m deep gorge the Quellbach flows, therefore a wooden plank path was built in 1832 above the brook. However, this path was damaged several times, especially by the ice formations in winter, so in 2009 it was replaced by gratings made of robust plastic.

The Drachenschlucht was protected in 2015 with the nature reserve Wälder mit Schluchten zwischen Wartburg und Hohe Sonne (forests with gorges between Wartburg Castle and Hohe Sonne). In fact, it had already been designated a Natural Monument by the GDR in 1961 as NSG No. 29 Wartburg-Hohe Sonne. However, the nearby Landgrafenschlucht and the Ludwigsklamm are also protected in the new NSG.

The gorge is a very special biotope with two extraordinary microclimates. Humid cool valleys and dry warm conditions along sunny cliffs provide a wealth of animals and plants. Rare species from the groups of small mammals, birds, amphibians and beetles as well as numerous ferns, mosses and lichens can be found here. The canyon forest in the Drachenschlucht is a special form of the acidic oak-beech forest.