The Red Wall in Gispersleben

Hidden Erfurt natural monument

The “Red Wall” – an insider tip in Erfurt

If you ask Erfurt residents about the Red Wall, you often only get astonished looks. Hardly anyone knows about this hidden natural monument. An insider tip! Until 2017, the area was not accessible at all. It was only in the course of the Gera renaturation that the opportunity to admire this rock was created. Gardens were cleared, a path was created and a notice board provided information about the Red Wall. 

OK, we'll have to go there sometime. We combined this with a short walk along the Gera from Kühnhausen. Kühnhausen can be easily reached by bus or train. From the train station it is only a stone's throw to the banks of the Gera.

The Gera near Kühnhausen

From Kühnhausen we head south along the Gera towards Gispersleben. The riverside path goes close to the river and is more beautiful than the cycle path version.

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  • An impressive steep wall on the Geraufer
  • Red layered rock types create the interesting striped look
  • Protected natural monument since 2004
  • 120 meters long, 12 meters high
This is the Red Wall

Love lock on the Gera weir

At this point, Kerstin and Udo also swore their eternal loyalty to each other.

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The weir offers the opportunity for a short stopover. The love locks hidden in ancient pastures also show how popular this place is. 

Gera weir north of Erfurt
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The traces of the rest drinks.

As part of the Gera renovation, a fish ladder was built here as a relaxed detour for trout and other small fish. The Gera residents can swim around the rushing weir on a small loop. A bench invites us two-legged friends to rest and drink. 

bench at the fish ladder erfurt_erfurt
North of Erfurt we cross under a motorway bridge

The path leads under the loud motorway bridge between the Gera and an allotment garden. Now a sign ensures that we don't miss the narrow path to the Rote Wand.

The sign on the path to the Rote Wand

The Red Wall Gallery

Please click to enlarge the images.

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View north into the Gera river
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The layered rocks in the Red Wall
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South end of the Red Wall
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The kingfisher also breeds here
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The Red Wall on the Gera near Erfurt
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The upper edge

Now we are standing in front of the quite impressive Red Wall. The rocks reach 12 meters high. At the top the trees grow right up to the edge. Nature is sure to cause one or two tree falls here. The rock consists of sediments that were washed up and compacted here more than 200 million years ago. Due to its location on a bend in the Gera river, the wall is subject to constant erosion. This is particularly impressive during floods.

The Rote Wand has been protected as a natural monument since 2004 and is part of the protected landscape area of ​​the Geraaue Gispersleben. It is a geological profile that provides insights into different geological eras. The visible layers of the Rote Wand provide information about the geological history of the region and are of great interest to geologists, nature lovers and also school classes as part of lessons.

A bench invites you to relax. If you have a lot of time and peace and quiet, you might see a kingfisher flit past here. They breed and hunt here. The water rustles quietly and takes us away from the hustle and bustle of our beautiful city of Erfurt.

By the way, you can quickly get to this place in Gispersleben via Sebnitzer Straße and Gisbodusstraße.

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