Discover Zwickau District

Zwickau District lies between the Zwickauer Mulde valley and the foothills of the Ore Mountains. Marked hiking trails, cycling routes along the Mulde, protected landscapes and museums offer a variety of highlights for a stay. The Mulde valley is highlighted as a special visitor attraction and landscape highlight of the district. Consider whether you would like to spend most of your time outdoors or focus on museums and other day-trip destinations.

Landscape and hiking trails

The “Mulden- und Chemnitztal” landscape conservation area primarily covers the course of the Zwickauer Mulde between Zwickau and Wolkenburg. It covers around 4,348 hectares. The district currently also has 14 FFH sites and two bird protection areas designated, with a total area of around 2,200 hectares. These protected landscapes provide a tangible setting for experiencing nature, without limiting destinations to a single stretch of the Mulde.

The well-developed network of marked hiking trails includes many rest areas and places to eat; around 700 kilometres can be explored on foot. This leaves plenty of room to make hiking the focus of a stay or combine it with other interests. You do not need to use a single tour as a measure of the entire network.

Cycling and distinguishing between routes

The Muldendamm cycling and hiking trail in the city of Zwickauis ideal for walking, cycling, jogging, hiking and relaxing. This section of the Muldendamm is part of the 268-kilometre interregional Mulde cycle route. The route description for the Hartenstein–Glauchau Mulde cycle route is separate: within the district, it follows the Mulde through Zwickau to Glauchau. If you want to compare cycling routes, you can refer to their respective names and the route details provided, rather than treating both descriptions as referring to the same route.

The Saxon Way of St. James also offers a distinct hiking option: the section in the district runs from the A72 near Hartenstein to the Vogtland border near Hirschfeld. Different questions can therefore guide your planning: Would you like to follow a cycling route along the Mulde, use the Muldendamm for a range of activities, or explore a section of the Way of St. James? Each description refers to particular paths and sections, not to a general route through the entire district.

Museums, animal park and open-air theatre

The German Agricultural Museum at Blankenhain Castle is a museum complex unique in Germany, located in Zwickau District. Its 13-hectare site contains 80 buildings and 100 themed exhibitions. Its scale makes the museum a cultural highlight in its own right and gives agriculture a broad exhibition focus. If you would like to include cultural and historical interests alongside nature and outdoor activities on your trip, Blankenhain is one of the district’s featured destinations.

The August Horch Museum stands at the historic birthplace of Audi and presents more than 120 years of Zwickau automobile manufacturing history across 6,500 square metres of exhibition space. The museum offers guided tours in English, including tours led in person; an audio guide is also available. When planning a museum visit, you can take into account both the long history of automobile manufacturing and the available ways to explore it.

Hirschfeld Animal Park was founded in 1956 and covers an area of 23 hectares. A municipal description from 2023 lists around 600 animals from more than 100 species. The animal park also has a playground; a mini-golf course is located right next door and operates seasonally. For families looking to combine animal viewing with play, these are specific options to consider. If you plan to play mini-golf, take its seasonal opening period into account.

The Freilicht-Theater Waldenburg e. V. is an open-air theatre located in Grünfelder Park in Waldenburg. Individual performances are date-dependent, so check the current performance schedule if you plan to attend a show. In Callenberg, the Stausee-Oberwald area is designated as a local recreation area and bathing lake. If you are planning a specific day of swimming or leisure activities, check the current access points and facilities in advance.

Discover more places

Discover more destinations: Werdau, Neukirchen/Pleiße, Mülsen, Hirschfeld, Meerane, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Crimmitschau, Glauchau, Callenberg, Kirchberg, Hartenstein, Gersdorf, Lichtenstein, Oberwiera, Remse, Niederfrohna, Wildenfels, Waldenburg, Lichtentanne, Oberlungwitz, Zwickau, Reinsdorf and Crinitzberg.

For the higher-level travel overview: Saxony.