The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1872-02-16
Correspondence.
LETTER FROM GERMANY.
O. VI
BERLIN, November 30th, II.


ILLMENAU
Is pleasant little town Of $500 in.
habitants, in Saxony, on the "Poet
River Elm. Germany's first poets
as Goethe, Schiller, Herder, Charles
KreOel and others have visited and
lived here. Many poetical inspira-
tions originated here as "Goethe's
Illmenau" Sept. 13, 1888, and Schil-
lers much priced way to the Iron
Hammer" This city was formerly
the possession ofthe Earls of Kafern-
burg who erected a castle near by
on the mountain Stumheide, but
which was on account Of its owners
committing so many robberies, en-
tirely destroyed in 1890. In l343
Illmenau was purchased by the
Earls Of Henneberg, and this family
becoming extinct it fell in 1884 to
the Saxon crown.
Early in the morning 1 began the
ascent of the neighboring noun
tain, Guckelhahn (Rooster), 275O
feet high. The morning was COLI
and clear, the dense fog, so habitual
to the deep, mountain-surrounded
valley, had dispersed some time be-
fore. 1 soon arrived at the Little
Gabelbach 1862 feet high, and by
road two miles from the town.
From out of a thick grove of Fir
trees peeps little Swiss house, in
viting the traveller to rest and re-
freshment by the following inscrip-
tion over the door: "Gladly step
within and happy depart again"
WandererI-shouldst thou pass
by, may God bless thy path. Here
lives the game-keeper, who is to be
engaged with key and telescope for
the tower. Soon provided with the
essentials and refreshed with a glass
of Bavarian beer, enjoyed also by a
Prussian officer who had overtaken
me, we renewed our way, and soon
passed the Princep Shirm, from
which we enjoyed a fine view of a
portion Of the valley below us.
Next, the Great Gabelbach, an uuin-
habited hunting chateau, in the mid
die of a green meadow. Twenty
minutes further and the top of the
Guckelhahn mountain is reached,
and with elated but cautions steps,
we assembled the 70 feet high stone
tower, by a circular flight of IO3
stone steps, to enjoy view of the
surrounding landscape Of unrivaled
beauty. The strong revolving tele-
scope is fastened to chart which
gives the name of every point looked
at. The mind and eye soon wanders
over the distant regions of the Kiff-
haiser, Hay, and Broken Mountains.
Nearer are Ohrdruf, the Castle in
Gotha, Erfurt, and the three Gleich-
en- (three castled mountains.) In
the East, the White Singer mountain
and castle Kranichfelde, farther
around Weimar, the Fox tower by
Jena, Greifenstein, ETC., while in
the South the immense depths of the
Thuringen Forest lay before me in
its various coloringS and its many
oddly-shaped and oddly-named
mountains, reaching far into the sky
until swallowed up into unrecogniz-
able ETHEREAL blue. But above ali,
and reaching high IN the heavens, Is
the great Snowhead mountain with
its castled tower and its Swiss Ho-
tel. Farther to the right lies iso-
lated the attractive Onselsberg.
Descending, l bade the friendly,
loquacious game-keeper good bye,
taking pains that the energetic hand
shake left something substantial be-
hind, (which was also energetically
grasped.) Turning to the west 1
soon came to the place where form
erly little birch house stood deep
by hiding its modesty in a dense
thicket of fir, the Goethe House.
Here the great poet passed many
peaceful hours in the enjoyment OF
nature and solitude. But alas!-
nothing remained but the honored
ashed and blackened stones. A
party of travellers had taken shell