Hikes in Claußnitz

Away from the main tourist routes, you hike through the Amselgrund and the Schweizerthal.

Over a length of just under one kilometer, the nature trail in the Muldental - Chemnitztal protected landscape area is intended to enable discovery, understanding, and preservation of the local nature.

The hike leads from the station of the Lichtenau district Ottendorf over the somewhat remote settlement on a historic path via Röllingsheim back to the upper village and on to the school in the middle village. On the zig-zag path to Röllingsheim and back to Ottendorf, you can enjoy a wonderful view in clear weather.

The new bike and hiking route on the former Chemnitz-Wechselburg railway line allows you to discover the banks of the Chemnitz in this area from a completely new perspective. Picturesque is the path in Schweizertal and scenic the high route from Clausnitz to Garnsdorf.

A short but delightful loop hike that has a surprising amount to offer.

ROUTE (7.5 km) Schweizerthal-Diethensdorf - Lorelei, AP - Bärenhöhle - Schweizerthalaussicht, AP - Museumsbahnhof - Taura - Taurasteinturm - Wettinhainteich - Burgstädt, Bahnhof

A light hike leads from Ottendorf towards the Oberlichtenauer Forest and from there through smaller woods to the Hölle near Garnsdorf. From Garnsdorf, the route continues via Röllingshain and the zigzag path back to Ottendorf. Along the way, there are also beautiful panoramic views to enjoy.

> From Burgstädt Station01, we walk across the northern parking lot onto a paved path and descend some steps to another parking lot. Here, we cross Mittweidaer Straße onto Lindenstraße. At the phone booth by the beverage store, we spot the first hiking trail signs: We head toward “Studententeich 5 km/Göritzhain 6.5 km/Wechelburg 12 km” (marked with a “red bar”). We leave Lindenstraße after Kreßnerstraße branches off to the left: We turn right onto Am Stadion, passing under the railroad tracks. Immediately after the underpass, we turn left onto a footpath. For quite some time, the path runs along the railroad embankment. At a dilapidated railroad guard’s house, our path veers away from the railroad tracks. We continue to follow the “red bar” and ignore any branching paths until we reach the railroad tracks again. (If you want to take a shortcut: Shortcut 1 via the “green bar” trail—saves 3.4 km; Shortcut 2 via the “yellow bar” trail—saves 2.3 km)At the railroad tracks, we follow the signs for “Studententeich 2 km/Wechselburg 9 km,” which takes us about 600 m alongside the tracks. We enter the forest and reach the intersection where we leave the railroad tracks 02. We continue to follow the “red bar”. After about 400 m, we reach a junction and turn right. After crossing the Pfaffenschluchtbach stream, we turn left and follow the “Via Porphyria” or the “green bar” sign. On the slightly overgrown trail, we descend along the edge of the Pfaffenschlucht to a tributary, cross it on logs, and, after a short climb, follow the “green bar” once again. Soon we’re in the Chemnitz Valley. We come to a wider path and hike straight ahead to what was once a beautiful rest area03. The last time the author walked this route, the shelter had already collapsed halfway. The view into the Chemnitz Valley was also no longer as beautiful as it had been years ago, when the trees were still smaller. It would be great if members of the local hiking and heritage associations—or other volunteers—could spend a few hours working here! At the next intersection, the trail marked with a “yellow bar” joins from the right (shortcut 2). We continue onward toward “Mohsdorf/Chemnitz Valley” (“green bar”) and “Diethensdorf” (“yellow bar”). At a small rest area, we discover a memorial plaque on a small building honoring the victims of a cable car accidenton April 4. The seven residents of Mohsdorf lost their lives in Cavalese, Italy, in 1998 when an American fighter jet, flying at an unauthorized low altitude and at excessive speed, severed the suspension cable of a cable car. The cabin plummeted about 100 m; all 20 passengers died. Just a few steps further and we reach the intersection where Shortcut 1 joins from the right. Here we turn left, cross the Mohsbach, and continue along “Via Porphyria.” After about 100 meters, we leave the paved road and take a path that branches off to the right in front of a dilapidated house. There’s a slight climb—then we keep to the right so we don’t have to walk under the power lines, and at the next intersection, we follow the signs for “Via Porphyria” and “Diethensdorf/Burgstädt” (“yellow bar”).We pass a large farmstead on the outskirts of Mohsdorf and hike eastward along a dirt road. At a T-intersection, we turn left; at the next intersection, we turn right (“Circular Trail 1 km/Diethensdorf 1 km” – “green/yellow bar”). After a few minutes, we turn right again and descend into the Chemnitz Valley, where we come to a road. We follow it straight ahead for a short distance and then turn left, crossing the Chemnitz River and arriving at the Schweizerthal-Diethensdorf05 station on the Chemnitz Valley Railway.We continue along Untere Hauptstraße. After house no. 39, we leave the street and follow the hiking signpost “Amselgrund – Markersdorf 2.5 km” (“yellow bar”). After a few meters, the marked trail veers sharply to the right. A sign points to a lookout point above the Chemnitz Valley, the Loreley 06. Trees block the perfect view, but the short detour is still worth it. Back on the main trail: After about 300 m, we ignore a path branching off to the left and continue downhill. We walk through an allotment garden and stay on the “Via Porphyria”—even at the Amselgrund stop, where it veers left away from the railroad tracks. After a few meters, we scramble up to the right to the Hockstein 07, a rock formed from cordierite gneiss. Further uphill, a side trail branches off to the Bärenhöhle, which is more of a crevice between the rocks. We hike through dense deciduous forest to the Schweizerthalaussicht08, which lives up to its name only during the leafless season. Nevertheless, the bench at the edge of the precipice—please be careful!—is a lovely spot for a break. We then walk past a few gardens and take the access road to the garden complex, which ends at Markersdorf’s main street. We follow it to the right, walk past the Markersdorf-Taura train station, go straight at the traffic-light intersection, cross the Chemnitz Bridge, and continue to the intersection near the Chemnitztal Pharmacy.At the “Antiquitätenhaus,” we turn left and follow Taura’s main street—which runs alongside the Tauraer Bach—through the long, narrow forest village. Just to get to the center of Taura (No. 09 ) at City Hall, we cover about 1.2 km—all slightly uphill. Then we walk another 300 m uphill and look for Gartenstraße, which branches off to the left. Immediately after Gartenstraße, we leave the main street: At house number 94, we turn right onto the gravel path leading uphill, which turns into a dirt road. This allows us to take a shortcut off the trail marked with a “green bar” and enjoy the natural terrain and more scenic surroundings. Note: If the farmyard passage is blocked, continue along the main road, turn right onto Arthur-Beil-Straße, and keep right at all intersections. At the end of the dirt road, follow the “green bar” to the right. After a slight climb, leave the paved road to the left toward “Taurasteinturm/Burgstädt.” Before reaching the Schützenhaus, turn right, keep to the right again, and climb up to the Taurasteinturm10, built between 1887 and 1889, which is open daily from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (www.taurasteinturm.de).From the tower, we head southwest, so we do not take any of the stairways. After a path branches off to the left and another to the right, we see the highest point of the Taurastein on our right, where a pillar from the Royal Saxon Triangulation of 1875 commemorates the historic land survey. A few meters further on, we’ll spot the Gustav-Winkler Rock on our left, with a bench on top. At the next intersection, we’ll turn right, then right again: this brings us to a small paved area with benches below the triangulation pillar.After searching for the treasure in the Taurastein, we walk northward. Before the mini-golf course, we turn left, then keep slightly to the right downhill and turn right onto the barefoot trail, walking to the Wettinhain and across the bridge between the ponds. We turn left onto Mittweidaer Straße and follow the sidewalk to the railroad underpass: Beyond it, we come to the intersection we saw on the way there and return to the Burgstädt01 train station.

Wandern

Naturlehrpfad Markersdorf und Chemnitztal lautet heute die Devise. Allerdings werden wir auf diesem Naturlehrpfad neben Naturschönheiten wie dem Hockstein, der Bärenhöhle oder den Strudelköpfen in der Chemnitz, noch weiteren interessanten Themen begegnen. Denn dem Verein Chemnitztalbahn ist es zum Glück gelungen, den Bahnhof Markersdorf-Taura im Wesentlichen betriebsfähig zu retten und obendrein einen Streckenabschnitt in Richtung Wechselburg, welcher auch noch befahren wird. Wer vorab mehr erfahren möchte, dem sei folgendes Video empfohlen: https://youtu.be/W9iyPYLRQSk