Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines and Grünthal Silver-Copper Liquation Works · 234 km from Dippoldiswalde

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines

   In 2008, when parts of the old town of Dippoldiswalde began to subside, engineers investigating the problem found something nobody expected: a network of medieval silver mines running beneath the streets, dating back to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The tunnels contained remarkably well preserved wooden ladders, tools and even shoes, offering an unparalleled glimpse of mining at the start of the Ore Mountains' silver boom. These finds are part of the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region listed by UNESCO in 2019.

   Read the complete Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines is where the day begins. Next is Dresden Elbe Valley.

2. 2. Dresden Elbe Valley

   Dresden's Elbe valley once held a World Heritage listing and then lost it. Inscribed in 2004 for its blend of Baroque city, river meadows, palaces and vineyards, it was removed from the list in 2009 after the city built the Waldschlösschen bridge across the meadows, a decision that sparked fierce debate. The landscape itself, however, remains beautiful: the river curves through wide green meadows, with the domes and spires of the old town on one side and the villas and vineyards of the Loschwitz slopes on the other.

   Read the complete Dresden Elbe Valley write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Dresden Elbe Valley comes up about 25 km into the recorded legs. Next is Lauenstein Administrative Centre.

3. 3. Lauenstein Administrative Centre

   Lauenstein stands on a rock above the Müglitz valley in the eastern Erzgebirge, where the mountains tilt down toward Saxony and the Czech border is only a few kilometres off. The castle, a medieval stronghold that grew into a Renaissance residence, was long the seat of the Bünau family, a powerful Saxon dynasty, and its administrative centre controlled the surrounding district, with its farms, forests and mines. The little town gathered at its feet, with narrow lanes and old houses. Today the castle is a museum, with a dramatic position above the valley.

   Read the complete Lauenstein Administrative Centre write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 65 km into the recorded legs you reach Lauenstein Administrative Centre. Next is Grünthal Silver-Copper Liquation Works.

4. 4. Grünthal Silver-Copper Liquation Works

   Down in the valley of the Flöha, on the edge of Olbernhau, stands an industrial village that looks almost too neat to be real: slate-roofed workshops, a hammer mill, workers' houses and a stout gatehouse, all enclosed within a wall. This is the Saigerhütte Grünthal, a works that separated silver from copper ore by a technique called liquation, and it is one of the best preserved sites of its kind in Europe. It forms part of the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region, listed by UNESCO in 2019 for both the German and Czech sides of the range.

   Read the complete Grünthal Silver-Copper Liquation Works write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Grünthal Silver-Copper Liquation Works, about halfway. Next is back through Lauenstein Administrative Centre.

5. 5. back through Lauenstein Administrative Centre

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Lauenstein Administrative Centre write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Lauenstein Administrative Centre sits at 149 km, about halfway. Next is back through Dresden Elbe Valley.

6. 6. back through Dresden Elbe Valley

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Dresden Elbe Valley write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Dresden Elbe Valley comes up about 210 km into the recorded legs. Next is Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines.

7. 7. Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines closes the day.