The Jenzig is a limestone hill rising steeply from the east bank of the Saale opposite the city centre, reaching 302 metres and offering the best panoramic view over Jena and the valley. It was a favourite subject of Romantic painters in the early nineteenth century — the Caspar David Friedrich generation found the combination of the steep pale cliff, the river, and the city below irresistible — and the view from the top still has that quality of a landscape waiting to be painted.
The ascent takes about forty-five minutes on foot from the river bridge at Camsdorf, climbing through oak and beech forest on a well-marked trail. The summit is open grassland with benches and an orientation board. On clear days you can see the Kyffhäuser hills to the north. The descent on the south side passes through the Kernberge, a network of limestone outcrops with cave systems, and connects to further trails through the hills east of Jena.