The best hikes from bus stations around Breitenbrunn/Erzgebirge

AP Pulpit "Pasterlefelsel": Legend of the "Pasterlefelsel" It had grown late, the sun was low, scattering its last rays across the Breitenbrunn mountain meadows. The farmers had already left their fields and were busy feeding their hungry cows in the barns. Only one, Karl Kunz, was still toiling in the fields with his son Albin. The stones he had unearthed from the barren soil with his plow during the day still needed to be carried away. As he straightened his bent back once more, a small man, dressed like a priest, beckoned to the farmer and his son from the nearby rock where the small pulpit juts out, and whispered to them: "Beneath this stone on which I stand lies a treasure. If you dig for it without speaking, you can unearth it. But if you are unsuccessful, I must appear again in a hundred years and announce the treasure!" The farmer set to work while his son kept watch to ensure they weren't surprised. Almost at their feet, the stagecoach, shimmering golden in the evening sun, appeared on the nearby Joachimsthal road. It looked so impressive that the son, startled by the gleam, exclaimed, "Hey, Father, look at that golden coach!" Then there was a terrible crash, and gone were the Pasterle from Kanzelstein and the treasure they thought they had secured. The stagecoach is documented as having traveled this nearby road in the 18th century, coming from Schwarzenberg via Crandorf, Breitenbrunn, and Halbmeil to Oberwiesenthal and Joachimsthal in Bohemia.

Forest Chapel Breitenbrunn at the "Pasterle Rock" This forest chapel was built in 2021, modeled after the one at Gottesgab. It is easily accessible by car. (Halbmeiler Straße, at the Pasterle Rock, at the edge of the forest, on the right-hand side when facing away from the road)

The "Am Wächterhäusel" shelter (836 m) is located directly at the intersection of Hirschsprungweg/Höhligweg and Halbmeile. A lovely rest area, clean and comfortable. With information boards, a tree quiz, and comprehensive trail signage.

During the time of grazing, the watering trough served to water the villagers' livestock driven into the forest. Today, the spot is primarily used as a shady resting place for hikers and forestry workers. In summer, countless caddisfly larvae inhabit the spring water of the trough. In winter, a circular cross-country ski trail starting at the Rabenberg sports park is named after the trough. The watering trough at Rabenberg is already mentioned in the timber and forestry regulations of Elector August of Saxony from 1560. From the wayside cross at the gallows wing, not far from the watering trough, the Tränktrögelweg (Watering Trough Trail) leads down to the houses of Neue Sorge and Rabenberger Straße in Breitenbrunn, continuing as an extension of the Oberdörfer Flügel trail coming from Johanngeorgenstadt.

The "Rundteil" shelter (893 m above sea level) is located directly at the Rabenberg trailhead, in the Neudorf forest district. Information boards with details of the trail sections and difficulty levels complement the clean and well-maintained rest area. Excellent and comprehensive signage for the trails and hiking paths.

The Fichtelberg near Oberwiesenthal in the Erzgebirge district is, at 1214.79 m above sea level, the highest mountain in Saxony. It was also the highest mountain in East Germany (GDR). Together with the nearby Klínovec (Keilberg; 1243.7 m above sea level) on the Czech side, it forms the most important winter sports center in the Erzgebirge. Source and further information: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichtelberg_(Erzgebirge)

A wooden sculpture of the Sandman enhances the Christkindlweg (Christmas Trail) in Boží Dar. Viewers of GDR television know this Sandman, designed by Gerhard Behrendt, with the pointed cap and white goatee from the "Abendgruß" (Evening Greetings), broadcast daily since November 22, 1959. It is the television series with the most episodes worldwide: a good 22,000 "Sandmännchen" (Sandman) episodes have been broadcast over the past 65 years. Since German reunification, "Unser Sandmännchen" (Our Sandman) has continued to be produced on behalf of ARD and broadcast on the early evening programs of RBB, MDR, and KiKA. Watching this show was and remains a bedtime ritual for young children in many households.

Since 1977, a 3.2-kilometer-long nature trail on wooden planks has led through the Božídarské rašeliniště peat bog nature reserve. It features twelve stations with information panels. The 11.61-square-kilometer area has been protected since 1965. It encompasses a series of raised bogs with spruce, pine, Scots pine, dwarf birch, heaths, and meadows. A carnivorous plant characteristic of peat bogs, the round-leaved sundew, also grows here. The largest peat bog in the Ore Mountains lies at an elevation of 940 to 1116 meters; its specific mountain climate creates challenging conditions for animals and plants.