Trips

Medieval spectacle in Kranichfeld

A Ride to the Medieval Spectacle in Kranichfeld

In good weather, we decided to cycle to Kranichfeld once again – but this time, we aimed to attend the Medieval Spectacle. In our post about the falconry, we already described how the Ilmtal Cycle Path runs from Weimar to Kranichfeld. Nearly 30 kilometers and mostly uphill… (Note from Nathalie: It’s not that much uphill… sure, there are a few steeper sections, but overall it’s a very nice bike path) and so this ride also took over 2 hours. The challenging sections didn’t bother me as much, but how should I say… it was “boring.” The cycle path is mostly too narrow to ride side by side (also due to pedestrians and oncoming traffic), making conversations difficult. Riding one behind the other, voices often get lost, so the other person can’t hear you. Additionally, the headwind often drowned out our voices (tailwind is a myth!). We arrived just before noon.

Although we had already been to the castle grounds because of the falconry, this time there was an entrance fee to get in, since the entire upper part of the hill was part of the spectacle. So, we paid the entrance fee (it would have been much cheaper in medieval outfits, but we were just in our cycling gear) and parked our bikes inside. Right at the beginning, there were the first food stalls and the stage with the play, which is performed twice a day. The star is the dragon “Fangdorn,” who is being tried to awaken by fairies and other creatures. We watched for a few minutes but then moved on, as the play was clearly intended for a younger audience. Nonetheless, it was very well done, and families with young children were certainly having a great time. However, we thought it would be better to explore the rest of the area now before the families with children did the same after the play.

Past the falconry, we walked to the large meadow behind the castle. There were many food stalls, as well as those selling jewelry, metalwork, and clothing. Since we were starving from the bike ride, we went straight to the first stall that had a vegan option and got ourselves stuffed breads. Mine had a meat filling, while Nathalie’s was filled with beans. In the back part of the area, there were several camps with tents where you could learn old crafts. Additionally, there was a show with knight fights that were really well choreographed. Finally, there were some truly beautiful dresses, but they were accordingly expensive. It was generally hard to find anything that cost less than €150. When we wanted to leave the area, we were already met by all the families, so it was a good decision to leave earlier and not wait for the end of the performance.

Passing by our bicycles again, we walked through the castle gate this time. Behind it were more food stalls, but with very long lines. We passed these and climbed onto the castle wall, from where you could overlook the entire inner courtyard and also had a good view of the city. In the courtyard, there was still a puppet show going on for the children.

Since it was still a while until our train arrived (yes, just like we did for the falconry trip, we took the train back to Weimar again because two times 30 kilometers in one day is simply too much for a relaxed bike trip), we decided to get a coffee and a white chocolate. Riding our bikes back down the small hill, we quickly reached the train station. As with our trips to the Hohenfelden reservoir and the falconry, it always amazes me that the train tracks simply end in Kranichfeld. In fact, the train only runs between Weimar Platform 1 (where you often see it standing) and Kranichfeld, back and forth. It’s quite a cute little route. A week later, we were also at the pottery market in Kapellendorf with a somewhat shorter bike ride. You can tell there’s no shortage of medieval-style markets in Thuringia.