Discover Pockau

Pockau offers several specific options for a stay: industrial and local history, as well as trails with viewpoints. The museums cover different subjects; the starting point and destination make it easier to compare the two short hiking trails. The landscape around the Saidenbach Reservoir adds walks by the water and a large protected area to the itinerary.

Museums: Mill technology and local history

At the Pockau Oil Mill Technical Museum, an old watermill dating from 1783, with its historic machinery, is still fully operational. The museum also demonstrates oil production technology from various centuries. Here, you can see a specific historic mill and learn about the development of oil production over a longer period. The museum reopened on 16 May 2026. It is open on Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m. for guided tours; check the date before your visit.

The Electoral District Fishery Museum features exhibitions on local history, ways of life, bobbin lace making, and model railways. This brings together local and everyday history, a traditional craft, and a technical hobby. The museum building has been listed since 1953. If you want to distinguish the museums by their focus, the oil mill centers on mill technology and oil production, while the Electoral District Fishery brings together several subjects relating to local life and exhibition culture.

Short hiking trails with different viewpoints

A 4 km short hiking trail starts at the oil mill, follows a forest path and the Zöppelsteig to the Vollebene viewpoint, and then returns to the starting point. The oil mill is the starting point; along the way, you first follow the forest path and then the Zöppelsteig to the viewpoint at Vollebene.

The second short hiking trail is also 4 km long. It starts at the railway crossing on Marienberger Straße and leads via Schützenhöhe to the Mertensberg viewpoint and back. Although the routes are the same length, they differ in starting point, route, and viewpoint: Vollebene via the Zöppelsteig or Mertensberg via Schützenhöhe. Both trails return to their respective starting points.

Saidenbach Reservoir and landscape

Northeast of Pockau-Lengefeld, the landscape around the Saidenbach Reservoir includes a dam that can be walked across, a nature trail, numerous paths for walks by the water, and a landscape conservation area of approximately 4,500 ha. The different options appeal to different interests: you can choose paths by the water, a nature trail, or the dam as a specific point of interest. The size of the landscape conservation area also gives an indication of the scale of this natural setting.

The “Pockau - discover a paradise” route follows an uphill nature trail to the accessible top of the Saidenbach Reservoir dam. Its focus differs from that of the two 4 km trails: here, the uphill nature trail and the dam are the main attractions, while the short hiking trails each lead to a viewpoint and return to their starting point.

Discover more destinations: Königswalde, Burkhardtsdorf, Ehrenfriedersdorf, Marienberg, Pfaffroda, Stollberg, Aue, Drebach

Return to the regional travel overview: Erzgebirgskreis.