Naturpark Thüringer Schiefergebirge/Obere Saale

With the Saale river flowing through it, the approximately 830 square kilometre Thuringian Slate Mountains/Upper Saale Nature Park is also known as the "Land of a Thousand Ponds". The ponds, which were created by monks in the Middle Ages, form real natural beauties alongside the steep slopes on the shores of the slate lake. In Lehesten, visitors learn how slate - also known as "blue gold" - was once mined there.