In 2018, the Thüringer Naturisten-Tage (TNT) [en: Naturist Days in Thuringia] took place from 14 to 26 July.
Hike through gorges near Wartburg Castle
► Sat 14 July: First hike in the nude through the gorges below Wartburg Castle [14 July 2018]
The first hike of the TNT led in bright summer weather through some gorges below the Wartburg. 28 participants came together to hike through the accumulated 350 m of altitude.
Their path led them through Landgrafenschlucht [en: Gorges of the Landgraves], 
the Ludwigsklamm [en: Ludwig's Gorge} and the Dornheckenweg Path, but in between also over a height with a view of the world cultural heritage.
After the hike we went to the mountain restaurant Kleiner Hörselberg for refreshment. In past times, when the A4 still led along there, this was a motorway service area.
– Report and photos: Rainer
► Sun 15 July: 38 naturists hike and bathe in the nude at the Hohenwarte Dam [15 July 2018]
The Sunday was also a warm sunny day, so that the varied path in the vicinity of the dam with shade on forest roads and an clear view of the sunny countryside was suitably chosen. The shy dormouses, who have long since established a homey home for a long time in the Mooshäuschen [en: Moss Cot], showed up sprightly and merryly. From the viewpoint, we had a wide view from the meandering turns of the lake to the wooded peaks of the surrounding mountains.
An imaginative floral decoration on a house wall attracted attention, and finally the hikers also found a place on the lake shore that invited them to take a refreshing bath. Not only for the globetrotters raised in South Africa resp. the Netherlands, who had already hiked with us in 2017, and the guests from Italy, it was a happy and eventful day.
– Report and photos: Rainer
► Mon 16 July: Above the roofs of the city of Jena – Hiking on the Saale-Horizontale Track [16 July 2018]
The Saale-Horizontale is a 72 km long quality hiking trail on the western and eastern slopes of the Saale River with typical samples of shell limestone. The hike offered constantly varying landscape 
and lots of views of the city of Jena and the river valley with castles and castle ruins. The 30 naturists hiked in the buff at the edge of Jena on the track close to the city. They had to ascend at the southern end of Jena in order to descend again after numerous turns of the path in the north of the city. A journalist, who writes for the regional daily newspaper “Freies Wort” in Suhl, South Thuringia, and two photographers, who were looking for motif for the German naturist orgaanisation DFK and for a photo book, accompanied the group.
We finished the hike – like in 2016 – at Zum Ziegenhainer. The restaurant's landlord remembered well, that he offered us to dine nude in his beer garden. This time, he asked us to stay dressed, because another group had reserved.
The second group then cancelled by phone, and so again the refreshment could be taken nude in the beer garden. For some residents and passing hikers the fun was obviously already very big when watching!
– Report and photos: Rainer
► Tue 17 July: Close to and within – Hohenwarte Dam from above and from below [17 July 2018]
The hike at the Hohenwarte Dam 
was the most challeging one due to a length of 19 km and an accumulated difference in altitude of 430 m. The efforts of the ascent and descent were rewarded by numerous views such as from the hang glider airfield at the Hohenleite Dam. The floods of the dam also invited to cool down – an opportunity, that most of the 26 hikers were looking forward because of the warm summer weather.
We finished the hike with a visit of the restaurant Zur Krone in Altenbeuthen, where the landlord served traditional Thuringian style dishes.
– Report and photos: Rainer
► Wed 18 July: Enjoy the day on bike or on foot [18 July 2018]
Meeting point railway station
Bicycle adornment
Ten naturists hiking in the buff
through a forest
Some naturists opted for a hike in the buff: A photo album "10 nude hikers in the Thuringia Forest" reports their tour.
– Report and photos: Rainer
More reports
► Thu 19 July: Hike in the buff near Burgk Castle [19 July 2018]
North of the Bleiloch Dam, there is the Burgkhammer Dam, 
and continuing Walsburg Dam. From there, the Saale is a normal river again. High above, Burgk Castle is enthroned.
Behind a rather simple façade, there are rooms with magnificent and valuable interiors. Hiking in this area means turning your gaze in the direction of the striking castle every now and then – unless small details in the forest, on the side of the path or in the water of the dam attract attention.
40 naturists from France, Germany, Italy, and Luxembourg including the two globetrotters finished the day with perfect summer weather with an ascent onto the Saale Tower and a dinner on the historical restaurant Schlossterasse [en: Castle Terrace] – also the name of a restaurant nearby.
– Report and photos: Rainer
► Fri 20 July: Nude paddling day – canoeing on the Hohenwarte Dam [21 July2018]
About 30°C air temperature and only a few clouds were the pleasant conditions – but this caused also a challenge for the water sports fans with regard to sun protection. To cool down, they could spray each other with water or jump into the floods occasionally. Since not everyone is able to climb back into the canoe on the high seas, however, most of the sudden falls into the water took place close to the shore.
– Photos: natfree
More reports
► Sat 21 July: Hike at the Bleiloch Dam near Ebersdorf [21 July2018]
At the weekend, even 
more friends of the naturist hiking arrived at the TNT: 48 participated on Saturday, one of them from Belgium expanded the list of countries even further. A family from Lower Saxony with ![20180721 On the Heinrichstein [en: Henry's Stone]](/images/berichte2018/tnt/20180721-Auf-dem-Heinrichstein.jpg "20180721 On the Heinrichstein [en: Henry's Stone]")
16 year old daughter had already participated in the fun of canoing on Friday and hiked now 14 km via the Zoppotener Mühle [en: Zoppoten Mill] und the Heinrichstein. It is likely that the name Heinrichstein refers to the Lords of Reuß, who since the 12th century were all called Heinrich. In any case, the view was worth a visit even before the Saale pondage.
The Bleiloch Dam offered well appreciated opportunities to bathe. The perfect day ended with a barbecue in the restaurant Zur Krone in Ebersdorf.
– Report and photos: Rainer
► Sun 22 July: Hike at the Hohenwarte Dam [22 July 2018]
The track with a length of 17.5 km and 570 cumulative meters of difference in altitude 
was one of TNT's more challenging hikes. For some participants, it was quite convenient, that the sun beams could pass through the atmosphere completely unhindered.
We went to the upper basin, which is pumped full with water from the dam in order to be able to connect additional power plant capacity at times of increased electricity demand. Although pumping up costs more electricity than can be generated afterwards by the water falling down again, the effort is worthwhile because the connection of other peak capacities is much slower (e.g. because of the heating up) and more expensive (because of the amortization costs and the lower power efficiency).
– Report and photos: Rainer
► Mon 23 July: Hike in the buff at the eastern part of the Hohenwarte Dam [23 July 2018]
From Ziegenrück, 25 volunteers started steeply uphill. The destination was the Teufelskanzel [en: Devil's Pulpit], a rock formation on the northern shore of the lake, from which several vantage points open the view of the picturesque Saale arch. Due to the warm summer weather, a cooling bath after descent to the lake shore was a pleasant refreshment. After that, the sweat was running anew, because we went uphill again. 
The passage over a viaduct of a shut-down railway was still on the agenda. So, we went over a creek burbling (only moderately because of the drought caused by the climate change). Then, we continued through the pleasantly cool darkness of the Hemmkoppen Tunnel. In the past, the trains had to switch on the lights to find their way. For the hiking group, 3 flashlights were enough.
In the restaurant Zur Fernmühle, there is – beside the he-goat – once per hour (more exactly: 3 minutes before the clock hour) a dance of the goats (video) shown – instead of a cuckoo clock a goats' bleating clock.
– Report and photos: Rainer
► Tue 24 July: Hiking near Bad Klosternauslitz and relaxation at the spa [24 July 2018]
Today, the hikers explored the Holzland [en: Woodland], where the biking in the nude already took place last Wednesday. 
Among the 24 participants, there was also a Westphalian schoolgirl, who went on her first hike in the buff with her father. She was happy about the international community of naturists: So, she could immediately put her school English to the test. After a walk around the Roter Pfützensumpf [en: Red Puddle Swamp], which was not swampy at all, the way led further into the Mühltal [en: Mill Valley] to various historical mills, which were driven for centuries by the water of the Rauda Creek. At the Meuschkenmühle, they are preparing for the festival of strong men.
At 31°C air temperature, the hikers walked the way from the parking lot to the ticket office in the Kristalltherme Bad Klosternauslitz in the buff – why should you cover up to pay, when you are nude apart from that all day? Then, we enjoyed the desired increase in heat of the sauna and a well cooled salad in the spa restaurant as refreshment.
– Report and photos: Rainer
► Wed 25 July: Nude through Uhlstädt Heath [25 July 2018]
At Zeutsch, 21 hikers arrived at nearly 30°C, later the air temperature rose to 33°C. We started from the car park aside the railway station for a circuit first to a ruin of a church in the forest near Töpfersdorf. An association Natur und Umwelt [en: Nature and Environment] is missing subsidies for conservation. Already in 1980, active inhabitants of Saalleiten created a nature trail, which they revitalised and redesigned since 2013 as Entdeckerpfad [en: Explorers' Track]. Today, interactive map and geocaching are addtional means to attract people.
At the end of the day there was a stop at the restaurant Sonnenhof in Herschdorf on the edge of the Uhlstädt Heath.
– Report and photos: Rainer
► Thu 26 July: Hike in between the Plothener Teiche [26 July 2018]
The Land of 1000 Ponds near near Plothen is, above all, quite flat: Only 80 m of cumulated difference in altitude had to be climbed during the day. There was a lot to learn: over a pile dwelling at least 300 years old, on a neighbouring nature trail or in the Brehm Museum in Renthendorf.
Jürgen of the FSV Rother 
Hiehl Association, after reading about the Naturist Days in regional newspaper Ostthüringer Zeitung [en: East Thuringian Newspaper], had invited the hikers in the buff to the association's naturist area – which they of course gladly accepted.
At the end of the last TNT hiking day in 2018, 17 of the naturists stopped at the restaurant Zum Plothenteich in Plothen. We thanked Andreas for the wonderful time and look forward to a reunion with well-known naturists or getting to know other naturists e.g. at the NEWT in Austria, in Saxony, in Westphalia or at the latest in 2019.
– Report and photos: Rainer