Kottmar: Mountain Views and Legend Trail

At 583 m, Kottmar offers panoramic views towards the Bohemian Central Uplands, the Jizera and Giant Mountains, the foothills of the Ore Mountains, and the Lusatian Heath and Pond Landscape. The Legend Trail adds a second theme to the sweeping views: legends associated with the mountain.

Mountain Views and Legend Trail

The 4.5 km-long Legend Trail loops around Kottmar. Ten information boards introduce the mountain’s legends and give the route a narrative focus. The trail length is a useful reference for planning; check the route and access details again before setting out.

The starting point is at the hiking car park above the Kottmarschenke. From the Hirsch stop in Eibau, you can reach the trail by bus route 56. Check the connection and route details before your trip. This lets you include the loop and its storytelling stops in your day’s plans without assuming a particular walking time.

Spree Water and Excursion Destinations

One special experience is a baptism with water from the Spree’s highest-altitude source. After registering in advance with the Eibau Tourist Information Office, the legendary figure Dwarf Gerbod leads the ceremony. Arrange your registration before your visit. Here, a specific reason to visit meets the legends associated with Kottmar.

The range of excursion destinations also offers different options. Within a 20 km radius are Löbau, Herrnhut, Oderwitz, Zittau and the Zittau Mountains. Among other things, you’ll find museums, historic buildings, a summer and winter toboggan run, the Zittau Narrow-Gauge Railway and hiking areas. When planning your accommodation, consider whether you want to focus on the mountain and its legends or include excursions like these. Check individual attractions and their accessibility before setting out.

A Distinctive City Setting: Görlitz

The wider destination of Görlitz has its own distinct city history alongside the mountain theme. Görlitz owes its wealth, still visible today, and its extraordinary splendour to its location on the historic Via Regia. This European trade route once connected the trading regions between Thuringia and Saxony in the west and Silesia, Bohemia and Poland in the east. The historic old town contains around 4,000 architectural monuments and is one of the best-preserved historic ensembles in Central Europe.

Untermarkt is considered the historic heart of Görlitz and is surrounded by magnificent Renaissance and Baroque townhouses. After a city fire, Schönhof was rebuilt in the Renaissance style from 1526 onwards. It is the main building of the Silesian Museum in Görlitz and one of the oldest Renaissance buildings north of the Alps. St. Peter’s Church is Saxony’s largest hall church. Its Sun Organ, built by Eugenio Casparini towards the end of the 17th century, can imitate birdsong.

The Holy Sepulchre offers another way to explore history: built between 1481 and 1504, it comprises the Chapel of the Sepulchre, the Chapel of Anointing and the Chapel of Adam. The complex is a unique replica of the holy sites of Jerusalem and the oldest surviving structure of its kind north of the Alps. ViaThea, the street arts festival, is one of the highlights of Görlitz’s cultural calendar; check the latest dates and programme before visiting.

For further insights, the “Walk of Görliwood®” uses the free SmartGuide app to guide you independently from film location to film location throughout Görlitz. Check the app’s availability in advance. The Vivarium at the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz presents around 70 animal species in twelve elaborately designed landscape enclosures covering 100 m². A live animal feeding demonstration takes place in the live animal area on the first Thursday of every month at 4 pm; admission is included in the museum ticket. Check the current calendar before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Eibau, Obercunnersdorf, Großschweidnitz, Krauschwitz, Bertsdorf-Hörnitz, Rietschen, Bernstadt Auf Dem Eigen and Kreba-Neudorf.

Back to the wider travel overview: Görlitz.