Ridge trail stage 10 "From Rittersgrün to Johanngeorgenstadt"
- 3:00 h
- 9.89 km
- 282 m
- 242 m
- 639 m
- 910 m
- 271 m
- Start: Rittersgrün, Zollstraße
- Destination: Johanngeorgenstadt, train station
The ascent to the Fritzschberg begins in Rittersgrün/Zollstraße. From the edge of the forest, we have a great view back to Rittersgrün. The fir tree once dominated up here, but can only be found here and there today. As is so often the case in the Ore Mountains, it has been replaced by spruce. We pass Halbemeile. Halbemeile is only a few hundred meters from the trail. There are a few secluded and picturesque houses on the German side. On the Bohemian side lies Rozhrani (Halbmeil), completely deserted. The careful hiker soon enjoys the Himmelswiese, a paradise for native herbs and low mountain flowers. Following the ridge trail markings along the border and in relaxing silence past the pond biotope, the forest finally opens up at the Pachthaus and provides a view of the mining town. You have already reached Johanngeorgenstadt railroad station with cross-border train services to Karlsbad. Johanngeorgenstadt is also known as the "town of the candle arch". The world's largest free-standing candle arch can be found here. It is a giant: 25 meters wide and 14.5 meters high with candles. It consists of 700 tons of reinforced concrete and 15 tons of stainless steel. There is one small drawback: The candle arch is only lit up in winter. As we only have 10 kilometers to cover today, we still have enough time to visit the Glöckl mine and the Pferdegöpel. Both are absolutely worthwhile!
Milestones: Rittersgrün - Halbemeile nature reserve - Himmelswiese natural monument - Anton-Günther-Weg - Pachthaus - Johanngeorgenstadt/railway station
Good to know
Pavements
- Asphalt (7%)Gravel (71%)Trail (21%)Path (1%)
Best to visit
- suitableDepends on weather
Directions
The stage begins in Rittersgrün/Zollstraße and the ascent up the Fritzschberg. From the edge of the forest, we once again have a remarkable view of the scattered settlement of Rittersgrün. The paved Mückenbachweg takes us along the rocky path to the picturesque forest settlement of Halbemeile (910 m above sea level). Only on the German side is the land, which was divided by mining in the Middle Ages, still inhabited. The fir tree, which can still be found here in isolated cases, once formed the main tree population in the Erzgebirge forests, but was replaced by spruce. At the hiking border crossing further on the German side, we follow the border line to the Himmelswiese nature reserve. The old historic road has become insignificant, having once been an important salt and trade route to Bohemia. We can now observe the numerous rare butterflies and insects at Himmelswiese, a protected biotope, and enjoy the peace and quiet and seclusion.
Turning onto the Preißhausstraße hiking trail, we pass the pond biotope. A detour to the Rabenberg sports park is possible via the Oberdorfer Flügel. Far away from any road noise, it is home and training camp for many sports clubs from Germany as well as national teams from various countries. Continuing along the ridge trail markings, we change to the Alte Poststraße, part of which is also an Anton Günther nature trail, leading down to Pachthaus. Here the forest opens up and we see Johanngeorgenstadt, the youngest silver mining town in the Erzgebirge, which is characterized by mining. Following the markings, we finally hike downhill on the Pachthausstraße over the Schwarzwasser bridge with visual contact to the train station, the end of the stage.
Tour information
Cultural Interesting
Stop at an Inn
Summit
Equipment
Weatherproof clothing, sure-footed footwear and rucksack provisions are recommended.
Directions & Parking facilities
- Getting therefrom Schwarzenberg via S272 and S273 to BreitenbrunnParkingBreitenbrunn hiking parking lot
Johanngeorgenstadt, parking lots Loipenzentrum, Sauschwemme
Public transportation Additional information
Author
Birgit Knöbel
Organization
Erlebnisheimat Erzgebirge
Author´s Tip / Recommendation of the author
Johanngeorgenstadt with educational mining trail, Glöckl visitor mine and Pferdegöpel
Cross-border Anton Günther circular hiking trail
Safety guidelines
- After extensive forestry work, the forest sections between Rittersgrün and Halbmeile and on Preißhausstraße have been reopened, albeit with a coarse layer of gravel. Unfortunately, the forest path is currently difficult to walk on. Talks are underway with the responsible forest district of Neudorf to solve the problem.
Map
Overview map Kammweg Erzgebirge-Vogtland, scale 1 : 25,000, Publicpress-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-89920-658-6, Leporello, weatherproof and tearproof, retail price: € 14.90
Hiking, skiing and cycling map Kammweg Erzgebirge-Vogtland, scale 1 : 35,000, Dr. Barthel Verlag, ISBN 987-3-89591-059-3, retail price: €10.90