Wanderbarer Silberberg – Erla, Pöhla, Grünstädtel and Schwarzenberg

"The actual voyages of discovery do not consist of getting to know new areas, but rather of seeing something with different eyes." (Marcel Proust, writer) Today, 🤷 how could it be otherwise, another tour, which I took again at @Wanderbarer Silberberg Annaberger Straße via Grünstädtel, Pöhla, along the farmer's path to the "summit" of the Hahnel (612 m), to the view "Am Hahnel". Pöhla, to the Pöhlbachschanze. The Pöhlbachschanze is the largest of four ski jumps in the “Pöhlbach” ski jump facility. The facility includes three additional ski jumps in the categories K 38, K 20 and K 8. All jumps are covered with mats. After the groundbreaking ceremony at the end of 1948, the “Pöhlbach” ski jumping facility was inaugurated on February 6, 1949. In 1955 a competition with East and West German athletes took place. When the facility was covered with mats three years later, the first mat jumping with East German ski jumpers followed in October, in which influential GDR athletes such as Helmut Recknagel and Werner Lesser also took part. From 1964 onwards the ski jump was rebuilt, with the old wooden tower being torn down and replaced by a brick tower. In the course of this work, three additional ski jumps were built in addition to the existing facility by 1968. From 1974 to 2001, Pöhla was one of the venues for the Erzgebirge mat tour. When the ski jump was renovated in 2000, the slope was refilled and the run-out was renewed. Since then, the ski jump has been used both for training purposes and for international competitions in women's ski jumping. The best-known athlete from Pöhla is the former Olympic champion Jens Weißflog, who learned ski jumping at this facility. We continue past the Hohes Rad- (638 m) and onto the post-pillar path to Erla. The journey took place with the City Bahn Chemnitz line C13 to Aue and from here with the Erzgebirgesbahn line RB95 (Zwickau-Johanngeorgenstadt) to Schwarzenberg. Starting point- Schwarzenberg (HP Erz), destination point- Erla Bhf. The weather was great👍. Temperatures at 5°C, later at 16°C, partly cloudy🌤, calm & dry, Very pleasant. Thanks to @Wanderbaren Silberberg for the tour recommendations. 👌 Conclusion: • Route recording with GARMIN GPSmap 67s 😏, route & photos were automatically transferred to Komoot, • very nice tour from Schwarzenberg to Erla, on the “Wanderbaren Silberberg” hiking trail through the Erzgebirge mining region, • AP on the route (e.g. Hahnel - 612 m, ⚠️ the summit cross of the Hahnel is very difficult to find/accessible and is currently closed (wind break, picture 86- 88 & 90)⚠️, view "Am Hahnel" (picture 100 & 101) , High Wheel - 638 m) • the signage is VERY good, • Lots of information boards along the route (old railway nature trail in Schwarzenberg, Schwarzenberg carillon, atonement cross in Grünstädtel, ironworks trail from Erzhammer to Pfeilhammer, Erla historic mill site, Erla railway history, Erlahammer manor in Erla and much more), • a relatively demanding tour, sure-footedness and solid equipment are absolutely necessary, • there are some climbs/descents to overcome, • Good shoes are recommended. • some of the paths are forest/forest paths are natural, the ground has unevenness but is easy to walk on, • ⚠️some longer stretches of road can be overcome, but there is hardly any traffic, • There are several places to stop for refreshments (Terrassebcafe Schwarzenberg, Kaffee Träume Schwarzenberg, Hotel Ratskeller Schwarzenberg, Beier's Kunst Pub and much more), Be sure to ask about opening times beforehand! • There are a few rest areas along the route available for SELF-SERVING (sparsely sown in the first part of the route - Schwarzenberg to Grünstädtel), ⚠️It is desirable to set up more rest areas along the route, there are some very beautiful locations with corresponding views of the surrounding area of the Ore Mountains, • If you like nature and are not afraid of longer stretches of road, I recommend it. TOP👍

Today we tackled the "Wonderful Silver Mountain." Our first leg started in Erla at the hiking parking lot by the manor house – there's also a train stop almost directly opposite. The trail led us steadily up and down (some of the climbs were quite steep 🥵) to Pöhla, Grünstädtel, and Schwarzenberg, offering fantastic views of the surrounding area along the way 🥰. Besides asphalt, we also enjoyed secluded forest and meadow paths. This section was very well signposted 👍. Our highlight was a visit to the Perla Castrum municipal museum (€6 per adult) in Schwarzenberg Castle, with exhibits on the town's and mining history, the centuries-old tradition of bobbin lace making, and the beautiful St. George's Church. To get to the castle in the upper town, we used the funicular (€0.50 per person) to save ourselves some stairs 🫣. ... Now the official stage was over, and we walked back to the manor house almost parallel to the Schwarzwasser river, passing through the market and Rockelmannpark.

There is no such thing as bad weather 😉 today we had everything, sun, snow, sleet, wind... and it was still a great tour! The signage is exemplary! Highly recommended

The Wanderbaren Silberberg circular hiking trail has a total length of 97 km and leads through the districts of all member communities of the Silberberg town association in the Erzgebirge. You can find out more at www.wanderbaren-silberberg-erzgebirge de!