Why this ride
From Dresden it runs 97 km to Dresden; allow about 1 h 59 of riding. On the way it passes Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines, Altenberg-Zinnwald Mining Landscape and back through Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Dresden Elbe Valley and Altenberg-Zinnwald Mining Landscape
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 97 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 59
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Saxon Wine Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 26 km this is Saxon Wine Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 26 km
- Named road
- Saxon Wine Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines.
2. 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 comes up about 26 km into the recorded legs. Next is Altenberg-Zinnwald Mining Landscape.
3. Altenberg-Zinnwald Mining Landscape
Altenberg lives with a hole in the ground, and is proud of it. The Pinge, a huge funnel of collapsed workings beside the town, opened up in 1620 when old tin mine tunnels caved in, and later collapses widened it into the crater you can look into today. Tin was the reason for everything here: the town grew around the mines in the fifteenth century, and the Zinnwald workings a few kilometres up the ridge, right on the Czech border, kept digging into modern times. The whole district is part of the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region, a UNESCO listing shared between Saxony and Bohemia.
Read the complete Altenberg-Zinnwald Mining Landscape write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 48 km into the recorded legs you reach Altenberg-Zinnwald Mining Landscape. Next is back through Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines.
4. back through 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
back through Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines, late in the day. Next is Dresden Elbe Valley.
5. 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 at Dresden Elbe Valley. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Dresden Elbe Valley to Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines
Dresden Elbe Valley → Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines to Altenberg-Zinnwald Mining Landscape
Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines → Altenberg-Zinnwald Mining Landscape is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Altenberg-Zinnwald Mining Landscape to back through Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines
Altenberg-Zinnwald Mining Landscape → back through Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines to Dresden Elbe Valley
back through Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines → Dresden Elbe Valley is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.