Beautiful regions and sights in Central Saxony
Valley of Castles between the town of Penig and the town of Rochlitz with the Rochlitz Castle
One of the jewels of the Central Saxon region is the „Valley of Castles“ which stretches along the river Zwickauer Mulde(also called “Mulde”). On that website we’d like to present only the section of the valley which lies between the town of Penig and the town of Rochlitz. "Mulde"is a shortening of the name “Zwickauer Mulde”. But don’t mix it up with the river name “Mulde”, latter we geogra- phically use for naming the river which is merging the Zwickauer Mulde and the Freiberger Mulde near Grimma.
The "Valley of Castles" in the section described above is characrerised by three features: Firstly it is a long-stretched river valley where the river Zwickauer Mulde flows in its centre. On some places the river starts meandering. Both sides of the valley are covered with mixed forests, sometimes with meadows and riverside forests.
Meander bend of the river "Mulde" near the Flora of the valley section near the Rochsburg Castle Rochsburg Castle
Secondly it has a lot of castles. One of the well-known castles is the Rochsburg Castle. Another important one is the Rochlitz Castle.
Rochsburg Castle Rochlitz Castle
Thirdly it has some interesting towns like Penig, Lunzenau und Rochlitz which were founded in medieval times and have some well-maintained half-timbered houses. The rulers on the Rochlitz Castle mainly initiated that historical and economic process in the Middle Ages by forcing and encouraging people to rode large areas of the Miriquidi Wood along the river. Later they were supported by other noble dominions like the Schönburg dominion on the Rochsburg Castle. Latter also played an important role in the process of founding the town of Lunzenau.
The town of Lunzenau, river bridge Half-timbered house in the Lunzenau town
The town of Lunzenau is of medieval origin. But only a few half-timbered houses around the market place can still witness that developing process. Furthermore some names of lanes and roads in the town, like "Pottery Lane", remember of medieval crafts.There's a large park called "Heinrich-Heine-Park" not so far from the town centre where the visitors can relax or find rare sorts of trees when walking through the park area. Recently a "Poets' Road" dedicated to the German writer and poet Heinrich Heine was opened.
If you want to find out more interesting things about that town, then please click on the button of the Lunzenau website:
The Kriebstein Recreation Area with the Kriebstein Dam and the Kriebstein Castle
If you'll go to Central Saxony, you shouldn't miss to visit the above mentioned recreation area near the town of Mittweida which is the gateway to the Kriebstein Recreation Area. It is also famous for its college with great international reputation. Important personalities like Adam Opel, August Horch and Hans Bahlsen studied there.
From here you'll get to Kriebstein either by walking on foot, going aboard of a motor boat at Lauenhain-Ringethal or taking a bus service.
Motor boat "Hainichen"while approaching to The Kriebstein Dam
Kriebstein Pier after a one hour circle tour
The Kriebstein Recreation Area is settled around the Kriebstein reservoir which is 9 kilometres long and covers an area of about 132 hectars. It stretches from the Kriebstein Dam at Kriebstein where the water of the river Zschopau is backed up to Lauenhain-Ringethal. The biggest width of the reservoir is 300 metres.The volume of the backed up water is 11,3 billion cubic metres.
The Kriebstein reservoir is a fantastic area for campers, canoeists and for those who like going on boat tours. But it's also an appropriate area for people who like walking and watching wildlife.
The central place of that recreation area is Kriebstein with the Kriebstein Dam and the Kriebstein Castle. Latter is the most beautiful knight's castle in Saxony and rises on a steep rock over the river Zschopau. The castle is a well-maintained and completely renovated building complex which dates back to the time of the Late Gothic. It is over 600 years old. When visiting it, you can step back into medieval times.
At Kriebstein there's also a sea stage. During the summer season there will be held theatre performances.
Kriebstein Castle Sea stage Kriebstein
If you want to inform yourself about that Central Saxony area more detailled, please have a closer look at the following websites:
The Kriebstein reservoir www.kriebsteintalsperre.de
The Kriebstein Castle www.burg-kriebstein.eu
The Ostrau community - the most northern area of the Central Saxony district
Its administration centre is the town of Ostrau itself which lies approximately 10 kilometres north-east of the town of Döbeln. The Ostrau area borders to the Leipzig Lowlands, is embedded in the river valley of the "large and small Jahna"and the loess- hilly landscape of the "Lommatzsch Pflege". It was first documentally mentioned in 1190, called "Ostrowa", which indicates that it was settled by Sorbs first. This means as much as "place in the meadow" or "place between two rivers". It has an area of 5.260 hectars. About 3700 people live there now. It has formed a joint administration with the community of Zschaitz- Ottewig. Its economy esssentially is characterised by the limestone quarrying and the agriculture
The Jahna Valley is a special jewel of that region because of its fantastic scenery. It is a traditional hiking area in the heart of Saxony. And it's a cycling area in recent times, too. It connects the town of Döbeln on the river Freiberger Mulde with the town of Riesa on the river Elbe. The river Jahna is running in the midst of it. It accompanies the hiking path from its well at Präbschütz and Großsteinbach to its mouth near the town of Riesa where it flows into the Elbe. Walking alongside the river Jahna, you can enjoy full green meadows, fruit trees in bloom and rich in fruits, fertile fields changing their colour, depending on the season time. You'll also meet many old farming villages. Always remember: You're in the "Granary of Saxony" called "Lommatzsch Pflege"
The church of Jahna is another jewel of that region. It's got a bell tower which has a stronger inclination than the "Leaning Tower of Pisa" because it was built on alluvial soil.
You shouldn't miss to visit the famous groud ramparts at Zschaitz. The main rampart is 3 metres high. This indicates that there probably once was a Slavonic people's castle on the Tschaitz castle hill. This place could also have been the possible location for the Gana Castle which was mentioned by the chronicelist Widikind of Corney.
For more information please see the the following website:
Döbeln- "The Town of Boots"
The town of Döbeln is located on the river Freiberger Mulde with its beautiful river meadows and valley slopes.
It is of medeival origin and has strong traditions of craft and trade. The shoemaker's tradition once was one of the well-developed crafts in that area. That's why the town of Döbeln is called "The town of boots". Shoemakers in that town first managed to make with great skill the biggest bucket top boot in the world in 1925. It has a height of 3.70 metres and can be admired in the Döbeln town hall.
The town hall of Döbeln St. Nicholas Church
The town of Döbeln, however, grew under the protection of an older castle after1200 and perhaps became a town around 1220. It was called "The Town of the Three" by non-locals because it had three towers, three town gates, three bridges, three mills, three churches and three markets.
The town of Döbeln is famous for its hightech firms which produce top-quality products of security technology, high temperature-resistant motors and machine tools of the latest generation. Other top-quality products are high-performance shafts for Formula -1 motors.
For more information please see the following website:
The Town of Leisnig with the Mildenstein Castle
The landmark of Leisnig is the Mildenstein Castle which is one of the oldest castles in Saxony. It is over 1000 years old and once was in the ownership of the Emperor Barbarossa who made it an imperial castle.
The Leisnig bucket top boot The Mildenstein Castle, the Castle courtyard
On the occasion of 950th anniversary of the foundation of the town of Leisnig, two shoemakers made the world's largest bucket top boot in 1996. That feat earned it an entry in Guinness Book of Records in 1997. It has got a height of 4.90 metres and a sole length of 2.20 metres. Its weight is 439 kilos. This huge boot can be seen in the " Leisnig Boot Museum" next to Mildenstein Castle.
Not so far from Leisning there's a famous Cistercian monastery, called Monastery Buch. It also lies on the river Freiberger Mulde and is historically closely connected with the development of the Mildenstein Castle. In the monastery area there are often held cultural events during the Central Saxony Culture Summer which are very popular.
Entrance to the Monastery Buch Scottish-Irish Festval in the Monastery The town of Leisnig is traditionally linked with agriculture and farming which dominates the area around it. It is part of the "Fruit-growing region", called "Saxon fruit". In the 12th century nuns and monks from the Cistercian order planted fruit trees and bushes in the Buch monastery garden for the first time. Later the Saxon Electors promoted the fruit growing by decree sustainably. Fruit trees were planted alongside the state roads and on the occasion of weddings in that area.
For more information please see the following websites:
The Augustusburg Castle -hunting castle and summer residence of the former Saxon Elector August the Strong
Travelling through the Central Saxony area you shouldn't miss to visit the Castle of Augustusburg.It is located on the "Schellenberg" Hill, at a height of 516 metres above sea level, at the northern edge of the Ore Mountains("Erzgebirge"). While approaching to that site, the visitor can see it from afar. It is also called "Crown of the Ore Mountains". The Saxon elector August the Strong(1526-1586) authorised the Leipzig mayor and master builder Hieronymus Lotter to set up that castle. It was built in the period 1568-1572. With this castle the Saxon King wanted to demontrate his power and riches at this time. The building itself complies the ideal image of the Renaissance. Latter was the school of thoughts which should it make possible to overcome the centuries-old barriers of faith and tradition.
View towards the Augustusburg Castle Bikers' rest in the inner castle yard
The castle complex consits of a core castle set on a square base around a yard, the gate house on the north side where the main entrance is, and the service buildings on the south side.The core castle has four corner buildings set on a square base which are connected by the castle church and three other intermediate wings.
A jewel of the castle is the altarpiece of the castle church which was created by Lucas Cranach the Younger.
Furthermore the castle has other interesting museums which are worth of visiting: The Motorcycle Museum, the Game and Ornithology Museum, the Carriage Museum and the Castle Museum which tells the visitor a lot about the castles history.
The Freiberg Cathedral with the "Golden Gate" is a simply must to visit.
The Town of Neuhausen in the midst of the Ore Mountains ("Erzgebirge")
The town of Neuhausen and its area is the southest region of the Central Saxony district. It's at the foot of the ridge region of the Ore Mountains, at a height of about 800 metres. Its landmark is the Purschenstein Castle which in former times was a place where they collected customs duty and gave safe escort for the traders' carriages. The castle was an important strategic point because it was located near the Bohemian border and directly on the famous "Salt Road". The place was first documentally mentioned in 1282. At this time it was called "castro Borssensteyn". It was called after its founder, the Bohemian earl Borso II.
In former times the industry of the town was dominated by the production of chairs and furniture, especially for living rooms, and the glass production. Two interesting museums of the town still tell the visitor a lot about these previous industry branches. There's also an impressive "Nutcracker Museum" with more than 5,500 nutcrackers from more than 30 countries in the town.
Neuhausen is in the midst of the so-called "Christmas Land". That first of all means that this region cares for special customs and traditions in Advent and Christmas time.That's why different kinds of pyramids and light arches, figures of light angels and miners can be admired everywhre in that region. The shops are full of these items then.
Porschenstein Castle in Neuhausen View from the Schwartenberg Hill height towards the ridge region of the Ore Mountains
Neuhausen is a recovery ressort where the visitor can do a wide range out outdoor activities in each season of the year, especially in winter time if there's enough snow.
Because this region is near the Czech border, you can have fantastic day tours the Czech ridgees of the Ore Mountains, too. Maybe still further away by car, down to the river Eger(Czech: "Ohre") Valley and back to Neuhausen again.
For further information please see the following website: