Gessental Valley

On the occasion of the horticultural show Gera and Ronneburg 2007, the Gessental Valley presents itself as the connecting green strip between the two centers "Hofwiesenpark Gera" and "Neue Landschaft Ronneburg".

With the horticultural show 2007, the Gessental Valley will be rediscovered as environmental protection area for the cities of Gera and Ronneburg and will be developed into a recreational area. The newly laid out bike trail "Thüringer Stadtkette" connecting the cities of Gera and Ronneburg serves the same purpose. However, visitors can also take advantage of other means of transportation. No matter how visitors choose to explore the Gessental - on foot, by bike, on inline skates or in a horse-drawn carriage - they will always find something interesting to look at.

The cultural landscape of Gessental Valley in connection with several offerings in the field of environmental education will be the center of attraction. In addition, playgrounds and restaurants will be provided for the visitors. The wildlife protection tower near the former Pfortener estate in Gera as well as a series of geotopes (quarry, Teufelskanzel), just to name a few.

The Gessenbach stream has been shaping the landscape in the valley for several centuries. Several attractions along the stream belong to the Gessental recreational area. Agriculture in the Gessental can be considered as an additional possibility for adventures, consisting of horses and cows on the pastures and including the pets and farmers’ gardens in the village of Collis.

Traces of former uses such as the "Grenzsteinweg" (path of boundary stones) were developed as horticultural show projects and are already being worked on intensively. During the inventory of the existing paths, several detached old boundary stones were found. After further investigation it became clear that these stones were former state boundary stones between the grand duchy of Weimar, the duchy of Altenburg and the kingdom of Saxony. Within the scope of the necessary refurbishing of some of the boundary stones, a lapidarium, which is a collection of boundary stones, could be established with the help of the horticultural show foundation. The lapidarium is an excellent complement to the Grenzsteinweg.

The Gessental Valley provides plenty of room for nature, animals and people. It has many attractive spots for recreation and is already today offering the inhabitants and visitors of both cities a place to relax and be active.