Circular hike from Schildau to the Schildberg

Our hike to the Schildberg starts at the Gneisenau monument on the market square in Schildau. From here, we follow Marktstraße and after a few steps we reach the only "Schildbürger Museum" in Germany. The exhibition presents an extensive collection of Schildbürger books, a model of the legendary triangular town hall without windows as well as the history of the Schildbürger and their old trades. Passing the Schildbürgerbrunnen fountain, we cross the intersection and follow Eilenburger Straße to the next junction. Via Kobershainer Straße (K8903) we reach Kohlweg, which turns off to the left. The Schildberg forms a landmark from afar. The path leads us through fields and meadows directly into the forest area of the Dahlener Heide. Following the signs, we reach the Schildberg. The 26-metre-high Schildberg tower offers a fascinating view over the Dahlen Heath, the town of Schildau and the surrounding villages. The observation tower was built in 1936 from quartz porphyry from the quarry located at the foot of the mountain and is open every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in good weather from March to October (call 0152 / 01986360 or 034221 / 50606). A cozy rest area with information boards invites you to linger. After a relaxing break, we walk towards Heßler's gorge and reach the S-path. This forest path takes us to Witte's quarry. We pass an old boundary stone on the left, which is a reminder of the former border between the kingdoms of Saxony and Prussia. We follow the S-path and cross Wurzener Straße (S23). After a few meters, we have to open an unlocked gate in a forest clearing in order to continue along the path. The S-path now leads us to the Bronze Age burial mounds, with 32 mounds the largest occurrence in the Dahlener Heide. Due to the type of burial (cremation burial), they are classified as belonging to the Lusatian Urnfield Culture. We walk on and after a short time reach a crossroads. Here we keep left, leave the S-path and follow the A-path. The hiking trail leads us out of the Dahlener Heide and along the edge of the forest we reach the next major fork in the trail. A weather protection hut invites you to take a break here. There is also the opportunity to take a detour to the small village of Ochsensaal with its quaint restaurants (approx. 1 km off the route). However, we follow the A-path and a few minutes later cross the Schmannewitzer Straße (K8982) and shortly afterwards the S24. The hiking trail takes us to the Siebenquellental valley. The impressive valley floor has cut deep into the landscape. This is due to the seven clear hillside springs that originate in a very small area and merge to form the Sitzenroda stream. Mighty groups of beech trees characterize the forest here, with the H-beech (two beech trees intertwined by branches in an H-shape) being a special feature of nature. At the next crossroads with a shelter, we meet the Hakenweg. We leave the A-path and follow the signs to Weißes Haus / Sitzenroda. The Saxon Luther Trail runs parallel to this. After a short time, we reach the village of Sitzenroda. At the entrance to the village, the forest path turns into a paved side road. We follow the road "Zum Quellental" to the junction "Schmiedeweg". This takes us to the main road S24, into which we turn right. After a few steps, we keep left and take the Alte Poststraße. The paved path, which is used by both hikers and cyclists, leads us out of the village, past an agricultural shelter to a small refuge on a slight hill. From here, we can once again enjoy the view over Sitzenroda and the Dahlen Heath. We continue in the direction of Schildau and soon rejoin the Luther Trail. Once we reach the transmission mast, we turn left and pass the Schildau equestrian arena. In just a few years, the arena has become a popular meeting place for horse riding enthusiasts. The competition venue meets international standards and the obstacles reflect the Schildau pranks. We follow the signs for the Luther Trail and return to Schildau. At the end of the path, we turn right into Wurzener Straße and walk towards the town center. At St. Mary's Church, whose tower greets us from afar and on whose grounds we can admire the oldest mulberry tree in Germany, the path leads us to the right into Gothestraße. We then take a left onto Beethovenstraße and return to the starting point of our walk, Schildau's market square.

Sturdy shoes, weatherproof clothing, provisions.

Accessible by car from Leipzig via the B87.

Schildau: Market

• Bus: 757: Torgau-Falkenhain
• Bus 758: Mockrehna-Schildau
• HP Schildau, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße

• Hiking tip: Schildbürgerwanderweg circular trail through the town (7km)
• Museum of the Schildbürger
• Schildberg tower
• Equestrian sports arena
• St. Mary's parish church