This resulted in a tourism project of supra-regional importance, directly on the Rennsteig trail and the Drachenschlucht gorge, between the Wartburg/Eisenach World Heritage Site and the Hainich National Park.
The distinctive building on the Rennsteig trail, known as "Hohe Sonne" (High Sun), is the successor to an 18th-century Baroque hunting lodge. In 2018, regional investor Dirk Bodes, through his engineering firm rebo consult ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, acquired the 1.2-hectare site with the intention of converting it back into a hotel. Following several expert assessments, the remaining building fragments were permitted to be demolished in May 2025.
LEG Thüringen has supported the project since 2019, and the investor was able to draw on the expertise of its economic development, urban and regional development, and real estate management departments. It is often only through this one-stop agency structure of LEG Thüringen – unique in Germany – that it is even possible to move tourism projects forward.
The challenges for the investor were immense, and LEG provided support, among other things, in finding solutions for complex development measures, in organizing scoping meetings with the authorities involved, in coordinating necessary interministerial and municipal consultations, and in finding funding.
A second construction phase is planned, and additional rooms, an event and wellness area are to be built on the site of the former hunting lodge.
