Around Bad Elster: Mühlhausen – Remtengrün – scenic!

Start the circular hike towards NaturTheater Bad Elster. Figures suspended at height (singer, violinist, witch), which are illuminated by light in the evening, will show you the way. The Mühlhausener Kirchsteig (green cross) starts directly at the restaurant-café »Waldquelle«, leading you left past the grounds of the NaturTheater to climb the Brunnenberg. This is the only somewhat steeper ascent of the hike. This path was formerly used by the residents of the village Mühlhausen to attend church in Bad Elster. At the top, the recently built Albertihütte (information about the hut on site) invites you to take your first rest.

Continue your route here straight ahead on the Mühlhausener Kirchsteig. A yellow barrier and large stones lying on the path indicate that you are on the right track. You walk lightly downhill through dense forest, soon reaching open land, which gives you a view of the Elster district of Mühlhausen and allows you to enjoy a beautiful panorama. 

At the end of this hiking trail, walk a short distance on asphalt through the village, cross the railway tracks, and shortly thereafter cross the federal road B92 at the bottom of the valley. The Jüdenlohweg allows you to cross the Rauner Bach and thus a nature reserve. Follow the path sharply to the right a bit through the lovely village, following the signage white-green-white. After a short distance, you reach a solitary farm where the marked path branches off to the left. Now gently ascend on a field/meadow path, past a Christmas tree plantation into beautiful high forest.

After about 700 m, a path marked white-yellow-white from the right, coming from Sohl, merges in. Stay on your path until the road, which leads right to Sträßel and left to Remtengrün and Adorf. Turn left here and now follow the course of Landwüster Straße for about 1.5 km, following the white-yellow-white markings or the sign »EB« (for the international Eisenach-Budapest mountain hiking trail).

Then turn left into the Turmweg, a very beautiful residential area in Remtengrün, a district of the town Adorf. Continue to follow the white-yellow-white markings and turn right at the next opportunity, arriving after a few meters at the viewing tower, which you can climb for a magnificent view of the Vogtland and Bohemian landscape.

Afterwards, continue on the existing white-yellow-white marked path, then shortly afterwards turn left and now enjoy many wonderful panoramic views on your right: towards Adorf, Arnsgrün, and finally Sohl—also a village belonging to Bad Elster—and Mühlhausen, which soon lies again as a destination down in the valley before you.

After leaving the small forest area, two benches placed in a perfect location invite you to a relaxing break and an unobstructed view of the picturesque landscape.

Your further path leads you across the field directly down into the village, where immediately after reaching the last house you turn right onto a narrow, inconspicuous meadow path. Now the Rauner Bach, which is located in the Rauner- and Haarbachtal nature reserve, accompanies you. This area is home to a great diversity of animal and plant species, including occurrences of the highly endangered freshwater pearl mussel. With fewer than 50 animals, this population, which is also one of the last in Saxony, is extremely weak. (Further information is provided by the freshwater pearl mussel adventure path in Sohl.)

Below the village, the Plauen-Cheb (Eger) railway line crosses the valley of the Rauner Bach on a viaduct. Shortly after you have also crossed this, the Rauner Bach flows into the Weiße Elster, which will accompany you for about 500 m. For this, about 250 m after the viaduct, leave the meadow path sharply to the left to eventually head almost in the opposite direction on the paved Elsterradweg upstream towards Bad Elster.

Once again at B92, cross it again and now enter the Ringweg-Nordring (green circle), by not following the cycle path but going left uphill along the paved street to the Bahn-Haltepunkt Bad Elster. Once there, your path turns right (Ringweg-Ostring). Follow this to the end of the garden plots and at the next large signpost switch to the Bahnhofsweg (white-green-white), which leads you back to the starting point in Bad Elster. Here you will find a very beautiful shelter—the Wanderersruh. It is a work by Paul Schindel—you can find information about the hut also on site.

Bad Elster is accessible from the A72 - exit Plauen Süd following B92 to the Bad Elster junction. From Bavaria, you can alternatively take the A93 to the Regnitzlosau exit. Drive towards Oelsnitz, cross the Saxon-Bavarian border, and turn right after Posseck to Adorf. You will finally reach Bad Elster via B92.

There are sufficient public parking spaces available in Bad Elster (both paid and free) → more information here: www.chursaechsische.de/besucherservice/anreise

You can reach Bad Elster with the Vogtlandbahn. Information about schedules and prices is available at www.vogtlandbahn.de or from the Vogtland Tourism and Transport Center at 03744 / 19449 or www.vogtlandauskunft.de

Information about arrival by bus and train is available from the Vogtland Tourism and Transport Center at 03744 / 19449 or www.vogtlandauskunft.de

Bad Elster tourist information in the Royal Spa House

Phone 037437 53900 |  https://badelster.de/touristinformation

Event overview: https://chursaechsische.de/veranstaltungen/veranstaltungskalender

Various dining options are available in the Royal Facilities Bad Elster; the idyllic restaurant »Waldquelle« is located directly on the route (start or end)

Guntram Dunger: »Bad Elster and Surroundings« - Practical guide through the immediate and wider surroundings of Bad Elster; 2nd edition 2019

available at the Bad Elster tourist information

Climb the viewing tower in Remtengrün (price: 1.00 €)

Freshwater Pearl Mussel adventure path in Sohl (start at the Vogtlandbahn stop)

Bad Elster city map with all hiking trails from Verlag Dr. Barthel

ISBN: 978-3-89591-239-9

Hiking, skiing and cycling map Vogtland Music and Spa Region, Bad Elster, Markneukirchen

ISBN: 978-3-89591-021-0

each available at the Bad Elster tourist information