Rochlitzer Berg porphyry nature trail

The starting point is the south parking lot on the mountain, where interested visitors are introduced to the Rochlitz mountain and the Seelitz adventure tour on an overview board. The porphyry nature trail leads along the mountain road to the first point of interest, the mountain cellar. Another 200 meters in a northerly direction, past the horse stable, you reach the Haberkorn quarry with its unique color grain of the rock. Back on the mountain road, the route continues past the Böhmestein stone to the panoramic view at the bus loop, where long-distance destinations where Rochlitz porphyry was used are indicated.

The next stop is the hermitage at Seidelbruch, which once served as modest accommodation for hikers and stonemasons. The unique architecture of the hermitage, which blends in with its surroundings, is particularly worth seeing. After another 80 meters or so, a small hill, the Königshöhe, appears on the left. Its monument was erected to commemorate the return of King Friedrich August I of Saxony from Allied captivity in 1815. After the Königshöhe, the mountain road continues to the entrance of the Gleisberg quarry, past old witnesses to history such as the smithy and the social building, now the Porphyry House geoportal of the Porphyry Land Geopark. On the right-hand side of the entrance to the Gleisberg quarry, the former workplace of the stonemasons, the historical shelter, has been recreated to familiarize visitors with the former techniques of stone processing. A special feature awaits visitors in the rear third of the quarry: the 70-metre vertical drop in the porphyry walls with carved dates of the stonemasons.

A beautiful forest path leads on to a viewing platform above the Gleisberg quarry, which offers a breathtaking view of the quarry. The last stop on the nature trail is the summit of the mountain with the Friedrich August Tower, which was built in memory of King Friedrich August II of Saxony, the Türmerhaus, where the ornithologist Rudolf Zimmermann once lived, and the "Türmerhaus" mountain restaurant. The interesting and informative tour of the porphyry quarries ends with a view of the surrounding area from the observation tower.