- 3:20 h
- 11.94 km
- 258 m
- 264 m
- 295 m
- 414 m
- 119 m
- Start: Göltzsch Valley Bridge car park
- Destination: Göltzsch Valley Bridge car park
The neo-Gothic brick building of the town church in Mylau (1890) houses a Silbermann organ from the predecessor building of 1731. The stained glass windows are also worth seeing.
The Eger Bridge in Mühlwand is part of the Via Imperii (Imperial Road) from Leipzig via Altenburg, Zwickau to Eger/Cheb in Bohemia. This trade route is about 850 years old. The first bridge over the Göltzsch was documented in 1573, the current arch bridge made of rubble stones was built in 1756/58.
Not far from the bridge on the left side is the site of an alum mine closed in 1827 in a funnel-shaped depression. From 1691, alum shale was mined in the first three pits, alum was boiled and sold. The mining was initially open-pit, later underground. Inside the former alum works is a dripstone grotto that was buried by the 2013 flood. After years of renovation measures, the mine was reopened to visitors on October 7, 2017, with a celebration. (Opening hours: Sat/Sun 1 pm – 4 pm, http://www.alaunwerk.de)
A detour leads to the entrance of the visitor mine and remains of a roasting stage. The formerly house-high slag heaps were mined and the material ground. This alum shale meal was used for mortar production in the construction of the Göltzsch Valley Bridge.
About the history of the Göltzsch Valley Bridge
One of the greatest sights and at the same time the landmark of the Vogtland spans the valley of the Göltzsch between Mylau and Netzschkau, the Göltzsch Valley Bridge. It is the largest brick bridge in the world and was built at a time when bridges with a height of 30 m elsewhere collapsed shortly before completion due to a lack of knowledge in static calculation.
Due to the construction of the Leipzig - Nuremberg railway line, the Saxon-Bavarian Railway Company had to deal with the construction of two bridges which were unprecedented in their planned size for the time. Alternative routes were considered, but the search for another rail route was unsuccessful. A competition was held in which many technicians from Germany participated, but all submitted designs had a critical flaw – none of the constructions were scientifically calculated. The designs were made based on intuition, and nobody could say how much the finished bridge would bear or whether it could withstand the emerging vibrations.
Therefore, Professor Andreas Schubert was commissioned with the static calculation. He was then head of an expert group for construction that was engaged in bridge construction and had been occupied for a long time with the calculation of bridges. He only lacked some experiments to confirm his theory, for which the railway administration provided the necessary funds.
Construction began in 1846. However, the construction plans had to be changed again because the foundation of the pillars at the valley floor did not find firm ground, digging further was too laborious, and technical difficulties arose.
Five years were spent working on the brick bridge until it was finally handed over to the public in 1851. At the inauguration, the Göltzsch Valley Bridge was considered the highest railway bridge worldwide. For the construction, 50,000 bricks in the unusual Dresden format were fired daily by almost 20 brickyards along the railway line. The construction scaffolding reportedly consumed 23,000 trees; others speak of 230,000 tree trunks.
A total of 1,736 workers were involved in the construction. Due to insufficient safety measures, numerous accidents occurred and even 31 fatalities were recorded during the construction period.
The bridge is 574 meters long and 78 meters high, with up to 4 levels and 81 arches.
Waypoints
Good to know
Pavements
Best to visit
Directions
We start from the car park heading west over the unmarked footpath to the bridge. At the information board, we turn right into the hollow and follow the yellow-marked hiking trail (VPW valley trail) eastwards. It runs along the Göltzsch through a tall mixed forest to Karl-Marx-Ring.
We turn right past a greenish villa up to Netzschkau street. We cross the street, follow it left to the 2nd traffic light, and then turn right to the marketplace of Mylau and thus also to the church.
Next to the church entrance portal is the market gate, through which we reach the outer castle grounds. If this path is closed (November 1 to Easter), take the left onto Burgstraße up to Friedenshain (left on Burgstraße and buildings of the Gymnasium on the right) and then sharply right up to the main gate of the castle. Halfway up stands the old gardener's house.
We go down the castle hill again over Friedenshain to Alaunstraße, Hirschstein, and continue uphill towards Mühlwand following the red markings to the green sign "Hirschstein." From this rock plateau there is a nice view of the Mylau outdoor pool (opened 1895) and the surroundings. Here the Göltzsch is forced to bypass a 50 m high rock cliff in a large arc. Below the Hirschstein, the Göltzsch Valley Cycle Path runs on an old railway embankment to Lengenfeld.
We continue following the red-marked hiking trail southeast, cross a steep ravine, and ascend to Talstraße, which comes down from Rotschau. At the road, we keep right and walk past the Kreuzholz houses gradually into the Göltzsch valley to the "Lying Fold," a geological monument (to the left beside the road an abandoned quarry with information board). Kreuzholzstraße ends at Mühlwand Mountain into an old military and trade route zigzagging down from the left, which crossed the Göltzsch via the Eger Bridge (historic monument).
We cross the new road bridge to the car park at the "Green Valley", cross Mylau street and immediately after the house turn right on a path that looks like a driveway. The animal protection fence has a gate that you open to continue on the yellow-marked path (VPW). We hike uphill through the forest and reach the forest edge with a good view of Lauschgrün and the surroundings. Our path leads northwest halfway up, partly through the forest, partly through fields with changing views. At the end of the field path is a covered seating area for a rest. From here you have an unobstructed view of Mylau (castle, church), Obermylau (high route), Reichenbach (new development area up to the water tower), and Rotschau. We now hike the path to the right down into the valley to Mylau and come close to the market via Kalkgasse.
From the Mylau market to the Göltzsch Valley Bridge, we choose the high route, part of the VPW.
We cross Braustraße and go up the Obermylau Mountain, past a stone cross (probably from pre-Reformation times). At the Mylau town exit sign, we turn sharply left, following the red markings (VPW) westward.
In dry weather, we shorten the route slightly by taking the first left turn (Friedhofstraße) at the foot of Obermylau Mountain. The street behind the buildings turns into a footpath, which rises steeply at the end and ends in a meadow. There, we turn left along a garden fence to a viewpoint (in front of the transmission mast). From here, you can overlook all of Mylau. The castle towers over the town with its 3 different towers. In front stands the 72 m high church tower. In the distance, one can see the elevation of Kuhberg with its 21 m high observation tower and the higher telecom tower, as well as the "Wilhelmshöhe" with the Perlaser Tower. The stepped gables of Netzschkau Castle are also visible. The high route continues until we reach meadowland with a covered seating area again with a wonderful view, this time of the Göltzsch Valley Bridge and surroundings.
We go downhill to Feldrain (covered with bushes) and then continue halfway to the forest. We hike through a shady beech mixed forest to the bridge. Immediately at the Göltzsch Valley Bridge, we go down the hollow path through the upper bridge arch and through the lower arch on the footpath to the information point at the car park.
Tour information
Cultural Interesting
Loop Road
Additional information
Author
Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH
Organization
Vogtland - Sinfonie der Natur
License (master data)
Vogtland - Sinfonie der Natur
Author´s Tip / Recommendation of the author
In Mylau stands one of the best-preserved castle complexes in the Vogtland region. It houses a museum worth visiting about the cultural history of the region. The gardener's house in front of the castle is used for exhibitions and cultural events.
Furthermore, the alum mine, the high route, and the Hirschstein rock with good views, forest, and meadows are recommended.
Nearby
