Description
The town of Wilkau-Haßlau, Zwickau's south-eastern neighbour, is located at the foot of the Westerzgebirge mountains and is often referred to as the ‘gateway to the Ore Mountains’. On the way from Zwickau city centre to Cainsdorf, you can see the Mulde valley, in which the town of Wilkau-Haßlau is located, from the ‘Zwickauer Kessel’ all the way up to the Ore Mountains. From Rosenthal, you also have a wonderful view of the Wilkau district and can see the ridges of the Ore Mountains on a clear day. On the ascent to Lutherhöhe, which begins at the entrance to Vielau, you can enjoy a wonderful view of the town of Wilkau-Haßlau from the east.
The bastion in the Haara district invites you to linger; you can also relax on benches by the Kraußenteich pond. If you walk past the Schützenhaus towards the district of Culitzsch, you soon reach the start of the Plotzschgrund, where a nature reserve begins. The Plotzschgrund with its Jägerbrünnel and frog pond is also a worthwhile excursion destination.
The Culitzsch vintage car museum with its historic vehicles awaits fans of historic means of transport in Wilkau-Haßlau.
Wilkau - starting point of Saxony's first narrow-gauge railway
The first Saxon narrow-gauge railway started in Wilkau in October 1881 - the line to Kirchberg (Sachs), which reached Carlsfeld after three extensions in 1897, completing the ‘WCd line’. In June 1973, the Deutsche Reichsbahn closed the narrow-gauge railway from Wilkau-Haßlau (and the remaining sections until 1977).
50 years later, the town council inaugurated a newly constructed track in front of the Wilkau-Haßlau station reception building as a memorial in June 2023. Every two years, a guest vehicle is to be seen on it, including in 2025. A permanent exhibition on this railway will open in the station building in the second half of 2025.
