Königstein: Via Thürmsdorf to the Bärensteine

car park Festung Königstein | bus stop Am Königstein (zur Festung)

The tour leads next to the car park oder bus stop of the Königstein Fortress to the underpass of the B172. Here you follow the red dot straight ahead, cross the main road to walk along the edge of the road to Thürmsdorf for about 30 meters. After the bridge, a path leads up to the left. Along the edge of the forest and the edge of the field, a newly constructed path leads to Thürmsdorf. A look over the shoulders reveals a wonderful view to the Lilienstein. Arrived at the Thürmsdorfer Straße, follow it first to the left and then turn right to Thürmsdorf Castle. Here we recommend a short stop at the chocolate factory and a short walk in the castle garden, which is not yet awake.

In front of the castle, continue on the path to the left. Once you have crossed the road, you will soon be in front of the Götzinger Cave, where you can find a dry picnic spot even in drizzly weather. It has a depth of about 25 meters. In various maps it is also called "Diebskeller".

Now you follow the signs and climb the Kleiner Bärenstein, which is higher than the Großer Bärenstein. In 1847, a mountain inn was built up here. Around 1902 even two bears were kept here in a kennel. Unfortunately, the inn fell into disrepair after the war and today you can only guess at its foundation walls, but the stunning view in a southeasterly direction with the majestic Lilienstein and Königstein fortress makes up for it.

The same path leads downhill again. At the junction in the path, however, you continue straight ahead. After about 300 m, the hiking tour continues unmarked to the right along the edge of the forest, crosses a path and then leads up to the Großer Bärenstein. Small trails lead to several viewpoints at the top. For the descent you can choose the adventurous variant (or go back the way you came and turn right at the edge of the forest). In the former variant, you descend the stairs over boulders and steps. At the bottom, the path continues to the right under high climbing peaks and meets a comfortable forest path.

Here you turn right in a large arc along the foot of the Großer Bärenstein and continue straight ahead at the larger crossroads. You cross the Landtsraße and then walk first along the edge of the forest, later along the field path back to Thürmsdorf. Behind the castle you meet the Malerweg, which you follow to a long forgotten view.

This is named after the painter Johann Alexander Thiele, who created a picture here with a view of the Elbe and Königstein Fortress. Surprising here is also an old round building, which was reconstructed and converted into a Malerweg chapel. The so-called Biedermann Mausoleum was built as part of the castle ensemble. Here, the rock face drops steeply to the Elbe for a hundred meters and, after a clear cut, offers a deep view of the Elbe loop.  

We go back a bit and walk left downhill past an orchard to the village street. Keeping to the right, we follow the road slightly uphill and turn sharp left at the junction of the road. Here you meet the Malerweg again. After the last house, a path on the left leads down into the forest into a rustic valley with a small forest stream. The last stretch is uphill to the right and after crossing the road, you come back to the first section of the tour, reaching the fortress parking lot and thus the end point of the hike.