Stage 3: Königstein – Kurort Gohrisch

Discovering Königstein

Neue Schanke had been our base all evening. In fact, it was not possible to just explore the village itself. We always had to do that by climbing the bit to the castle and then descending considerably. On the third walking day, however, we would do this as part of the route, after a breakfast in which artistically cut sausages stole the show.

So after checking out, we had to climb again and then descend quite briskly through a forest. So we arrived in Königstein which has quite a pleasant centre. It made it extra unfortunate that we should have spent the night on the other side of the hill. Anyway, we could stock up on provisions for two days here and take a sanitary stop. I did suddenly fear that my glasses had been left behind in our previous stay, but returning was not really an option. It was waiting for luggage tonight.

Another Malerweg icon

Once out of Königstein, there was immediately a steep ascent, first along a small local road, then again along a forest road and so to a forest, where we would spend quite a long time on this short hike. The narrow, winding path led past rock formations and hilltops with names like Kletterhöle and Quirlwachter, as well as a stone drinking trough. Then the forest was briefly abandoned before heading to the highlight of the day, the Pfaffenstein massif, not much later. The way towards it was already accompanied by an increase in jagged and imposing rocks and formations.

And we could feast on a triptych of natural entertainment. First was the side trip to the Barbarine, a 42-metre-high rock needle and local darling. It required some searching but fortunately we did not miss this gem. Perseverance won out in this one. The road to it was also via a first narrow gorge.

Rocks and descents

Once we returned, we had two options. Option 1 was an easy descent, option 2 gave us panorama but, according to the guidebook, also a tough descent. We opted for the full experience and thus chose the latter. After doing some climbing and passing the local hospitality spot on the plateau, we did a tour of the panoramas of all kinds, including the Teufelskessel, the Dom and the Einsamer Ritter. It also turned out to be a good picnic spot. What did stand out were the many young parents and very young babies who also ventured the hike.

Then there remained the descent along the so-called Nadelöhr, a bottle neck that required a ladder and steep iron steps for a while. I managed to wriggle through with some scraping of the rucksack. The sections after that were relatively challenging due to the height differences of the stones and steps, but rather traditional in terms of descent skills.

A spa town with limited restaurants

We descended further to Pfaffendorf, a small cosy village, and finally to Kurort Gohrisch, equally cosy, slightly larger, but also with many lodgings and little catering. Luckily, we stayed at Pension Villa Irena, where they were helpful enough to make reservations for us. Just before, we had also tried our first (and only) ice cream.

Eventually we made our way to Margaretehof, a cosy restaurant belonging to the hotel of the same name. We ventured in for a starter (goat cheese croquettes and mushroom soup). For the main course, we took the local speciality, Bohemian goulash with knödelen. It was tasty and the service was friendly. I unintentionally surprised the waitress by accidentally giving a twenty euro note instead of five as a tip. Fortunately, she was honest enough to say that was really too much.

Find more walks on Malerweg here: https://seatothelandbeyond.wordpress.com/malerweg-and-sachsische-schweiz/

Malerweg and Sachsische Schweiz: What?

This summer, we did a piece of Europe that had long been on our to do list, Saxon Switzerland, which includes the famous Malerweg hiking trail (the painters’ trail, more about it later). Saxon Switzerland is in (surprise surprise) Saxony, in the eastern part of northern Germany, near the Czech border. It is known for its specific natural beauty.

Stunning scenery

The core of Saxon Switzerland is demarcated by National Park Saxon Switzerland, which is complemented by National Park České Švýcarsko, Bohemian Switzerland, where a similar landscape and geology can be found. It was created by erosion on the former sandstone mountains, which originally lay beneath the seabed. This erosion gives you the unusual rock formations and massifs that characterise the landscape.

Inspiration for artists and attraction for tourism

The landscape is not only appreciated by hikers. It was also popular in the ^18th and ^19th centuries. At first it was popular with a whole host of painters. The most famous of these is undoubtedly Caspar David Friederich and, in his wake, other artists such as Johann Christian Dahl and Ludwig Richter. They were inspired by landscapes. Sunlit and misty, day and night, but always experiencing and honouring grandeur.

Tourism also came early on. Both in the villages and on the hiking trails, there are several witnesses to its popularity from the ^19th century onwards. This is not just about the obvious hiking culture, but also hotels, restaurants and cafes boast a long tradition that dates back to the ^19th century. Walking, painting and climbing are indeed contained in the local DNA here. And then there are the villages that boast the “spa town” label.

The Malerweg

The Malerweg is around 115 km and pretty much a loop with a few more kilometres to the starting and finishing points, which are a little bit apart. It is a relatively short walk, but does have some altimeters, so it’s best to take a bit longer over a smaller number of kilometres. For the sake of tourist appeal, the various villages and towns are equipped with lots of hotels, B&Bs, campsites and restaurants. The villages are close together and connected by a railway line. What is special, pedestrians do not take the bridge over the Elbe. For that, several (very) local ferries are provided.

Our trip

We booked our trip again with a travel organisation for convenience. The advantage, besides being unburdening, is the fact that luggage transport is again provided. The first day of the trip starts in Dresden. As that is a long train journey, we decided to provide a stopover in Hannover. We did the same at the end, in Frankfurt. We hiked 4 days (pretty much all of them) on the Malerweg and there is also a fifth hiking day in Saxon Switzerland, to the highest point.