Porphyry wall on the Riedelsteig in Leisnig

The Riedelsteig trail towards Klosterbuch is bordered by steep walls of Leisnig porphyry. In some places, such as opposite on the large red porphyry wall below Mildenstein Castle, flow textures of cooled lava from the Permian supervolcanic period, about 290 million years ago, can be observed.

Millions of years later, the valley's flow force carved its way into this rock, leaving behind steep cliffs.

The path also leads through floodplain landscapes. The formation of our river landscape with its fertile soils dates back to geological events in the Quaternary period, the Ice Age, which began about 2,6 million years ago.