Of course Germany is rich in interesting places, historical sites and overcrowded attractions. Under this heading we want to present the hidden gemstones, not touched by mass tourism but worth a visit.
This time: KRIEBSTEIN CASTLE and surroundings.
This “dream of a knight’s castle” can be found a short distance from the main tourist routes. Visitors today can explore the castle’s fairytale-like walls and towers within the so-called 'Saxon Triangle' with its major Saxonian cities (Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz).
On the subject of fairytales: the castle is a favoured location for romantic, adventure and fairytale films.
To find the place: 22R9+X2 Kriebstein, Deutschland
To get information: www.burg-kriebstein.eu
Inside the castle you will see a painting which shows quite an extraordinary scene: women carry knights on their backs. To become aquainted with the real story behind this tableau, come and see it and ask the guide!
Apart from that ancient castle, this part of the country offers many more attractions not found in the tourist guide book Baedeker. The author can recommend:
- The Kriebstein-Dam-Lake
- reachable even on foot by hiking through green forests, starting from the castle,
- the artificial lake provides every kind of recreation you would expect with water and along shores and waterfronts.
- Those who prefer more nature, can book a night in the trees: Try to sleep in the tree-houses of Kriebelland – an unforgettable stay.
- A special place nearby: Refugium Ehrenberg, a private garden with sculptures, open to the public
- easy to reach within a few minutes’ walk from the castle
- The bricklayed railway-viaducts
- you can find two of them near Waldheim
- the highest at 52 m is the Diedenhainer bridge: 32J7+F6 Waldheim, Deutschland
- with a length of 210m the so called Heiligenborner Viaduct is a longer one but lower.
- If somebody wants to see the biggest one of its kind, it can be be found more than 100 km away: The Göltzschtal-Bridge
- Once the visitor is in Waldheim, the next small town,
- he may take a look at the Exhibition of the oldest prison of Germany
- there is even something to learn about the GDR interpretation of “justice”
- and what for Rome or Naples are the catacombs, here it is the “Kellerberg”.
- he may take a look at the Exhibition of the oldest prison of Germany
- Another nice and hidden place, only 20 km away: Rochlitz
- the city itself is a rare testimony to a place not destroyed by bombs in WWII, but then suffered from lack of maintenance during socialist time, and revitalisation after 1990
- worth a visit: the Rochlitz castle, dedicated to the life of Elisabeth of Saxony who forced the reformation with her own kind of diplomacy
- Tired of walking and sightseeing? Enjoy a trip by “Schienentrabi”
- unique in the world: Trabant on railway tracks
- passing through a pittoresque valley along the river Mulde
- And – no joke – you may reach “Amerika” in this manner....
- Last but not least in the area: the Camera Obscura at Hainichen, approx. 18 km away
- a “built in” camera in a tower: X4FG+9G Hainichen, Deutschland
- no battery, no hightech, no WiFi – and it works! Try to explain this to the children....
The author begs your pardon that not all websites and links are available in English. If somebody is interested and needs assistance, don´t hesitate to contact the German Semester!
Thank you for your attention!