Bretleben is a village and former municipality located in the Kyffhäuserkreis district of Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the right side of the river Unstrut, positioned between the towns of Heldrungen and Artern. Since January 1, 2019, Bretleben has been part of the town of An der Schmücke.
The village features a station on the Sangerhausen–Erfurt railway line. This location historically served as a junction where a now-decommissioned branch line once extended to Bad Frankenhausen and Sondershausen.