Discover Hainichen: Fable Art, the Clothmakers’ House and the Camera Obscura

Hainichen brings together literature, the history of technology and clothmaking to create a trip with several cultural highlights. At the Gellert Museum, “Art Inspired by Fables” features alongside exhibitions and projects; the Camera Obscura adds moving images to the experience, and the Clothmakers’ House brings traditional crafts to life. The Discovery Trail is a circular route taking you to Hainichen’s sights.

Fable Art and Discoveries

The Gellert Museum is a literary museum. Its special collection, “Art Inspired by Fables,” gives it a literary and artistic focus; it also hosts exhibitions and projects for visitors aged four and up. If you’re planning a visit with children, this age range is a useful point of reference. The Discovery Trail offers a different way to explore: it is a circular route for discovering Hainichen’s sights. Experiences along the trail include projected live images in the Camera Obscura and a demonstration weaving workshop at the Clothmakers’ House. This lets you choose between the museum, the circular route and individual themes according to your interests.

Camera Obscura: History and Moving Images

Inside the Camera Obscura, visitors see a colorful, moving, upright image that is correctly oriented. Its color, movement and upright orientation create an unusual visual impression. The Camera Obscura was inaugurated on 23 June 1883 on the Rahmenberg. An 11-meter-high Camera Obscura tower was built between 1982 and 1985; the Camera Obscura has been open to interested visitors since 1985. This makes the attraction a combination of historical milestones and a described experience inside the building. It adds a technological highlight to the literature and craft themes and is also one of the experiences along the Discovery Trail.

The Clothmakers’ House and Textile History

The Clothmakers’ House survived Hainichen’s city fires and retains its Baroque form following its restoration. The demonstration workshop showcases traditional crafts once practiced in Hainichen; demonstration weaving is also one of the experiences along the Discovery Trail. The history of the clothmakers’ guild can also be traced through specific dates: after receiving its guild charter in 1481, Hainichen’s clothmakers entered their heyday. In 1783, the guild decided to build a new master craftsmen’s house; its first meeting took place there in 1784. The historic building and the demonstration workshop offer different ways to explore local history: through the form of a house, and through the craft and its development.

Cycling Routes and the Wider Region

Cycling can also play a part in planning your trip. A 1.6-kilometer cycle path from Falkenau to the southern edge of Hainichen officially opened in September 2024. The S 201 forms part of a connected cycle network of more than five kilometers between Hainichen, Falkenau and Gersdorf. The first figure refers to a specific connection, while the second describes the size of a network linking three named places. This helps you decide whether to include one individual route or a wider network in your plans.

In the wider destination of Central Saxony

The wider destination of Central Saxony has its own distinctive landscape: rivers shape scenery of gently rounded hills, broad floodplains and steep rock faces. Hiking and cycling are among the activities available there outside the winter season. This regional perspective is distinct from Hainichen’s local cultural and technological profile and offers another point of reference if you’re also planning your trip around the landscape.

Discover more destinations: Neuhausen/Erzgebirge, Lichtenau, Mulda/Saxony, Hilbersdorf, Oberschöna, Leisnig, Oederan, Hartha.

View the wider travel guide: Central Saxony.