--- title: "The Fools' Trail" url: "https://www.visitsaxony.com/tour/the-fools-trail" description: "The 17-kilometer-long Schildbürger Trail winds through rural Schildau and tells the story of the famous pranks through twelve informational panels. Highlights include the Schildberg with its tower and views of the Dahlener Heide, the church with its historic carved altar, and the Schildbürger Fountain. The Neumühle lakeside resort, a playground, and the Friedwald forest are all great places to linger. The route is ideal for day hikes and, thanks to the network of trails, can be shortened to focus on the Schildbürger pranks or a loop around the Schildberg." language: "en" type: "SportsActivityLocation" image: "https://dam.destination.one/2905335/12b4177e6d84739538040fb7525229fe04fc04600af4a48e6a08d74e42ce5d8d/.jpg" breadcrumb: "Root > Home > Special > Destination.Data Details > Tour" --- GPX Share The Fools' Trail ================ - 17.18 km long - Round trip - Difficulty: difficult - Condition: very difficult - Hiking - 4:00 h - 17.18 km - 136 m - 134 m - 112 m - 211 m - 99 m - - Start: Schildau Market - Destination: Schildau Market Following in the footsteps of the Schildbürger and their stories. The Schildberg, located southwest of the city, offers a beautiful view of the countryside. The 17-kilometer-long Schildbürger Trail winds through rural Schildau and tells the story of the famous pranks through twelve informational panels. Highlights include the Schildberg with its tower and views of the Dahlener Heide, the church with its historic carved altar, and the Schildbürger Fountain. The Neumühle lakeside resort, a playground, and the Friedwald forest are all great places to linger. The route is ideal for day hikes and, thanks to the network of trails, can be shortened to focus on the Schildbürger pranks or a loop around the Schildberg. Read more Good to know ------------ Pavements Street (7%) Asphalt (18%) Gravel (44%) Trail (31%) Best to visit suitable Depends on weather - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec Directions Our hike to the Schildberg begins at the Gneisenau Monument on the market square in Schildau. From here, we follow Marktstraße and, after just a few steps, reach the only “Museum of the Schildbürger” in Germany. The exhibition features an extensive collection of books about the Schildbürger, a model of the legendary triangular town hall without windows, and the history of the Schildbürger and their traditional crafts. Passing the Schildbürger Fountain, we cross the intersection and follow Eilenburger Straße to the next fork. Via Kobershainer Straße (K8903), we reach Kohlweg, which turns left. Even from a distance, the Schildberg serves as a landmark. The path leads us through fields and meadows directly into the forested area of the Dahlener Heide. Following the signs, we reach the Schildberg. The 26-meter-high Schildberg Tower offers a fascinating view of the Dahlener Heide, the town of Schildau, and the surrounding villages. The observation tower was built in 1936 from quartz porphyry quarried at the foot of the mountain and is open every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from March through October, weather permitting (call 0152 / 01986360 or 034221 / 50606 for confirmation). A cozy rest area with informational signs invites you to linger. After a relaxing break, we hike toward Heßler’s Gorge and reach the S-Trail. Following this forest path, we arrive at Witte’s Quarry. Along the way, we pass an old boundary stone on our left, which commemorates the former boundary between the Kingdoms of Saxony and Prussia. We follow the S-Weg and cross Wurzener Straße (S23). After a few meters, we’ll need to open an unlocked gate in a forest clearing to continue along the trail. The S-Weg now leads us to the Bronze Age burial mounds—with 32 mounds, the largest concentration in the Dahlener Heide. Due to the nature of the burials (cremation), they are attributed to the Lusatian Urnfield Culture. We continue walking and soon reach a trail junction. Here, we keep to the left, leave the S-trail, and follow the A-trail. The trail leads us out of the Dahlener Heide, and as we walk along the edge of the forest, we reach the next major trail junction. Here, a weather shelter invites you to take a break. You also have the option of taking a detour to the small village of Ochsensaal with its quaint restaurants (about 1 km off the route). However, we follow the A-trail and, a few minutes later, cross Schmannewitzer Straße (K8982) and, shortly thereafter, the S24. The trail takes us to the Siebenquellental valley. The impressive valley floor has carved itself deeply into the landscape. This is due to seven clear hillside springs that emerge within a very small area and converge to form the Sitzenrodaer Bach. Majestic groups of beech trees dominate the forest here, with the “H-beech” (two beech trees intertwined by branches in an H-shape) representing a unique natural feature. At the next trail junction with a shelter, we come to the Hakenweg. We thus leave the A-trail and follow the signs for “Weißes Haus / Sitzenroda.” The Saxon Luther Trail runs parallel to this route. After a short while, we reach the village of Sitzenroda. At the village entrance, the forest path turns into a paved side street. We follow the street “Zum Quellental” to the “Schmiedeweg” junction. This takes us to the S24 main road, where we turn right. After a few steps, we keep to the left and take Alte Poststraße. The paved path, used by both hikers and cyclists, leads us out of town, past a farm shed to a small shelter on a slight hill. From here, we can once again let our gaze wander over Sitzenroda and the Dahlener Heide. We continue walking toward Schildau and soon rejoin the Lutherweg. Upon reaching the transmission tower, we turn left and pass right by the Schildau Equestrian Arena. Within just a few years, the arena has become a popular gathering place for horseback riding enthusiasts. The competition venue meets international standards, and its obstacles reflect the “Schildbürger pranks.” We follow the “Lutherweg” signs and return to Schildau. At the end of the trail, we turn right onto Wurzener Straße and walk toward downtown. At St. Mary’s Church—whose tower greets us from afar and on whose grounds Germany’s oldest mulberry tree can be admired—the trail leads us right onto Gothestraße. We then take the left turn onto Beethovenstraße and return to the starting point of our hike, the Schildau market square. Read more Tour information - Loop Road Equipment Sturdy shoes, weatherproof clothing, provisions. Read more Directions & Parking facilities **Getting there**Accessible by car from Leipzig via the B87. Read more **Parking**Schildau: Market SquareFrauwalde: Butterstraße, Frauwalde (at the Dammmühlenteich) Read more **Public transportation** - 781 PlusBus, Dahlen – Torgau (Ochsensaal Hotel) - 785 Torgau – Dahlen (Ochsensaal Hotel) Read more Author Lilly Kirsch Organization LEIPZIG REGION License (master data) Lilly Kirsch Author´s Tip / Recommendation of the author - **Hiking Tip: Schildbürger Hiking Trail** —Circular Route Through the City (7 km) - Schildbürger Museum - Schildberg Tower - St. Mary’s Parish Church - Schildbürger Fountain Read more Map Map from Dr. Barthel Publishing: "Country Vacation in Dahlener Heide" Read more Nearby ------ View on map Contact 04889 Schildau Download GPX file - -