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Medieval Mühlhausen (Muehlhausen) was the most attractive city in the Unstrut Hainich Region for me. Towers, churches, an almost never ending town wall and nicely renovated medieval houses are the landmark. Please reward yourself and take a guided tour.
Every travel guide for Thuringia should highlight this attraction to tourists from all over the world.
With some problems I had found a very nice B & B and after a real continental breakfast which was served in my room by the hosts I drove to downtown to join a tour with the "Mühlhäuser Straßenbahn". Only one lady was participating besides me. Wolfgang the driver was excited to have somebody from Canada on board and demonstrated immediately his knowledge of English which he learned by travelling through the United States.
When I asked him about whether cold drinks are served during the ride, he ran away and came back with a warm bottle of Coke. He could not get a cold one. |
 The "Mühlhäuser Straßenbahn" (Mühlhausen street car) |
 The street car in its full length
I took place at the end of the last cart and his young assistant gave me company and answered many of my questions.
 As more I saw as more I loved Thuringia |
The ride war pretty bumpy and I was surprised how our little road train managed to creep around corners and through narrow streets. Occasionally the assistant had to pull out posts which prevented that other vehicles enter certain areas.
Pretty girls greeted and waved at us when we passed them.
I learned that it took over two years to get all the required permissions to tour the over 1000 year old city on this route. The train was built in the Czech Republic and powered by a Japanese diesel engine.
Wolfgang stopped occasionally to allow me to make better pictures. He must have realized that even the built in stabilization system of my camera could not prevent some blurry pictures when we drove through the picturesque scenery of Mülhlhausen. |
 These greeters are not real
What he did not consider was the effect of the warm coke in my belly. Have you ever shaken a coke bottle and opened it after that? I was feeling like such a bottle and the internal pressure was increasing with each bump in the road.
However, I still was fascinated of what I saw - even when I can not memorize any longer all the names of the attractions we passed.
There are so many museums churches that it is impossible to see and visit all that in a few days and still feel as a vacationer.
At least one day should be reserved to visit for example the "Thüringentherme" a spa which I passed several times and which I could not visit during my first trip because of my too tight schedule. We did this during one of our following visits to Thuringia and were excited.
No wonder that in medieval times Mühlhausen was considered to be the most important town after Erfurt in this area.
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 Unbelievable architecture from the past |
 Boutiques and little stores everywhere |
Today there is almost no industry left here and many young people have to leave because no jobs are available. I hope that tourism will help. I experienced Thuringia also in winter and had a good time. If you like winter sport Thuringia is even one of the top places to go.
For somebody who is born to shop like my wife, the numerous privately owned stores are an attraction who can keep you busy for days. Please carry always sufficient cash with you because the international credit cards will still not be accepted in many smaller stores. Never forget when you compare prices, the taxes are always included, also the tip in restaurants - but if you are happy with the meal and the service, don't be cheap. |
 The town wall is another main attraction
I believe that taking a guided tour with Wolfgang and the street car gives you an excellent overview of Mühlhausen. Collect some information and do whatever you are interested in. Relax in the spa, visit churches, browse through museums and learn about the history of Mühlhausen. One of the best known people is Thomas Münzer, a reformer and one of the leaders in the peasant's war. He was tortured and executed here in this town. His action were not supported by Martin Luther.
To learn more about the tragic war and Thomas Münzer visit our web site for the "Panorama Museum" and use the link to the official site too.
In 2006 I returned with Elizabeth my wife to Mühlhausen. I had told her so much about this town and we also visited the "Treetop Path" in the "Unstrut Region".
This time we stayed for a few hours in the beautiful "Thüringentherme" a spa in the downtown area and booked again a tour with the "Mühlhäuser Straßenbahn" (Mühlhausen street car) and Elizabeth met charming Wolfgang.
Elizabeth was also excited about this town and we decided that we will stay here over night during our next visit. We both have been years ago a few times in famous Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Mühlhausen and Rothenburg have very much in common, but Rothenburg is much more developed for tourism. If you prefer a town who has preserved more of its original character than visit Mühlhausen.
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