Kohlhaasweg

The trail begins on the forecourt of Düben Castle, first mentioned in 981, within whose walls the Düben Heath Landscape Museum has been located since 1953. You leave the town through the symbolic gate of the Düben Heath over the Mulde Bridge. Right at the start of the tour, your gaze rests on the Mulde and the backdrop of Düben Castle behind it.

On the left you pass the Altenhof, an old farm colony. If you let your eyes wander, you will see the Rote Ufer on the right of the path. The steep slope, up to 15 m high, was created by heaps of leached alum earth, which was mined here from the 16th to the 19th century. If you turn your gaze, you can see the Schnaditz district with its castle and the 29 m high defensive tower. At the former Maresch estate, an old three-sided farm, there is a pure rural idyll. Most of the time you can see peacefully grazing cows and all kinds of feathered animals here.

The next highlight is the small, quiet castle park in Schnaditz. The rare pyramid oak can be admired there and thousands of crocuses greet visitors in spring. At the exit of the park, Schnaditz Castle rises up with its eight-century history. A plaque at the castle entrance tells some of this. With prior registration, you can visit the walls and enjoy the view from the tower. The nearby castle pond with its artesian well is attractive. The artesian wells have a special significance around Bad Düben. The knowledgeable city guides can tell you about this. A stately chestnut tree with a comfortable round bench invites you to rest and linger.

Behind Schnaditz, field edges and a variety of trees and bushes line the path before you reach the Naschkau sheep farm. Like everywhere where sheep are at home, sweet little lambs call out across the land around Easter time. The path now leads through a wetland with its special flora and fauna in the direction of Wellaune. Here we encounter history again. A memorial stone commemorates Hans Kohlhase and the beginning of the Kohlhaas affair in 1532, which held the entire region in suspense and which entered world literature through Heinrich von Kleist's novella "Michael Kohlhaas". The path leads back to Bad Düben over the overgrown and scenically very attractive old Mulde dam. Here you can make a detour to the "former gravel pit" in Bad Düben.

Sturdy shoes are recommended!

• see www.mdv.de
• Bus 196: Leipzig-Bad Düben
• Bus 210: Delitzsch-Bad Düben
• Bus 232: Eilenburg-Bad Düben
• HP Bad Düben, Lutherstraße or Paradeplatz

Refreshment and overnight accommodation options:

Burgschänke Goldener Löwe in Bad Düben (Tel. 034243-2860)

Hotel National in Bad Düben (Tel. 0342432869900)

On the way from Wellaune to Bad Düben, take a detour to the "Former Bad Düben Gravel Pit". This area is home to a wide variety of wildlife.

Shortly after Wellaune the B107 must be crossed.