Great Tours through the Central Saxony Area

If you want to have any sightseeing tour through the Central Saxony Area you should stay in a central place where you could set off for such a tour whichever mean of transport you prefer. The best place to start a tour is the city of Chemnitz. It's the third biggest city of Saxony and borders to the Central Saxony district. It's also called "The City of Modernity". From here you could start four fantastic sightseeing tours, be alone or in a group of people, which allow you to get a deep impression on that what Central Saxony is.

Tour 1: Chemnitz-Rochsburg Castle- the town of Lunzenau with the smallest railway museum of Germany- the Wechselburg Basilica- the town of Rochlitz with the Rochlitz Castle and the Rochlitz Hill

Rochsburg Castle

You'll start your tour in the city of Chemnitz right from your acomodation using your own car or hiring one . From there you'll take the motorway A72 towards the City of Leipzig. After a short drive of about 20 minutes leave the A72 at the town of Penig and then head towards the village of Rochsburg which is now a part of the town of Lunzenau. On your way there you'll pass the village of Arnsdorf. It'll take you about 1 hour to get to the village of Rochsburg. While approaching the village of Rochsburg the Rochsburg Castle is visible from afar. It is towering on a rock spur 50 metres high above the river Zwickauer Mulde.

                                                                           

View towards the Rochsburg Castle with the                        The Rochsburg Castle complex, seen
new suspension bridge, crossing the river                              from the front side with the castle gate Zwickauer Mulde and LED lit at night                             and the draftbridge


The Rochsburg Castle was first documentally mentioned in 1190. But it got its present appearance under the Schönburg castle rulers in the midst of the 16th century. Fortunately the castle could keep its former combative character. Inside the castle the visitor will find a museum which gives him a lot of information on the castle's history and how the life was inside the castle in the past. Furthermore there's also a chocloate manufacturer, called "Choco Del Sol" inside. That way the visitor can also get to know the "chocolate side" of the castle.

For more information please click on the following website:

www.schloss-rochsburg.de

www.chocodelsol.com

The town of Lunzenau with the Railway Museum and the world's smallest hotel called "Kofftl"

From the Rochsburg Castle it's only a short way by car to the town of Lunzenau. It'll take you about 30 minutes to get to the town's market square with its nice fountain, called "Prince Lieschen Fountain". The town itself is of medieval origin like others in the "Valley of Castles". Its foundation was essentially influenced by the Rochsburg castle rulers. 

                                                                                                                                            

Lunzenau Market Square, viewing                    Railway Museum with the nearby restaurant               towards the St. Jacobus Church                      called "Prellbock"

Having arrived at the Market Square, you should have a look at the nice fountain called "Prince Lieschen Fountain". It's especially nice decorated with coloured eggs in the Easter Time. Furthermore you shouldn't miss to visit the Heinrich-Heine-Park with its rare plants. Having returned from there, stroll over the river bridge towards the Railway Museum which is on the other side of the river. Latter offers you a lot of railway stuff to experience. The variety ranges from railway hats and tickets to a small former railway station. You can also watch the world's smallest hotels there which have the shape of larger boxes. And if you like, you can also stay in one of them for a night or more there.

For more information please the following websites:

www.lunzenau.de

www.prellbock-bahnart.de

The village of Wechselburg with its famous Romanic basilica

From Lunzenau it's a 30 minutes drive to the village of Wechselburg. You should go via Cossen and Göhren because of the beautiful scenery alongside the river Zwickauer Mulde. Approaching Wechselburg, you can discover a nice statue near the river bridge which shows the Duke Moritz of Saxony and the Earl of Schönburg, just having made an important agreement. They've changed land. Therefore the village is called Wechselburg. The name "Wechselburg" includes the word "Wechsel" that means as much as "change". From these times onwards the Earls of Schönburg were the owners of the land, including the monastery and the castle.

  

Duke Moritz of Saxony and the Earl of                    The Romanic Basilica called Heilig Kreuz(right)
Schönburg, just having changed land                     with the monastery which is located behind first                                                                         and the castle complex (left)

The Romanic Basilica which can be seen in the photo on the right is famous for its rood screen.

The monastery itself, called monastery of Zschillen, was the first settlement on that place. It was founded by Earl Dedo von Rochlitz-Groitzsch in 1168. It is now managed by monks who come from the monastery Ettal monastery in Bavaria.

There's also a beautiful castle park with some rare plants to discover. If you like, you can have an extended walk through the park alongside the river. By the way this area offers you a wide range of outdoor activities. For example you can start for a walk to the Rochlitz Hill or take a flatable boat tour on the river towards the village of Sörnzig or further to Rochlitz. In every case you will experience great scenery!

For mor information please see the following website:

www.wechselburg.de

www.kloster-wechselburg.de

The town of Rochlitz and its former imperial castle with a sidestep to the Rochlitz Hill Tower

From the village of Wechselburg it's only a 20-minute drive to the large district town of Rochlitz. You'll leave the place near the river bridge, taking the state road S 247 towards the village of Mutzscheroda. There, arriving the crossing, called "Grüne Tanne", you'll turn right into into the state road S175 which leads you to Rochlitz directly. Having passed the large Rochlitz Hill area on your right, you'll arrive the Rochlitz town area with the Rochlitz Castle. But you needn't go to Rochlitz immediately, you can also take a sidetrip to the Rochlitz Hill first. Shortly aterwards, having turned into the S175, look for the signpoint "Restaurant Türmerhaus". From there a little road leads to the highest point. There's a nice hill restaurant to have a further rest and climb up the view tower, called Friedrich-August-Tower. The tower itself is 27 metres high. The Rochlitz Hill is 348,9 metres above sea level. Having climbed up the hill tower, you'll be at a height of about 376 metres in total. If you have a fortune, you'll have a fantstic view towards the Ore Mountaains with the highest point of Saxony, the Fichtellberg Mountain. By the way, the Rochlitz Hill area is also an ideal place for short or extended walks to discover the attractive porphyry tuff quarries. These resulted in former volcano activities.
                           

View towards the Rochlitz Castle and the                         The Rochlitz Hill Tower with the
church called St. Petri                                                   new hill restaurant"Türmerhaus"

As already mentioned, the Rochlitz Castle rulers played an important role in the development of the areas alongside the river to the south.The Rochlitz Castle was first documentally mentioned in 1009, when it was burnt down by Margrave Gunzelin. But it was probably built in the middle of the 10th century. It was once a so-called imperial castle. For a long time it was closely connected with the rise of the Wettins in Saxony. It experienced a speedy ascent due to the colonial expansion under the rule of Margrave Dedo V. who inherited the Rochlitz Castle. He was the son of Margrave Konrad I of Wettin. Another important personality, once living in the castle, was Dutchess Elisabeth of Rochlitz. She was married with the Duke Johan of Saxony and took her widow's seat here. She introduced the Lutherian teachings and the Reformation ideas in her Wittum castle. The castle was finally expanded to a permanent residence by Margrave Wilhelm I at the end of the 14th century.

You should take yourself enough time to have a round walk through the castle. By the way, don't miss to visit the exhibition "Fat, One-Eyed, Revolutionary" in which you'll get to know a lot about these "forgotten Wettins". For example you'll experience why Margrave Dedo's diet failed and what the Wettin's princes did in their chambers. Furthermore you'll get information on where Dutchess Elisabeth hid her dangerous letters.

Before leaving Rochlitz, taking the motorway A72 near the village of Narsdof which leads you back to Chemnitz via the Röhrsdorf Motorway Cross, you should also have a visit to the Rochlitz maket square with the town hall and the church St Kunigunde. By the way there's a nice café at the market to have a snack or something sweet.


Tour 2: Chemnitz- Lichtenwalde Castle with its wonderful landscape park-Great District Town of Mittweida-the Kriebstein Recreation Area - Chemnitz

The Lichtenwalde Castle with its beautiful English landscape garden

After having a delicious breakfast in your Chemnitz accomodation, you'll take course by car to the village of Lichtenwalde with its beautiful castle today, running along the state road S 169. After a 30-minute drive you'll leave that road near the location of Lichtenwalde. You should plan to have a longer stay there because of the unique castle facilities to discover.The greater Lichtenwalde Castle area consists of four parts: The Baroc castle, the Baroc garden with an impressive fountain called "Seven Arts" because of its seven water jets and water cascades, the orangery and the manor estate. Latter was revitalised and completely new reconstructed and is part of the today's Lichtenwalde village centre.

The first castle was probably built at the beginning of the 13th century. Its development was influenced by many owners. Christoph Heinrich Earl of Watzdorf acquired the estate in 1722, broke down the old crumbled castle and replaced it by a completely new Baroc one. After the death of the earl's widow, the castle was transmitted as a fee tail into the hands of the Vitzthum von Eckstädt family. There's a hotel and a museum inside the castle. As statistics say it's also been a good place for celebrating weddings.

The Baroc garden was set up in the period between 1730-1737 by Friedrich Carl of Watzdorf in the form of an English landscape park. It was opend to the public in 1839. It's got a lot of rare plants, especially old trees, and some large rhododendron bushes which bloom woderfully in spring time. In the summer time concerts and other music events are often held there.

The revitalised and reconstructed former manor estate has got some modern houses with owner-ocupied flats, shops like a coffee shop and a candle workshop. There are also hotels and restaurants.

           

   Castle alley with a view towards the                    Park of the Lichtenwalde Castle laid out in
   Lichtenwalde Castle                                          the English landscape style

For more information on the Lichtenwalde Castle area please see the following website:

www.touristinfo-lichtenwalde.de

The Town of Mittweida- the gate of the Kriebstein Recreation Area

From Lichtenwalde it's only a 30-minute drive to get to the great district town of Mittweida. It is one of the three economic centres of the Central Saxony district. It is economically dominated by small and medium-sized companies. They are mainly settled up in the metal and electronics industry as well in the media and information technology based area. It's also got an outstanding university with international reputation. About 15.000 people live in the town's area now. It was first documentally mentioned in 1209 an became a town in 1286. It lies on the western side of the romantic river Zschopau Valley with its wooded slopes, bizarre rocks and riverside meadows. It's the gateway to the Kriebstein Recreation Area.

 

The Town Hall of the greater district town            Reconstructed burgher and craftmen's houses
of Mittweida, viewing from the market square        around the Mittweida market square

The Mittweida market square is a good place to get a first impression on that what the town is today. Coming from Lichtenwalde, you should arrive here around lunchtime. Being there, it's advisable to take a walk around the square to view the wonderful facades of the beautifully reconstructed burgher and craftmen's houses, the small streets and lanes. Furthermore you can discover an old mail-post and a fountain with a peace angel made in the art noveau style in the midst of the square.

For mor information please see the following website:

www.mittweida.de

The Kriebstein location on the Kriebstein Reservoir with its motorboat station- a central place for recovery and relaxing

After lunch you should continue your tour to the location of Kriebstein on the Kriebstein Reservoir. It lies quite near to the dam which backs up the water of the river Zschopau far upstream. Leaving the town of Mittweida, take the state road S 200 towards the village of Altgeringswalde, then at a crossing, not far away from Mittweida, turn into the Kriesbstein Road until you come to the car park to park your car. You can only get on foot to the Kriebstein site. It takes you about 10 minutes to get there. The Kriebstein location is a large recreation area. You'll have a lot of opportunities to spend your time there if the weather is fine. That's why you shouldn't hurry and enjoy the beautiful scenery a bit only.

                

Mooring station for the round trip motorboats              Sailing is a favourite outdoor activity on the
and the seastage in the background                             waters of the Kriebstein reservoir


Walking, sailing, canoeing, motorboat round-trips, theatre performances and wood climbing are some of the main outdoor activities in this place.

In every case we'd like you to recommend to have a motorboat round-trip on the waters of the reservoir. A little motorboat fleet with two boats called "Mittweida" and "Hainichen" operates there and takes you around the reservoir. This tour lasts about 1hour. And if you intend to stay for a longer time there, you can also rent a flat or a little weekend house around the reservoir.

The famous Kriebstein Castle, the oldest Knight's Castle of Saxony, is quite near the Kriebstein site. If you want, you can get to the castle walking through the forest or simply taking the car again.

The Kriebstein Castle offers you a lot of events to visit. One of them are the so-called "Mysterious Guided Tours". That way you can deeply dive into the Middle Ages. You'll get to know many interesting things about the castle and the former living conditions inside the castle walls. In dimly lid walls and candle shine you'll also meet figures from the former castle history which are coming alive. In the castle are also held castle festvals, classic concerts, thematic children's programmes and historic knight's meals. You shouln't miss to visit the "Kriebstein Room". It's a Gothic gem. The castle can also be used for civil and church marriages.



Tour 3: Chemnitz- the village of Erdmannsdorf with its famous cable car railway- the town of Augustusburg with its royal Hunting Castle- the Museum of the Miniature Ore Mountains in the town of Oederan-Chemnitz

You should already start early in the morning for this tour from your Chemnitz accomodation because there'll be a lot for you to discover on it again. Take the state road S...towards the the town of Flöha which is not so far from Chemnitz. It's only a 20-minute drive. Having arrived there, turn right at the crossing into direction of Erdmannsdorf which is a part of the town of Augustusburg now. Erdmannsdorf is a village at the foot of the royal Hunting Castle of Augustusburg. From here you can get to the castle by taking the famous cable railway. It was put into operation on the 24th June 1911. It's got two cars with 36 seats and a standing capacity of 39 seats. The travel length is 1299,8 metres. The height difference is 168,06 metres. It has to go 8 minutes to reach the upper Augustusburg station. We'd like you to recommend to experience this railway attraction.

Having arrived at the upper Augustusburg railway station, you have to walk about 15 minutes to get to the castle. By the way, you can also get by car the castle, of course. But it's more complicated to get a free parking place araound the castle in holidays time and at summertime weekends.

Having reached the castle gate decorated with the golden coat of arms which shows the initials of the Saxon king August the Strong, you'll step into the inner yard of the castle


                   

  Viewing from the Braunsdorf Heights                 The inner yard of the Augustusburg Hunting         
  towards the Augustusburg Castle                      Castle                                                                                    

                                               

Tour 4: Chemnitz- district capital Freiberg with a sidestep to Dresden-Chemnitz


                            


Tour 5: Chemnitz- Recreation area of Neuhausen in the Ore Mountains with a sidestep to Seiffen- Chemnitz



                 



Tour 6: Chemnitz- the town of Hainichen with the Friedrich-Gellert -Museum -"The town of boots" Döbeln- the castle of Mildenstein in Leisnig with a sidestep to the monastery Buch-Chemnitz



Travelling through the Central Saxony district much more individually

If you want to choose the above mentioned way of travelling, then book rooms in a hotel, restaurant or inn within the district. That way you'll be relative close to the wished destinations and you'll have your self-organised tours

Walking Tours

 Other occasions to come to Central Saxony

 Central Saxony Culture Summer

The Central Saxon Culture Summer is one of the most varied German cultural festivals. Every summer the registered society which has the same name as the festival is called presents a cultural festival for three months. More than 40 cultural performances with over 3,000 people being active in them will be held in the region. The festival motto is:"Enjoy the landscape- experience the culture".

Famous programme contents are:

"The performance at the stone" on the Rochlitz Mountain

"The knights' Games" in the walls of the Castle of Rochsburg

Theatre erformances at the only lake stage of Saxony at Kriebstein

If you want to know more about the above described registered society and its programme, then click on:

http://www.miskus.de/