Cycling where trains once puffed

Ride your bike on a section of the former railway line Chemnitz-Aue-Adorf

If you plan to use the bicycle route today between Aue and Wolfsgruen, you’ll be riding along an 11 kmlong section of the railroad embankment of the former railway line Chemnitz-Aue-Adorf.

The 115 km-long railway line was opened in 1875. It was built after an economic boom and progressive industrialization brought about a growing need for transportation between the towns and municipalities along the Mulde and Zwönitz valleys.

One could change trains at 11 stations in 18 directions between Chemnitz and Adorf. Beginning in 1905, one of these routes connected the lower Eibenstock station (now flooded under the water of the Eibenstock reservoir) to the upper Eibenstock station. This section of the tracks (approx. 2.5 km) was one of the steepest standard-gauge railroads in all of Germany, with a gradient of 1:20 (10 m height within 200 m distance) to overcome. The trains had to be pushed uphill.

In the years between 1948 and 1955, the railway line Chemnitz-Aue-Adorf was primarily used for bismuth traffic. In the aftermath of bismuth mining, it lost importance, and in 1967 it was finally changed from a main line to a branch line. In order to make room for the drinking-water reservoir in Eibenstock, the railway section: Wolfsgruen-Schoenheide East was closed two years later.

On the 27th of Sept, 1975, the last scheduled passenger train passed over the tracks that are now under water. This was the last day of operation using the total stretch of railway. Passenger trains were used between Aue and Blauenthal up until 1995. However, since 1975, only freight trains have travelled as far as Wolfsgruen, mainly for the transport of material for the construction of the dam. This railway section was closed to freight traffic in December 1994.

The section of tracks between Aue and Wolfsgruen was neglected until the spring of 2010, when the construction of the bike path began. It opened on May 3rd, 2013. The former Blauenthal train station buildings and grounds were purchased by a company in the region and renovated for residential or commercial use.

Also, the former railway section between Schoenheide South and Hammerbruecke has been turned into a tourist attraction. Presently it is used for exciting tours with the „Wernesgruener Rail Express” (motor trolley). The stretch between Chemnitz and Aue is all that is left of the former railway line Chemnitz-Aue-Adorf, which is being used for passenger trains by the DB Regio Netz Gmbh.

The numbered stones in ascending order along the bicycle route are kilometer markers called „Hektometersteine” that indicate the distance from Chemnitz to Aue to Adorf along the former railway line. The top number stands for the total kilometer distance, while the bottom number represents the continuous hundreds of meters. When converting the former railway line to the bike path, the „Hektometersteine” stones were secured, refurbished, and re-erected. They are left to remind cyclists of the historical railway.

Photos and images on this page: www.photo-2u.de, Sammlung Stickereimuseum Eibenstock, H. Pansch