Rabenau: Nature, Railway and Chairmaking History

If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Rabenau, its landscape and chairmaking history offer two distinct themes to consider when planning your trip. The Rabenauer Grund is known for riverside paths and tall rock formations, while the German Chairmaking Museum is dedicated to the traditional craft of chairmaking. You can plan your stay around the themes that interest you most.

Hiking in the Rabenauer Grund and the Weißeritz Valley Railway

The Rabenauer Grund offers a walk along the Rote Weißeritz. The route runs alongside the historic narrow-gauge railway, with tall rock formations lining the path. Here, riverside scenery, rocks and railway history come together. The Rabenauer Grund has been designated a nature reserve since 30 March 1961.

The Weißeritz Valley Railway is Germany’s oldest public narrow-gauge railway still operating on a regular timetable. If you plan to take a trip, check the timetable for your travel dates. The path through the Rabenauer Grund and the railway offer different ways to experience this landscape: on foot along the Rote Weißeritz or aboard a historic train running to a timetable.

Chairmaking History at the Museum and in the Townscape

The German Chairmaking Museum is housed in the outbuilding of the former Rabenau castle complex. It presents chairmaking, historic tools and woodworking machinery, as well as exhibitions on local history and the Rabenauer Grund nature reserve. Traditional chairmaking is preserved and showcased there. Rabenau itself also maintains its position as a centre of traditional chairmaking in Saxony.

The history of the trade goes back a long way: by 1900, Rabenau had around 150 chairmaking workshops and 13 factories. These figures give an impression of the scale of the craft at the time. At the museum, you can connect this historical context with the tools and machinery on display; the exhibitions on local history provide further insight into the region.

The museum offers specialist guided tours of the permanent exhibition, traditional wooden chairmaking and special exhibitions. Other tours are designed for people with visual impairments, apprentices, children and young people, and senior citizens. Please arrange details and dates directly with the museum.

Individual works in the townscape also celebrate chairmaking. At the Rabenau Chair Fountain, bronze figures of chairmakers depict a family comprising a father, mother and child. Rabenau’s post-mile pillar has stood at its original location again since 18 May 2013. The Sagenhafter Mühlberg Discovery Trail also features a memory game for children linked to the German Chairmaking Museum.

More Things to See and Do in the District of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains

Beyond Rabenau, the wider destination of the District of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains offers further themes to consider when planning a trip. Saxon Switzerland National Park is Saxony’s only national park and Germany’s only national park featuring rock formations. The Altenberg Mining Museum provides an overview of the 550-year history of tin mining in Altenberg. Its origins date to around 1440; mining ended in 1991 when operations were shut down.

At Königstein Fortress, modern exhibitions and interactive stations tell the story of the site. The fortress also offers guided tours, hands-on activities and cultural events; individual programmes vary. The routes in the district also differ in focus: the Malerweg is exclusively a hiking trail and cannot be explored by bicycle or e-bike. The Elbe Cycle Route runs for 40 kilometres through Saxon Switzerland. This information helps distinguish hiking and cycling options across the wider region.

Discover more destinations: Obernaundorf, Gohrisch, Wilsdruff, Kirnitzschtal, Dippoldiswalde, Bahretal, Kleinhennersdorf, Königstein.

Back to the main travel overview: Saxon Switzerland.