Hiking around the Hoher Hahn: Trails in the Erzgebirge
Hiking around the Hoher Hahn: family-friendly circular trails, the Panoramaweg Schwarzenberg and sweeping views across the Erzgebirge – your tour overview.
The Erzgebirge shows its most beautiful side when you explore it on foot. Around the Hoher Hahn near Bermsgrün, high above Schwarzenberg, a network of hiking and panorama trails awaits you that has something for everyone – from a leisurely family stroll to an ambitious day tour with far-reaching views. Up here, at around 670 metres altitude, the trails often begin right on the doorstep. In this article we introduce you to the loveliest walks in the region and reveal what you have to look forward to.
The Hoher Hahn – a panoramic peak with sweeping views
The Hoher Hahn near Bermsgrün reaches a height of about 674 metres above sea level and ranks among the prominent elevations in the Schwarzenberg area. Anyone who makes it to the summit is rewarded with a panorama that is second to none: on clear days the view stretches across the Klínovec (Keilberg) and the Fichtelberg all the way to Hundsmarter, Pöhlberg, Scheibenberg and the neighbouring Spiegelwald. It is precisely this all-round view of the gentle, wooded crests of the Erzgebirge that makes the region so appealing to hikers.
Incidentally, at 1,214.88 metres the Fichtelberg is the highest mountain in Saxony, and just a few kilometres south-south-east rises the Czech Klínovec at 1,243.7 metres as the highest elevation in the entire Erzgebirge. From the top of the Hoher Hahn you can make out both on the horizon.
The Rundwanderweg Bermsgrün – ideal for families
If you prefer to take things at a leisurely pace or are out with children, we warmly recommend the Rundwanderweg Bermsgrün. At around 5.2 kilometres in length, about 1:30 hours of walking time and 174 metres of ascent and descent each, it is considered easy and family-friendly – the ideal tour for a relaxed half-day.
The start and finish are at the car park Gemeindestraße/Stückerstraße in Bermsgrün, so right in our neighbourhood. Created in 2001, the trail passes the Hoher Hahn viewpoint and treats you to a lovely panorama with a view towards the Spiegelwald. Particularly fascinating: numerous information boards along the route tell the story of mining and the local area. So almost incidentally, the walk turns into a little journey through time. The best hiking season runs from April to October.
The Panoramaweg Schwarzenberg – the grand day tour
Would you like more? Then the Panoramaweg Schwarzenberg is just the thing. This 13.8-kilometre circular hike takes about 4:05 hours, climbs 422 metres in ascent and 399 in descent and is rated as moderately difficult. Thanks to continuous yellow markings, you will find your way well along the route.
The start is at the car park Am Hammerweg below the old town. From there, one viewpoint follows the next: the Galgenberg at 560 metres, the Becherberg, the Waldbühne at 681.3 metres and finally Bermsgrün, before continuing to the Ottenstein and Totenstein viewpoints. This tour wonderfully combines nature, vistas and the charming setting of the "Pearl of the Erzgebirge".
Schwarzenberg – the Pearl of the Erzgebirge
Anyone hiking in the region should not miss Schwarzenberg. The Große Kreisstadt in the Saxon Erzgebirgskreis lies at 468 metres amid wooded hills in the Erzgebirge/Vogtland Nature Park. Its old town is enthroned on a rocky ridge surrounded by the Schwarzwasser, and the townscape is shaped by the St.-Georgen-Kirche together with the castle. The district of Bermsgrün, where our house is located, was incorporated on 1 January 1999.
Schwarzenberg is also a genuine hub for long-distance hikers: the European long-distance path E3 from the Atlantic to the Black Sea (around 8,000 kilometres) runs through the town, as does the International Mountain Hiking Trail Eisenach–Budapest. The W@nderbare Silberberg also passes through here, linking the towns of Aue-Bad Schlema, Lauter-Bernsbach, Lößnitz, Schneeberg and Schwarzenberg.
Spiegelwald, UNESCO World Heritage and the Kammweg
A worthwhile destination in the surrounding area is the neighbouring Spiegelwald, which rises to around 728 metres and carries the König-Albert-Turm. From there the view reaches, among other places, to Grünhain, Scheibenberg, Aue, Hundsmarter and Klínovec.
The Erzgebirge itself has been shaped by mining for almost 800 years and developed between 1460 and 1560 into the largest source of silver ore in Europe. In 2019, the Montanregion Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří, with its 22 components – 17 in Saxony, 5 in the Czech Republic – was designated a cross-border UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you would like to delve even deeper, you will find further tips and background in our Erzgebirge guide.
And finally, for multi-day enthusiasts the quality hiking trail Kammweg Erzgebirge-Vogtland is well worth it: 287 kilometres, 17 daily stages, around 6,000 metres of elevation gain, open from May to October – a true piece of hiking history.
Your starting point for the hiking world of the Erzgebirge
As varied as the tours around the Hoher Hahn may be – every hike is at its loveliest when it begins where you feel completely at ease. Our Sonnenhotel Hoher Hahn lies in a quiet hillside location in Bermsgrün, with hiking and cycling trails right on the doorstep. After a tour, our indoor pool, the Finnish sauna and a cosy relaxation area await you so your legs can recover their strength. For arrivals by bike, a lockable e-bike garage with charging station is available. And in the evening you can round off the day wonderfully in the restaurant with half board or a culinary themed evening. We look forward to welcoming you as your base camp for the loveliest trails of the Erzgebirge.