Kutte and Meissel - The gateway to the Ore Mountains

If you want to know more about the beginnings of mining in the Ore Mountains, you can't miss Altzella Monastery. The former Cistercian monastery is now a monument and museum and is famous for its unique romantic monastery park, which was laid out here in the 19th century. In 1162, Margrave Otto the Rich founded his house monastery, which still houses the mausoleum of the Wettin princes. The monks were accompanied by the first settlers, who made their way to Freiberg and found the silver. The monastery had less of it - it had to cede land around Freiberg and was only left with its own mining village of Gersdorf. Cyclists will be delighted by the idyllic Mulde Valley cycle path, which connects Altzella Monastery with the other cultural sites along the Mulde. Nossen Castle, 3 km away and overlooking the Mulde, is also worth a visit, not only for its magnificent Renaissance architecture but also for the permanent exhibition on the von Schönberg family, whose history is closely linked to mining in Freiberg. Opposite the castle is the start of Freiberg's northern mining district, which attracts visitors with its educational mining trails and restored tunnels. This is thanks to the work of the "Grube Vereinigt Feld" Nossen e. V. association, which makes the technical monuments accessible through guided tours. At the Tiefer Börnichen Stolln near Siebenlehn, you can also experience a surface mine from 1850 in operation.