Riparian Forest Tour - A Hiker's Favorite in Dresden Elbland
- 3:55 h
- 16.38 km
- 13 m
- 13 m
- 97 m
- 108 m
- 11 m
- Start: Zabeltitz Baroque Garden parking lot on Hauptstraße (behind the Parkschänke)
- Destination: Zabeltitz Baroque Garden parking lot on Hauptstraße (behind the Parkschänke)
This approximately 16-kilometer-long, flat, and easily accessible loop trail connects Zabeltitz Castle, the palace, and the Baroque garden with the waterways and lakes of the Röderaue, winding through a charming landscape that alternates between forest and open fields and meadows.
The tour starts either at Parking Lot 2 of the Zabeltitz Baroque Garden or in Frauenhain at the Schlossteich. It winds through forests with old-growth trees, open countryside, pastures, fields, ponds, and waterways, connecting two cultural landscapes in the Meissen district: the Röderaue and the Großenhainer Pflege.
The cultural highlight of the tour is the Zabeltitz Baroque Garden with its castle and palace. Magnificent tree-lined avenues, hedgerows, and the “Lustwäldchen” (pleasure grove) invite you to take a leisurely stroll. Artistic sandstone sculptures add a touch of elegance, and the splendor of the park is reflected in the waters of the unique pond system. Built on the site of a former moated castle, the palace, together with the “Old Castle,” forms a charming ensemble of Baroque and Renaissance architecture. The park is one of the largest and most significant French-style gardens in Saxony that has retained its original layout. It took on its current form starting in 1728, commissioned by Imperial Count von Wackerbarth and designed by Johann Christoph Knöffel.
The Zabeltitz Farm Museum is located in an old three-sided farmstead built around 1810. With numerous artifacts from the rural past of the villages around Zabeltitz, it illustrates the life of a middle-class farming family in the Großenhain district at the beginning of the 20th century.
St. George’s Church in Zabeltitz is also well worth a visit. It was built in 1580–81 to replace the old wooden church dating from 1495. The sandstone altar and the baptismal font are the work of the Dresden sculptor Christian Walther II. Imperial Count August Christoph von Wackerbarth is buried in this small village church.
Along the way, you’ll find numerous other natural and cultural attractions, such as the Geißlitz sheep bridge, the Zabeltitz fork weir, the village churches in Görzig and Frauenhain, and the various pond landscapes and floodplains.
You can download the brochure for the popular hiking trail “Auwaldtour” here:
https://www.dresden-elbland.de/r/611576097?page=media%2Fdownload
The Auwaldtour on Komoot:
Waypoints
Good to know
Best to visit
- suitableDepends on weather
Directions
- The Auwald Tour is a 16.4-kilometer loop trail and is signposted throughout in both directions with a logo (a green swan).
From the Frauenhain train station, you can reach the starting point at the Frauenhain Castle Pond, and from the Zabeltitz train station, you can reach the starting point at the Palace / Baroque Garden parking lot. Along the way, benches invite you to linger and take in the scenery.
Description starting from the Palais / Baroque Garden parking lot in Zabeltitz:
The tour starts at the parking lot in Zabeltitz, turning right toward the east and crossing the grounds of the Old Castle along the Röder River. After leaving the castle grounds, you’ll cross the Große Röder and follow a narrow hiking trail along the Röder to the Gabelwehr. After crossing it, the trail follows the Kleine Röder for a short distance and then turns right onto a forest path until it reaches the K 8512 road, where we turn left toward Görzig.
Here, there are already two possible shortcuts:
1. If you turn right, you’ll head straight back to the parking lot in Zabeltitz.
2. After crossing the Geißlitz, you can also turn left again, follow the bike path signs, and rejoin the original route just before Raden, which shortens the trip to 7.5 km.
The original route leads through the village of Görzig and the Tannenholz forest toward the Frauenhain pond area. At the Schafbrücke, cross the Geißlitz River and follow the route to the left into the forest. If you continue straight ahead here,
there
is another shortcut of about 4 km leading directly to Raden.
In the forest before the Röderteich, turn left and walk around it and the Großer Teich in a clockwise direction. Enjoy the diverse birdlife. The trail leads through the pond area to the Schloßteich in Frauenhain. From there, the trail follows the edge of the forest over two bridges to the left turn toward Raden. You’ll cross through the town on Großenhainer Straße (K 8582) until, at a sharp left-hand curve, you continue straight ahead into the Röderauwald Zabeltitz. The trail takes you back to the main road (K 8512) at the entrance to Zabeltitz, where you follow the signs to the left until you reach the starting point at the Barockgarten parking lot.
Tour information
Cultural Interesting
Loop Road
Stop at an Inn
Equipment
Sturdy shoes; no other special requirements.
Directions & Parking facilities
- Getting there
Take the A13, exit at Thiendorf or Ortrand, and then continue on the B 98 or B 101 to Zabeltitz
ParkingParking is available right next to the Zabeltitz Baroque Garden
Public transportationTake the RB31 train to Zabeltitz StationTake bus 461 to Zabeltitz, Baroque Garden
Additional information
At the Zabeltitz Information Center in the palace, you can find out about the wide range of local tourist attractions. Here you’ll also find a selection of souvenirs, as well as interesting books, biking maps, and hiking maps.
Literature
You can download the brochure for the popular "Auwaldtour" hiking trail here:
https://www.dresden-elbland.de/r/611576097?page=media%2Fdownload
Author
Dresden Elbland Redaktion
Organization
Dresden Elbland
License (master data)
Dresden Elbland Redaktion
Author´s Tip / Recommendation of the author
- In the foyer of the palace in Zabeltitz, a permanent exhibition provides important and interesting information about the history of the Baroque garden.
Safety guidelines
The hiking trail is almost entirely flat and accessible. In rainy weather, some sections of the trail may be slightly muddy.
Map
Additional hiking and map materials are available at the Zabeltitz Information Center.
Download GPX file