Germany: Auersberg – 2nd Highest Mountain in Saxony

Ore Mountains / Vogtland nature park is 120 km wide and covers an area of 149 500 hectares. The park consists from 71% of forest, 20% from permanent grass cover and only 9% of inhabited areas. You can experience of the most extraordinary moments on Auersberg lookout.

10 tourist trails go up to the top and these trails are of various difficulty and length. I choose the less difficul blue tourist trail. It is 6.5 kilometers long. The trail is suitable for children. Johanngeorgenstadt is a place to start. It is situated 5 kilometers behind the former Potucky border crossing. Drive to „Pension und Gaststätte Steinbach“ restaurant. There is a car park opposite to the large house. Nice staff will surely let you park there.

Go on foot starting at the restaurant. Follow the road on which you arrived here. The road runs parallel to Eibenstocker Strasse street. 200 meters on you turn right on gravel road. On both sides, there are meadows. The road gets you to the edge of the forest. Follow blue tourist trail to the left. Turn right behind the last homestead building. Go straight on until you reach a crossroads where a wooden shelter stands (you can take a break there). The participants of the famous and difficult "three dams marathon" cross this crossroads every year.

200 down the trail turn right and go up a steep hill. There is bench in the middle of this road. It is an ideal place to observe sunrise or sunset because the lights shines on the tops of spruce. Forest pathway will get you to a tarmac road. Turn in the direction of your right hand and look up at the sky. It seems as if a lookout at the end of the worl suddenly appeared in front of you. A grassy pathway goes along the tarmac road. This pathway leads up to the lookout 400 meters away.

The entrance fee to the lookout tower costs 1 euro (50 cents children). You need to borrow the key in the restaurant/guest house. By the way, the latter has been in operation for 100 year. Auersberg is a place with magnificen vistas in any season of the year. The views are over the Ore Mountains and its villages cramped in valleys, and oval shaped dams of Elbenstock and Sosa. There is also a stand selling some refreshments. Apart from the fact that we stand on the highest summit of Saxony. There is also the highest placed children playground. There is knowledge quiz. Its answers often surprise even grown-ups. There is also a garden where rare herbs grow.

Originally, the area we were now in used to be a hunting terrtory. Priest Christian Gottlob Wild discovered the purpose of life in hiking in forest. This way he refilled energy. He claimed that this area has very positive energy and hiling there is a great experience for him. This instigated Prince Johann George I to put into life the idea of a stone lookout tower which was actually opened to the public in the year 1860.

GPS: 50°27'21.5"N 12°38'49.4"E

Text and photos: Šárka Vacková