Kammweg Section 10 "From Rittersgrün to Johanngeorgenstadt"
The whisper of fir trees and the glow of lights. The Kammweg is not as well-known as the Jakobsweg (thank God). The hiking philosophy is similar: simply get away from it all and find yourself. If you listen carefully on this stage, you will hear the whisper of fir trees. If you look closely, you will be fascinated by the beauty of the sky meadow. Only the "Rumwischkastl" should definitely be set to silent beforehand and deposited in the rucksack.
easy
Distance 9.9 km
In Rittersgrün/Zollstraße the ascent to the Fritzschberg begins. From the edge of the forest we have a great view back to Rittersgrün. Up here, the fir tree once dominated, but today it can only be found in isolated places. As is so often the case in the Ore Mountains, it has been replaced by spruce. We pass Halbemeile. Halbemeile is only a few hundred metres from the path. Secluded and picturesque, there are a few houses on the German side. On the Bohemian side lies Rozhrani (Halbmeil), completely deserted. The attentive hiker soon enjoys the Himmelswiese, a paradise for native herbs and low mountain flowers. Continuing to follow the ridge trail markings along the border and in relaxing silence past the pond biotope, the forest finally opens up at the Pachthaus and reveals the view of the town, which was shaped by mining. You have already reached Johanngeorgenstadt railway station with cross-border train services to Karlovy Vary. Johanngeorgenstadt is also known as the "City of the Candle Arch". It is home to the world's largest free-standing candle arch. It is a giant: 25 metres wide and 14.5 metres high with candles. It is made of 700 tonnes of reinforced concrete and 15 tonnes of stainless steel. There is one small drawback: The candle arch is only illuminated in winter. As we only have 10 kilometres to cover today, we still have enough time to visit the Glöckl mine and the Pferdegöpel. Both absolutely worthwhile!
Milestones: Rittersgrün - Halbemeile nature reserve - Himmelswiese nature monument - Anton-Günther-Weg - Pachthaus - Johanngeorgenstadt/station
Author’s recommendation
Johanngeorgenstadt with mining nature trail, Glöckl visitor mine and horse-drawn gorse.Cross-border Anton Guenther circular hiking trail
Quality route according to "Wanderbares Deutschland"
Difficulty
easy
Technique
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Highest point
Halbemeile, 910 m
Lowest point
Johanngeorgenstadt, Wittigstalstraße, 639 m
Best time of year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Track types
Asphalt
0.7 km
Dirt road
7.1 km
Forested/wild trail
2.1 km
Path
0.1 km
Rest stops
Sportpark Rabenberg / TrailCenterLandhotel Rittersgrün
Tips and hints
Start
Rittersgrün, Zollstraße (639 m)
Coordinates:
DD
50.460193, 12.818801
DMS
50°27'36.7"N 12°49'07.7"E
UTM
33U 345184 5592072
w3w
///finale.divulges.latitudes
Destination
Johanngeorgenstadt, train station
Turn-by-turn directions
The stage begins in Rittersgrün/Zollstraße and the ascent to the Fritzschberg. From the edge of the forest, we once again have a remarkable view of the scattered settlement of Rittersgrün. Via the paved Mückenbachweg we reach the picturesquely situated forest settlement of Halbemeile (910 m above sea level) along the rocky path. Only on the German side is the land, divided by mining in the Middle Ages, still inhabited. The fir, which can still be found here in isolated cases, once formed the main tree population in the Ore Mountain forests, but has been replaced by spruce. At the hiking border crossing further on the German side, we follow the border line to the Himmelswiese area nature monument. The old historic road has become meaningless, having once been an important salt and trade route to Bohemia. We can now observe the numerous rare butterflies and insects at the Himmelswiese, a biotope under nature protection, and soak up peace and relaxation due to the unusual silence and seclusion. Turning onto the Preißhausstraße hiking trail, we pass the pond biotope. A detour to the Rabenberg sports park is possible via the Oberdorfer Flügel. Far away from any road noise, it is the quarters and training camp for many sports clubs from Germany as well as national teams from various countries. Following the ridge trail markings, we change to the Alte Poststraße (old post road), which in part also serves as an Anton Günther nature trail, leading down to Pachthaus. Here the forest opens up and we see the mining town of Johanngeorgenstadt, the youngest silver mining town in the Ore Mountains. Following the markings, we finally walk downhill on the Pachthaus road over the Schwarzwasser bridge with visual contact to the railway station, the end of the stage.
Public transport
By road
Parking
Coordinates
DD
50.460193, 12.818801
DMS
50°27'36.7"N 12°49'07.7"E
UTM
33U 345184 5592072
w3w
///finale.divulges.latitudes
Arrival by train, car, foot or bike
Author’s map recommendations
Übersichtskarte Kammweg Erzgebirge-Vogtland, Maßstab 1 : 25.000, Publicpress-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-89920-658-6, Leporello wetter- und reissfest, VK-Preis: 14,90 €
Wander-, Ski- und Radwanderkarte Kammweg Erzgebirge-Vogtland, Maßstab 1 : 35.000, Dr. Barthel Verlag, ISBN 987-3-89591-059-3, VK-Preis: 10,90 €
Equipment
Weatherproof clothing, sure-footed footwear and backpack provisions are recommended.Reviews
Difficulty
easy
Distance
9.9 km
Duration
3:00 h
Ascent
282 m
Descent
242 m
Highest point
910 m
Lowest point
639 m
Statistics
2D
3D
Maps and trails
- 12 Waypoints
- 12 Waypoints
Distance
km
Duration
: h
Ascent
m
Descent
m
Highest point
m
Lowest point
m
Questions and answers
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Rating
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