The Garden Gnome Park in Trusetal is a sanctuary for gnomes [Nanus hortorum vulgaris]. It is situated between Eisenach and Oberhof in the beautiful Thuringian Forest.
The small park had been established in 1996 and hosts around 2500 garden gnomes.
In Trusetal you have the chance to experience many aspects of their life. You’ll meet gnomes attending school, the congress or brewing beer.
They’ve nailed it right to the last little detail!
Of course, you can eat Thüringer Bratwurst there and wash it down with some gnome medicine. The Garden Gnome Park Trusetal also has a small museum and an indoor exhibition with unusual ones (but that may have to wait until next Gnomevember or a really big Photoshop job …). With all those features, this park provides important resources for nanologists.
Nanologie [Scientia nanologica] is the scientific name for the study of garden gnomes (and you thought you cannot learn anything around here). When the park was built, they even unearthed an ancient crypt. Furthermore, the area is lucky to have the only known-to-men garden gnome tree. This is where gnomes naturally grow but this is also subject to a post of its own.
Life in the Garden Gnome Park Trusetal
Ralf and Jacob had been donated by the important collector and nanologist Thomas Brinkmann for the 5th anniversary of the Gnome Park.
You will also find changing special exhibitions, jumping castles (that might be open again when you visit) and lots of fun for smaller kids. The entrance fee is moderate and you get to ride the Choo Choo Train as many times as you like! Also, the staff really seemed to be enjoying their jobs and were super friendly. Oh what a fun trip!
What to do in Trusetal?
If you’re not like me, you may not want to spend the entire day at the Garden Gnome Park. Trusetal also offers a waterfall. Hey, they share the parking lot and while you’re there …
This artificial waterfall has a height of 58 meters. On your way you will also find the Corona Bench (because clearly Germans have no humor). Other than that, you are in Thuringia. Enjoy the fresh air, go mountaineering, visit a show mine or check out the Inselberg Mountain with its many sights.
While we cannot really go anywhere at the moment, at least we can travel online. I really hope you enjoyed your trip to the Garden Gnome Park Trusetal. Happy (online) traveling!
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Postcards from the Garden Gnome Museum
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Really relateble I just started my own travel blog and then covid hit and I could not travel anymore from my country. No travel planning for me at all 😦
It really put a pause on my plans. As of Friday, the lookdown rules have been loosened and outside dining is allowed again. Rumors go the gyms might even open in June. We’re back to normmalish live since November! I hope I’ll get into gear again. — There are a lot of things one can research but some things you just have to see for yourself. — I wish you lots of luck with your blog. Let’s not give up too quickly!
Park Trusetal, the domain of the gnomenklatura.
Very clever 😉
Needed that “make me smile” again. Thanx.
Art
Charlee: “I wonder if our friend Producer Smurf ever visits this place.”
Chaplin: “Wait … Are you saying Producer Smurf is our friend?”
Charlee: “Well, sort of.”
Lulu: “I’m pretty sure the other gnomes would get annoyed with him and kick him out before too long.”
I’m nit sure if Producer Smurf would get a prime spot here … There’s a creek nearby, he could go swimming ??
More gnome goodness, thanks for the ace pics! The gnome Ferris wheel is just brilliant, and I’m liking the chilled vibes of that skateboarding ghetto-blasting gnome 🙂 🙂
Amazing post. Merci beaucoup…
They’re called zwergen? Sounds like dwarves… Probably the same word…
Tschüss.
I found the ß!
Tschüßßßßßßßß!
Merci! In the old days they used to call them Gnomen-Figur! There are also Heinzelmänchen [Brownies] – the ‘chen’ making them smaller. I wonder if the two kinds get along?
Have a nice weekend! Tschüßi
Gnomem-figur is perfectly understandable. We say “Gnome” in French. And I do remember ‘chen’ as a diminutive. ‘Mädchen’.
Do they get along? Probably not… 😉
Likewise. Tschüß.
It must be so much fun to see 🙂
Have a nice day 🙂
It was a real treat! In social distancing year it was really nice to be able to actually get away … We hired a camper van for the first time and it was a very cute long weekend 😉
Very cool looking place. I never knew gnomes were such a big thing.
Hmm … it might be a bit like the elf on the shelve … some people do the decorating while others get crazy into it … I’m really not sure but I love my gnomes but I’m certainly not material to become a nanologist … Kitsch should just be a bit of fun 😉
A place to keep in mind should I ever be able to travel to Europe again!
Oh please do! Thuringia is your go-to place for kitsch for sure!
You will be, I’m sure, eventually …
Might have to hire you as a tour guide! 😉 And yes, eventually we’ll be able to travel again. Until then I’ll enjoy your Berlin Postcards and Gartenzwerge from afar!
Well there is a gnome for everyone here – that is a lot of gnomes at this venue and you featured many of them. Glad to see they have social-distancing and mask-wearing gnomes but they still know how to have fun. A peep show … is that a no-no … I mean a gnome-no?
Ha ha, in Germany you see boobs on TV pretty much every time of the day, our ads are rather freely spirited 😉
The peep show was actually interesting because you had those gnomes that show their bottoms, like we talked about, but just by placing them into a different context it seemed so oh la la …
There were also a few with rather clear signs of what’s going on 😉 I loved the amount of detail in the park. They must love what they are doing, who would even bother to build a peep show?
I had no idea Germany was so free-spirited … next you will tell me there is a monument in this park like Vigeland Park in Oslo. I went there once as part of a tour group – our tour guide who was Norwegian, but spoke English, warned before we entered the park about the nude statues just in case we were offended. No one was offended going in. 🙂 People are more uptight (to use an old-fashioned expression).
I had to look up the Vigeland Park and they are indeed pretty naked and in very interesting poses!
Here in Germany, if the lake is big enough, it will very likely have a nude beach, especailly in the former East. It’s not unusual seeing young kids playing naked in and around water feaures or at the beach in summer. That is something I’ve never ever seen in Australia. Maybe it’s the Anglo-Saxon influence?
Interesting – I had no idea it was so common in Germany. Wow. It could be the Anglo-Saxon influence. Yes Vigeland Park was filled throughout the entire park with these statues, all interesting poses. That’s why they asked if anyone would be offended, they could wait on the tour bus. We drove around the entire park though to get an overview, then had a walking tour of some of the areas.
I hope the gnomes in the peep show are at least wearing masks!
Erm … gnome … not much else 😉
One of your best posts ever! Henri is cheering! 😀
Thank you! My best regards to Henry! I would love to show ALL of these photos but I’m afraid people are just gonna run away from this blog 😉
There can never be enough gnome photos! 😀
so cute!! the waterfall is stunning!
Thanks! And they can even turn it on and off!
Very cute. 🍄🍄🍄 I like Gnome Peter the best cause he looks like a wizard. 🧙♂️🧙♂️🧙♂️
Thanks hun, Paul and I had the most wonderful time there! Plus, my family didn’t leave to buy a pack of smokes just yet …
Let’s remember, every gnome is special and pretty in its own way 😉