2nd route: Hiking through the volcanic basin - geology & old mining in the caldera "Tharandt Forest"

From the Roßmäßlerbau in Tharandt, you first reach panel 22 of the Geological Hiking Trail from Kurort Hartha to Tharandt "Flood 2002 in Tharandt", a memorial stone, and additional information panels. After a small detour across the parking lot, you arrive at panel 22: "Flood 2002 in Tharandt", a memorial stone, and further information panels (F). Then you ascend next to the church up to the Burgberg. Here stands panel 21: "Gneiss of the Burgberg". From the castle ruins, you have a beautiful view into three valleys; here is also panel 20 "Rocks as building materials". From the castle ruins, it goes along Heinrich-Cotta-Straße and Amtsgasse through Tharandt. In Talmühlenstraße, a small detour to the right leads to the former lime works of Tharandt with panel 19, where limestone was mined and burned until 1913. On the further route towards Kurort Hartha, you pass panels 18 "Tharandt fissure with breccia", 17 "Quartz phyllites in the Talmühlengrund", 16 "Diabase cliffs on Cottaweg" and 15 "Stream-floodplain-Holocene". In Kurort Hartha, the eastern route of the Geological Open-Air Museum ends, and the Geological Hiking Trail begins. Across the spa square with flower sundial and the deer from Grillenburg, you reach the bell stand and the forest stage on the Hartheberg. Then a small detour to the right to the Preußenschanze is worth it. Along clearing 7, you first pass panel 7 "Kugelpechstein" and then reach the snack bar Am Waldrand in Spechtshausen. Next, it continues to the Landberg with a guesthouse. There you also find panel 5 "Time travel over the Landberg" as well as panel 6 "Nodule stones". With a magnificent view north over the Elbe valley to the Lusatia, you reach the porphyry fan (panel 4). On the further way through Schmieders Graben stand panels 3 "Geological fault with breccia" and 2 "Phyllite - slate" as well as the overview panel. You now hike through Mohorn Grund and encounter the "Path of rocks of the Triebisch valley", the KNOX incense candle manufactory, and several old adits. In Obergund, you walk past a garden allotment. Here are relics of old mining: two pond remains, mine shafts, spoil heaps, and an artificial channel. Then it continues to "Wüstarabien". Along the Triebisch, it goes first to the Kirschberg shelter and then to the porphyry rock "Jungfernloch". Upon arriving at the Ernemann hut, you turn onto Schwarze Straße toward Zigeunerplatz. Then you follow Warnsdorfer Weg to the Warnsdorfer spring with picnic area. The spring delivers about 4 liters of water per second and supplied Tharandt with drinking water for decades. Over the Mauerhammer, it goes over the S-Berg to the Judeich hut. On Judeichweg at the edge of the Weißeritztal through the "Holy Halls", a tall beech stand resembling cathedral columns, you reach Cotta's grave. Nearby is also the viewpoint "Heinrichs Eck". Following the Mauerhammer, you finally reach the viewpoint Kienberg with views of the new forest park, Kurort Hartha, the Hartheberg, and the Landberg. Then it goes downhill back to the starting point.

Food from the backpack, guesthouses/snack bars along the way (forest snack bar Spechthausen, guesthouse Landberg, Sportcasino Grund) and at the destination

Challenging route. Sturdy footwear required.