We leave the market square heading east along Altoschatzer Straße, which leads past the town and weighing museum. Crossing the green area on the Freiherr-vom-Stein-Promenade and the Sperlingsberg, we reach Heinrich-Mann-Straße, which we follow to the left. Wettinstraße turns off to the right and Gabelsbergerstraße immediately afterwards to the left. This turns into Cunnersdorfer Straße and leads us about 600 meters to the district road at Anglerparadies. We keep left and then right again after 300 meters. From here, the Steinbach stream is our companion until we reach the castle ruins with Gothic and Romanesque features in the Oschatz city forest.
It was probably built at the beginning of the 13th century, was only in use for a very short time and was never really completed. With a little imagination, you can picture life in the former three-storey, four-winged complex. It is quite possible that the estate was used as a hunting lodge. Records in old maps show game reserves in the region. The meadows, ponds, dams and woods in the immediate vicinity of the property, then known as the "Altes Steinhaus", reinforce this use.
The way back leads south along the Am Wüsten Schloss road. After about one kilometer, we reach the village of Thalheim, which is home to an ostrich and an alpaca farm. We cross the village in an easterly direction and leave it again in a northerly direction via Thalheimer Straße. The Döllnitz stream and the tracks of the Döllnitzbahn can be seen on the right. We cross Altoschatz and the town park via the Eulensteg and reach the O-Schatz-Park, an admission-free family, animal and leisure park. Here you can play a game of mini golf or marvel at the second largest collection of coffee pots in the world in the "O", the circular multi-purpose hall. Crossing the Freiherr-vom-Stein-Promenade and following Brauhausgasse, we reach the market square on the left and thus the starting point of the hike.
