Location plan of the Höhensteig

Having a total length of 50 kilometers, the Höhensteig can be identified by its green check mark. The market place of Klingenthal (E6/7, referring to the map of the Höhensteig) is a vantage point. After crossing the street Auerbacher Straße, you will get to the Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Straße (E7), where the hiking trail starts. Leaving the busy street, you will find a steep track in order to get to the mountain called Körnerberg (E7). Grasslands, as well as trees like beeches, birches and maples will cross the hiker‘s climb. In the valley, different perspectives of the city of Klingenthal come up. Submontane, you will find many houses, if you get higher, there will be a change of plain areas and dense woods.
The trail goes on, the next check marks are Kamerun (E7), Dreihöf (E7), Gösselberg (D7/E7) and Pudelmützhäuser (D7) before you reach the Kammweg (D7). The trail takes course where Saxony and Bohemia meet, on the left hand side you will find the city of Klingenthal, on the right hand side the Czech village of Bublava.
After that, the loop road is coming up with its next mountain, the Aschberg (C8), with an elevation of 936 meters. The streets Grenzstraße and Aschbergstraße lead the hikers to the top of the Aschberg, passing cozy dwelling houses and restaurants, spreading out their hospitality. The lookout on top of mount Aschberg, called Otto-Hermann-Böhm, is worth a visit before continuing the hiking trail.
The Höhensteig follows two hiking trails called Hirschleckenweg and Glashüttenweg until they reach the district of Mühlleithen (B7/A7) which is internationally popular for being a vantage point of numerous meets. The loop road goes on by reaching a bridge called Loipenbrücke (B7) and passing the stadium (B7). The summer toboggan run is located nearby and a rapid sled race can even be enjoyed during summertime.
The hiking trail leads you back to Klingenthal, passing a lake called Floßteich and following the Floßgraben, a system of moats that used to carry heavy tree trunks downstream. One junction leads to the small river Steinbach, where granite and phylite meet to bring up a romantic nature trail - the Radiumquelle (C7). Anyway, the loop road itself follows the ridge and reaches the site where the ski-jump Aschbergschanze used to be situated (C7). The next destinations are mount Mittelberg (D7) with its beautiful view over the region and its arboretum which is worth a visit (D6). Another highlight is the Vogtland Arena (C6). The large hill (K125) is supposed to be the most modern one in the world and both summer and winter it is a venue of grand sportive and cultural events. At the same time, it is a symbol of the 100-year-old history of Klingenthal‘s Nordic skiing.
The loop road continues passing mount Alberthöhe (D/E6), where hikers can enjoy a fantastic view over Klingenthal. Bohemian emigrants brought the knowledge of producing violins to the valley and created Klingenthal‘s name which means „melodic valley" in German. Its 150-year-old tradition of producing musical instruments helped putting the city on the world‘s cultural map. Until today, the famous brand of „Weltmeister" - accordions unites sportive and musical tradition and makes Klingenthal a unique city.
Passing the zoo (E6), the trail takes course to the open air pool (E6) and to the camping site called Dürrenbach (E6). After passing lake Meiselteich, hikers will find themselves standing above the housing estate „An der Huth", followed by the valley Klausenbachtal. You need to be in good shape to walk the precipitous trail Knockweg, before reaching mount Herrenberg (E/F5), the Hammerplatz and finally Zwota.
Every hiker addicted to music has to visit the museum of mouth organs in Zwota. More than 1,000 instruments, like accordions and mouth organs, that are produced in factories in Klingenthal and Zwota, are exposed, there. Furthermore, the collection includes a large assortment of electronic and electro-mechanic keyboard instruments that have been produced in the region since 1958.
After crossing the main street, the trail passes the cemetery, an area called Döhlerwald with impressing views of the city and a picnic area near the Czech border (F6). While sitting there, hikers let the experiences of the Höhensteig with its outrageous views sink in again. Crossing grasslands, the trail leads you to the city center, again.
For those, who do not want that day to be over now, the museum of music and winter sports is worth a visit (E6). There, you get to know everything about the hundreds of years of the tradition of producing musical instruments and the history of skiing in the city of Klingenthal. Despite its beauty of landscape and its purity, the loop road Höhensteig offers an unforgettable cultural experience to hikers.