Saxony claims the title of Germany's most gorgeous hiking trail for 2025
In a public voting conducted by a renowned hiking magazine, the Caspar-David-Friedrich-Weg in Saxon Switzerland has been named "Germany's Most Beautiful Hiking Trail" for the year 2025. This marks the second time a trail in Saxony has received this prestigious title, following the Malerweg Elbsandsteingebirge's win in 2007.
The Caspar-David-Friedrich-Weg, approximately 15 kilometers long, leads from Krippen along the Elbe up to SchoĢna with the Kaiser Crown and back via the Wolfsberg and through Reinhardtsdorf to the starting point. The trail is a tribute to Caspar David Friedrich, a German Romantic painter who spent several months in the region in 1813. Some of the motifs collected by Friedrich during his walks were used in his famous painting "The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog".
The comprehensive redesign and modernization of the Caspar-David-Friedrich-Weg was one of the most expensive projects celebrating the 250th birthday of Caspar David Friedrich in the Saxon Switzerland region. The city of Bad Schandau, the municipality of Reinhardtsdorf-Schƶna, the National Park and Forestry Administration of Saxon Forest, and the Saxon Switzerland Tourism Association (TVSSW), along with other supporters, jointly realized this project.
Key figures overseeing and realizing the project included Landrat Michael Geisler, chairman of TVSSW, and Uwe Borrmeister, head of the National Park and Forestry Administration SƤchsische Schweiz. Information boards show the respective nature studies created at the corresponding locations along the Caspar-David-Friedrich-Weg.
In addition to the hiking trail accolade, the ensemble of "The Wanderer over the Sea of Mist", a musical about Caspar David Friedrich, spent two days tracing Friedrich's footsteps in Saxon Switzerland and promoting the path during the final voting phase of the "Germany's Most Beautiful Hiking Trail" public vote. The musical will return for a second season in August 2026, with the music from Silbermond's album "Light Luggage", directed by COMOĢDIE Intendant and Director Christian KuĢhn.
Uwe Borrmeister, director of the Saxon Switzerland National Park and Forest Administration, stated that the award is a gain for the region. Barbara Klepsch, Saxony's Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, expressed pride over the award.
The Caspar-David-Friedrich-Weg in Saxon Switzerland features the original version of the painting "Two Men Contemplating the Moon" and the drawing "Rocky Summit" in the Albertinum of the State Art Collections Dresden. Visitors to the trail can enjoy breathtaking views over the Elbe to the national park as they walk along this historic and beautiful hiking trail.
