Did you know where the world-famous Christmas angels are made? Where most of the narrow-gauge steam locomotives run? And where the Bastei and the most mystical fairy-tale castle are located? Exactly, in the travel destination Saxony - here are eight reasons to go there as soon as possible.
The tip for romantics and city escapists - and a real place of longing: The national park region Saxon Switzerland. The rock world in the southeast of Dresden is a postcard motif and climbing paradise, fascinating romantics and adventurers alike. Saxon Switzerland is one of the ten most popular national parks in Europe and an absolute must-see for every traveler to Saxony. How did Saxon Switzerland get its name? Two Romantic painters, Adrian Zingg and Anton Graff, coined it over 100 years ago. Both artists came from the "real" Switzerland and taught at the art academy in Dresden. Walking through what is now the National Park region, they felt reminded of their homeland. Caspar David Friedrich also felt inspired by the wildly romantic landscape - today, the 112-kilometer hiking trail "Malerweg" still bears witness to this. And if you don't like hiking, you can even take a streetcar through the forest here. Pirna is the perfect starting point for your adventure in the Saxon Switzerland.
How to get to Pirna by train: Plan arrival.
The Ore Mountains owe their name and wealth to more than 800 years of mining history. Nowhere else in Germany are there so many material witnesses of mining. Those who like to Discovery tour goes, can do so in a variety of ways. Saxony has the oldest teaching mine in the world, the Alte Elisabeth of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, where you can go hiking. The Silver mine in Freiberg it is one of the largest and oldest in Saxony: with 800 years of tradition and 1,000 ore veins. Adventurous and exciting are the mine tours, adventure tours and expert tours.
This is how you get to Freiberg by train: Plan arrival.
They are symbols of traditional craftsmanship that people all over the world bring into their homes at Christmas time at the latest. The bear-bearded nutcracker, the good-natured smoking man, the Eleven point angel, candle arch and Christmas pyramid, as well as the Musical instruments as from the Vogtland and the Herrnhut Advent Star - they are at home all over the world, but their home is Saxony. And this is where they shine most beautifully. The master craftsmen like to be looked over their shoulders.
How to get to Grünhainichen by train and bus: Plan arrival.
Nowhere do so many narrow-gauge railroads run regularly as in Saxony, and no other region in Germany or beyond has such a living cultural heritage of historic railroads. Five daily operated narrow gauge railroads, three other steam operated museum railroads, five park railroads, numerous museums and monuments are material witnesses of more than 175 years of railroad history. The STEAM RAILROAD ROUTE Saxony combines offers around historical railroads as a vacation route.
From dredge land to lake country: where gigantic machines once mined coal, crystal-clear lakes now glisten in the sun and dominate the scene for surfers, paddlers, sailors and bathers. Only about 60 kilometers north of Dresden located, attracts the largest water landscape created by man Europe's excursionists and vacationers. Here, 25 artificial lakes, some of them interconnected, make dreams of beach life, sailboats and sunsets come true.
This is how you get to the Lusatian Lakeland by train: Plan arrival.
Atmosphere, architecture and history - even the smaller towns of Saxony are absolute favorites. As "City beauties" unfold Torgau, Meissen, Radebeul and Pirna on the Elbe, Kamenz, Bautzen, Görlitz and Zittau in Upper Lusatia, Plauen, Annaberg-Buchholz, Freiberg and Zwickau in the Vogtland region and the Ore Mountains, as well as Grimma in the Mulde Valley, have their unmistakable flair. Narrow alleys instead of wide boulevards, large stages for small theaters, coziness instead of hustle and bustle: like diamonds in a jewel, their facades sparkle, behind which is cultural history to touch.
This is how you get to Annaberg-Buchholz by train: Plan arrival.
A small foretaste of the hidden city beauties in Bautzen, Meißen and Görlitz can also be found here in the video:
"Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella" - who, pray tell, doesn't know this movie? The baroque hunting lodge and pleasure palace where parts of this famous romantic fairy tale classic were filmed is located in Saxony. When the Cinderella exhibition beckons in winter, the famous leather tapestries, the hunting trophy collection and the feather room of Augustus the Strong exert their fascination until then. Moritzburg Palace and Park belong to the Saxony Castles, which brings together the most beautiful estates and parks of the state.
How to get to Moritzburg by train and bus: Plan arrival.
Do you know the cheerful father-mother-child sign that can be found in many places in Saxony? It distinguishes 61 recreational facilities, 40 accommodations and seven places where Family-friendly is a matter of the heart. 558 recreational facilities and accommodations have also been inspected on site and awarded the "Saxony Barrier Free". A 168-page catalog tells you exactly what these are. Incidentally, it also contains route tips for multi-day trips through Saxony.
Cover photo: Recreation in the Lusatian Lakeland © Katja Fouad Vollmer
