Through the Zug mining area

Start is at the Häuersteig shopping center in Freiberg. Cross the federal road and hike on the foot and bike path towards Brand-Erbisdorf. On the left are the "Three Crosses". 

Access is also possible on the bike path behind the restaurant „Letzter 3er“ (bus stop or parking lot) a little further south. Initially, the hike continues south along the bike path. To the right of the path, between B 101 and the bike path, the spoil heaps of the former Gnade Gottes mine accompany the way (mine at the "Letzter Dreier" restaurant, southwards 1st to 5th upper measures on the Palmbaum lode), whose main operational period was in the 17th century. After reaching Schulstraße, the bike path is left and the trail goes left (Hammers restaurant on the right) to the street Am Drei Brüder Schacht, where you turn right.

The trail here follows the Erzgebirge – Vogtland hiking trail (red marking). Opposite the intersection with Schulstraße stands on a spoil heap in dense bushes the powder tower of the Segen Gottes Herzog August mine, disfigured by newer extensions, which mined on the Altrosenkranzer lode from 1612 to 1898. The most important shaft of this mine was the already mentioned Drei Brüder shaft, where Professor Ferdinand Reich in 1831 conducted his famous falling experiments to prove the earth's axis rotation and where in 1915 the world's first cavern power plant was put into operation. Its operation was discontinued in 1972. Since 1992 a support association has been striving to recommission the plant.

The hike continues south over the spoil heaps of the Hungerschächte shafts and back onto the bike path coming from the right, which after about 150 meters turns left. From this point, the hiker stays on a footpath straight ahead at the western edge of a wooded spoil heap and mine shaft area, leading south to the significant Beschert Glück mine, which was operated from 1697 to 1899 and yielded rich output.

Headframe, engine house, ore dressing floor, and other functional buildings invite you to linger and take photos. A functional model of the mine located at the engine house can be operated. The mine was often a destination of notable personalities (commemorative plaque at the ore dressing floor). Via a steep staircase (uneven step heights and widths!), the spoil heap is left heading south and the former Beschert Glück artificial ditch is followed left back to the bike path. To the left of the path, a densely wooded spoil heap announces intensive silver mining in the 16th–18th centuries. Immediately on the path lies the large spoil heap of the former Jung Himmlisch Heer mine, whose headframe is still preserved and which at times had a horse gin for extraction. This section of the path is identical with the northern part of the mining historical educational trail Brand-Erbisdorf.

After crossing the main street, continue straight on the street Am Konstantin, which accompanies both the Baltic Sea – Saale Reservoirs hiking trail (blue marking) and the Erzgebirge – Vogtland hiking trail (red marking). On the right, on a forested spoil heap, stands the headframe of the Zscherper 3rd to 5th measures mine. Behind it follows the restaurant "Zum Konstantin" and the high spoil heap of the Constantin shaft, named after the last Saxon chief mining officer, Constantin Frhr. v. Beust (1806–1897), where from 1924 the upper plant of the cavern power station was located.

At this point, the circular hiking trail can optionally be interrupted (signpost) and continue south on the street „An der Zugspitze“, which is identical with the old coal road from the mountains, to the Mendenschacht of the Alte Mordgrube. The path passes the southern part of the extensive spoil heap of the Constantin shaft on the left, the leather factory Zug on the left, and the dam of the first iron railways on the European continent, which from the Mendenschacht led through a tunnel with portal over the dam to the Altmordgrubener ore washing area in the grounds of today's leather factory and was built by Brendel in 1828.

Via a staircase the spoil heap is ascended and the excellently restored building ensemble of the Mendenschacht (also called Zugspitze, including restaurant) is visited as another example of the architectural beauty of the great Saxon silver ore mines of the 19th century (information board at the main entrance). Water for ore extraction and lifting was supplied to the mine via the Mendenrösche (named after senior mining master J. F. Mende; Rösche = covered artificial ditch or tunnel-like mine passage for delivering or draining water) from the Hohe Birke artificial ditch system. To the south of the building complex, there is still a water lifting house where utility and drinking water were raised from the Rösche to the objects. Opposite the main entrance west of the street, in a leafy grove, stands the also restored headframe of the Alte Mordgrube, also called "Lehmhäusel".

The Alte Mordgrube, closed in 1899 and the origin of whose name is based on an ancient legend, was at times the most important lead ore mine in the entire district. The return to the Constantin shaft is on the same route as the approach. Before the Constantin shaft, sunk from 1841, the partial circular route is resumed. At this point, until about 1900, the Hohe Birke artificial ditch coming from the Freiwald split into two main branches. The western leading branch was the important route from Beschert Glück; the northeastern branch is followed further on the path – Am Graben, which follows the Hohe Birke artificial ditch. This was completed in 1590 according to projects by Martin Planer (1510–1582) and was until the widespread introduction of steam engines and electrical energy the main energetic artery of the Freiberg mining district.

The ditch is still fully functional today and supplies, for example, large amounts of production and cooling water from the Constantin pond located in front of the Constantin shaft to the Freiberg Süd industrial area. The section of the trail that now follows the Hohe Birke artificial ditch up to the chapel in Zug is one of the most scenic trails in the Freiberg area, as it offers a magnificent panoramic view of the heights of the Eastern Ore Mountains. At the feet of the hiker lies the broad Münzbachtal with the Berthelsdorfer Hüttenteich, created in 1555 and enlarged to its current size in 1684. In the Münzbachtal, a number of partly significant smelting works have been documented since 1363, the last of which was only shut down in 1789. On both sides of the path, numerous spoil heaps from old mining can be seen.

Especially striking is the wooded spoil heap on the Hohe Birke lode to the left, the Obergöppler shafts (Hohe Birke Upper 9th to 12th measures), which from 1647 had a high horse gin (giving its name) for extraction. The spoil heaps of these shafts, up to 400 m deep, also mark the highest point in the city area of Freiberg with 491 m above sea level. Parts of the Hohe Birke artificial ditch still have the original wooden plank cover as protection against leaves and objects falling in. Ditch keepers were responsible for maintenance. At the Zug chapel is the current end point of the artificial ditch, which originally extended with its branches into the southern urban area of Freiberg. From here, a free surface pipeline leads today to the Waldbad Großer Teich in the city forest to maintain bathing operations in the inflowless pond through fresh water supply. Originally, the Zug Waschgraben branched off at this point, which supplied three ore washing places lying directly in succession on the right of the path and the Kröner mine. Extensive washing sand spoil heaps can still be found in this small valley.

After reaching Haldenstraße, turn left to the roundabout and immediately leave it again to the right towards the main street. This section runs 700 meters directly on the Hohe Birke lode, whose numerous mines lined up like pearls on a string along 4.5 km length produced a total of around 174,000 kg of silver and large quantities of copper and lead from the early 16th century to 1803, distributing around 1,500,000 gulden in yield. The amount of silver produced on Hohe Birke alone corresponds to about two percent of the total silver produced in the Ore Mountains. On the grounds of the school on the right side of the main street stood the second, the "Lower" horse gin on this lode. About 400 meters further north, on the left of the main street, stands the old headframe house of the Hohe Birke mine (19) from around 1700. After reaching the street intersection at the Stollnhaus with the eponymous headframe house on the right including the Zum Tiefen Fürstenstolln blacksmith in Emanuel (Stolln = tunnel-like mine passage for draining mines), the main street is left and the path continues on Am Daniel street.

After about 250 meters, the Jung Thurmhofer lode is crossed (left: Junge Thurmhof mine with headframe house, right: St. Wolfgang mine). After another approx. 150 meters, the Danieler lode is reached. Here the path turns left. On the left side of the path is the single-story headframe house of the Prophet Daniel mine. It dates from around 1700 and suggests that modest farming was carried out as a secondary occupation. Now the hiking trail turns right onto a field path and leads over the spoil heap of the Halbe Kaue mine back to the Altrosenkranzer lode. From here, the Three Crosses are visible again. On the left side of the path is the completely rebuilt blacksmith workshop of Herzog August. Behind it, in front of Schulstraße, stands the headframe house of the Elector Johann Georgen mine, built between 1710 and 1720, and on the right at Schulstraße the headframe house of Herzog August (early 18th century). From here, the path leads right back to the bike path and to the end of the partial Zug circular trail (signpost). The return to the town is on the same path as the approach.