From Burgk Castle to Kaitzer Höhe

Our hike begins at the entrance to Burgk Castle. The former manor was closely connected with the regional hard coal mining. In the former seat of the Dathe family of Burgk are now the Freital municipal collections with exhibitions on mining and regional history as well as 19th- and 20th-century Dresden art.

From here we follow the Yellow Dot and No. 7 markings around the castle. No. 7 leads us along the entire circular route. The route now leads over quiet streets into the district of Birkigt, incorporated into Freital in 1923 as its fifth district. Several times we cross the disused track of the Windbergbahn. This standard gauge route was built in 1856 as the Hänichener Kohlenzweigbahn to connect the surrounding coal mines. Due to the route's many curves with a radius under 200 meters, it is considered the oldest mountain railway in Germany and the second oldest in Europe (after the Semmering Railway completed in 1854 in Austria). This is why it also bears the nickname "Saxon Semmering Railway."

After just over two kilometers of hiking, at the end of Bannewitzer Straße, we turn right uphill into Kesselgrund. Beforehand, you could stop at the hotel & restaurant "Zur Linde," located a few meters down the valley to the left. Upon reaching a small residential area, we follow No. 7 along the side street Fernblick up to Kohlenstraße. At the pub Hopfenblüte, we turn left into Kleinnaundorfer Straße and then again left via Cunnersdorfer Straße down into Kaitzgrund. There is seating by the Kaitzbachtal pond for a picnic.

From here we walk through Kaitzgrund, then up the unused road and through the upper gate to Kaitzer Höhe. From there, there is a very beautiful panoramic view. We descend the mountain on the other side and meet an asphalt road. Here we follow No. 7 to the right toward Cunnersdorf. At a beautifully carved wooden bench, we turn right and enter Kaitzgrund again. Along the Kaitzbach, we walk through Kleinnaundorf to the source. The former Kleinnaundorf bath is now an idyllic village pond. The local heritage association set up a hiking hut there in 2020 for resting.

Here begins the Kleinnaundorf circular hiking trail marked with a fir tree symbol. Along this route, we cross a bridge of the Windbergbahn again. Then we cross Kohlenstraße and follow the Yellow Dot marking over Knappenweg and Gemeindeweg to the starting point at Burgk Castle. On the descent, there is a very lovely view over Freital.