Falkenau: Mining History, Festivals and the Flöha Floodplain

Falkenau combines living traditions with industrial and mining history, as well as trails through the countryside. When planning your trip, you can choose different focuses: a festival, a historical topic or a hike along the Flöha. If you’re travelling with children, you could first consider what you’d like to shape your time together—a date on the events calendar, an outdoor discovery or a look at Falkenau’s history.

Festivals around the Volkshaus

The traditional Falkenau Advent Festival takes place every year on the first Sunday of Advent behind the Volkshaus. The Falkenau Christmas pyramid, which is over 30 years old, is set in motion there. On April 30, the long-standing Walpurgis Night tradition continues with a May Day dance on the festival grounds behind the Volkshaus. On May Day, a maypole is erected in front of the Volkshaus. If you’re planning your trip around one of these occasions, check the specific event details in advance; programmes and schedules may vary.

Industrial and mining history

The Schreyer Spinning Mill, also known as the Georg Liebermann Cotton Mill or the Lower Spinning Mill, is located at Dorfstraße 15. The complex is significant for its architectural, local, industrial and biographical history. Thus, alongside mining, industrial history is another of the themes that define Falkenau.

In the wider local mining area, early modern silver mining developed along the Zechenbach stream; a total of 29 shafts have been documented there. The mining hikes explore this history every year, following the Mining Trail and the Mining Educational Trail in the Zechengrund valley. The Zechengrund educational trail leads to the entrance of the Xaverius adit—a specific landmark for anyone interested in local mining history.

Trails through the Zechengrund valley and along the Flöha

The circular hike “From Flöha to the Hetzdorf Viaduct” offers a different perspective. It runs along the Flöha and through Falkenau to the Hetzdorf Viaduct. A footpath and cycle path lead to Falkenau; the route then crosses the Flöha floodplain, which is still relatively wide here. The trails therefore differ in their focus: mining takes centre stage in the Zechengrund valley, while the circular hike focuses on the river landscape and the viaduct as its destination.

Nature experiences and outdoor swimming pool

Falkenau Nature Education Park features a barefoot trail with a field of spiky cones. When the park opened, visitors could explore it via twelve stations. Falkenau Natural Swimming Pool offers a different kind of experience: this well-kept, historic outdoor pool is in a scenic setting and is a place to swim and relax.

The history of the present-day outdoor pool site is also linked to mining: the Thirty Years’ War brought plans to build an ore-processing and washing plant there to an end. This gives you different points of interest in Falkenau, whether you’re choosing historical topics or nature experiences, without having to base your stay around a single itinerary.

Choose accommodation to suit your reason for travelling

For a stay centred around a festival, the event dates are key. If you’re interested in local history, the Zechengrund valley and the spinning mill offer different historical topics to explore; if you’d rather plan a scenic walk, you can make the hike to the Hetzdorf Viaduct your main focus.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Striegistal, Niederwiesa, Frankenstein, Rossau, Mulda/Sachsen, Leubsdorf, Leisnig, Hartha.

Back to the main travel overview: Central Saxony.