"Höhensteig" Klingenthal Circuit

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Tour data
47.81km
544 - 860m
Distance
1,258hm
1,265hm
Ascent
10:00h
 
Duration
Brief description

This circuit features impressive views from above of the Saxon-Bohemian border region.

Difficulty
difficult
Rating
Technique
Fitness
Landscape
Experience
Starting point

Klingenthal

Route
Klingenthal
0.2 km
Unterklingenthal
0.6 km
Körnerberg
1.6 km
Körnerberg (739 m)
2.2 km
Obersachsenberg
7.1 km
Bergstübl
7.9 km
Aschbergschänke
7.9 km
Schoene Aussicht
8.4 km
Steindöbra
9.4 km
Mühlleithen
11.3 km
Passhöhe Mühlleithen (860 m)
11.6 km
Quelle
13.1 km
Mittelberg (678 m)
15.4 km
Brunndöbra
17.3 km
Brunndöbra
20.8 km
Alberthöhe
21.9 km
Klingenthal
22.9 km
Gasthof Zwota
28.4 km
Zwota
28.7 km
Oberzwota
34.5 km
Kehr´s Gasthof
35.6 km
Eisenquelle
42.0 km
Zwota
44.6 km
Klingenthal
47.7 km


Best season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Description
On its entire length of 31 km, this trail runs along the green markers of the Klingenthal/Zwota circuit and features fantastic views across the border to the Czech Republic. Plus, hikers will get an insight into the musical history of the small town Klingenthal.  

Czech emigres had once brought their violin making skills to the Klingenthal valley, thus establishing a now over 150 year-old tradition of instrument making that is famous throughout the world. A trademark is the "Weltmeister“ branded accordion which stands for the unmistakable “Klingenthal sound“. 

Hikers interested in music should not miss the mouth organ museum in Zwota featuring more than 1,000 instruments, mouth organs and accordions that were produced in Klingenthal and Zwota. The exhibition also includes a comprehensive selection of electronic and electromechanical keyboard instruments that have been produced in the region since 1958. 

Another highlight along the route is the “Vogtland Arena“ for skijumping featuring one of the most cutting-edge large hills in the world. At the same time, it is also a symbol for the area’s history of nordic skiing that goes back more than a century.

If you still haven’t had enough at the end of your hike, head for the music and wintersports museum nearby where visitors will learn all about the tradition of musical instrument making, going back centuries, as well as Klingenthal’s more than 100 year-old history of all things skiing. All in all, this circuit trail not only features beautiful scenery but also provides hikers with a unique cultural experience featuring Klingenthal’s most attractive sights.

Directions
Symbolic landmarks of the music and winter sports town of Klingenthal are the town hall and the round church "Zum Friedefürsten", which are located above the market square. From the town centre, it is only a few steps to the start of the circular trail: the course begins by crossing Auerbacher Straße (B283) and then joins Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Straße. Here the course leaves the road and leads via a meadow path up to the Körnerberg. Meadows, small groups of trees of beech, birch and maple alternate generously and a look back opens up a panorama with views of the city: in the valley the rows of houses that follow the foot of the mountains along the traffic routes on the ridges are replaced by wide expanses of spruce forest.

Alternating between ascents and descents, you reach the Kammweg via the Kamerun, Dreihöf, Gösselberg and Pudelmützhäuser. The route leads high above where Saxony and Bohemia join hands: On the left, the steep slope towards the city, on the right, undulating land that flows into the neighbouring Czech village of Bublava/Schwaderbach a few kilometres away.

The circular route, however, already has the next height in sight, the 936-metre-high Aschberg. The border road and the Aschberg road lead up the steep mountain, past cosy residential houses with typical wooden shacks and inviting inns. Before continuing along the Höhensteig, it is worth taking a short detour to the "Otto-Hermann-Böhm" observation tower on the summit of the Aschberg. Meanwhile, the Höhensteig follows the Hirschlecken and Glashütter trails to the district of Mühlleithen, which has gained international fame as the starting point of numerous sports competitions. Thus, the circular trail also leads over the cross-country skiing bridge, past the areas that serve as a ski stadium in winter. On the neighbouring summer toboggan run, a speedy toboggan ride is possible even in the snow-free time of the year.

The trail now turns south, back towards Klingenthal. The trail passes the lower raft pond and follows the raft ditch, where heavy logs were once safely moved down into the valley by a system of water ditches, wet-footed. A branch leads into the Steinbach valley, where granite and phyllite meet on a wildly romantic nature trail - the "Radiumquelle". However, the circular trail follows the ridge and finally reaches the site of the former Aschberg ski jump. Next destinations are the Mittelberg with its viewing opportunities and the Aboretum in Forstwinkel, which is well worth seeing. Another highlight along the way is the Vogtland Arena. The large ski jump (HS140) is considered one of the most modern large ski jumps in the world and is the venue for important sporting and cultural events in summer and winter. At the same time, the ski jump is a symbol of the more than 100-year history of Nordic skiing in Klingenthal.

The circular route continues over the Alberthöhe where the view of the town with its illustrious name opens up. Bohemian exiles once brought the knowledge of violin making to the valley surrounded by mountains and turned it into the "sounding valley" - "Klingenthal", whose more than 150-year tradition of making hand-pulled instruments gave the town a worldwide reputation. Passing the zoo on the Richard-Wagner-Höhe, the trail then turns sharp right down the slope to the open-air swimming pool and the Dürrenbach campsite.

After the Meiselteich pond, turn back towards the town and walk past the residential area "An der Huth" down into the Klausenbach valley. The steep Knockweg path requires more stamina before you reach the hammer place in Zwota via the Herrenberg. A detour to the Zwota harmonica museum next to the church is a "must". Over 1000 instruments from the Klingenthal and Zwota production of accordions and harmonicas as well as electronic keyboard instruments are exhibited there.From the centre of Zwota, the route leads steeply uphill to the foothills of the Schönecker Landstufe via the Alter Weg and the Schieferbergstraße, the historic connection to Kottenheide. The trail offers views of the Glasbach valley and the Zwota valley - all the way to Klingenthal. After a stretch through a mixed spruce and beech forest, you reach the "Reith", a plateau once used for agriculture.

Via the Sammerberg as another vantage point, the trail then first descends into the valley of the Zechenbach, an old mining area, and up the opposite slope to the Schlosserberg, which is reached at an altitude of 721 metres. From there you have a view of the upper Zwota valley and the valley of the Raunerbach as well as the Hoher Brand (805 metres). Passing the houses of the mountain settlement, which was inaugurated in 1937, the trail descends into the valley and past the Zwotatal holiday hotel climbs steeply up the northern slope of the Hoher Brand - until it reaches the forest road coming from the Gopplasgrüner Höhe. From there, the trail leads to the left to the Erlbacher Jagdhütte (hunting lodge), whose vestibule can be used for a rest. The ridge trail leading from there in the direction of the Wegspinne was a section of the running course in the decision for the relay championship at the German Ski Championships in 1929.At the Wegspinne, the route turns left into the valley of the Hüttenbach, the upper part of which has been a nature reserve since 1961. Past two reservoirs from the 1930s, the route continues to the forest houses, a settlement originally built for forest workers in 1875. From there you have another impressive view of the Zwota valley. Shortly before reaching the centre of Zwota again, the trail passes quarries that have long been closed down and where roofing slate was mined between 1820 and 1857.

The trail continues along the cemetery on the northern slope of the "Döhlerwald" with fascinating town views to the rest area near the Czech border. From there you can review the mountain panorama of the already hiked "Höhensteig" with an impressive view. Finally, you will reach the town centre again via a steep downhill meadow path. If you don't want to end the day yet, you should decide to visit the nearby music and winter sports museum. There you can learn all about the centuries-old tradition of musical instrument making and Klingenthal's 100-year history of skiing. - The "Höhensteig" circular trail Klingenthal offers hikers not only its natural beauty and scenic beauty but also an unforgettable cultural experience with a view of the city's most beautiful leisure facilities.

 

Highest point
860 m
Endpoint

Klingenthal

Height profile
© outdooractive.com

Equipment

Appropriate hiking equipment should be used for the trail.

Safety instructions

Take care of your physical condition and take appropriate amounts of drinks with you on the hike.

Tips

Visit to the Klingenthal Music and Winter Sports Museum
View from the observation tower on the Aschberg mountain
Ride on the "WieLi" adventure train to the Sparkasse Vogtland Arena jump and view from the capsule

Additional information
Tourist information Klingenthal
Schloßstraße 3
08248 Klingenthal
www.klingenthal.de

Arrival

Via the A9 to the Bavarian Vogtland junction exit, continue via Oelsnitz to Klingenthal.

Public transportation

For information on how to get there by bus and train, please contact the Vogtland Tourist and Transport Office on +49 3744 19449 or www.vogtlandauskunft.de. 

Parking

Klingenthal, market place


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General info

Refreshment stop
Cultural/Historical
A lot of view
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