Mehltheuer: Hiking, Cycling and Culture

Mehltheuer combines hiking and cycling trails with a range of themes related to music and local history. If you are looking for a hotel in Mehltheuer, you can plan your trip around whether you mainly want to explore a route or learn about a cultural topic. The hiking trails differ in length, starting point, and destination; the cultural themes range from instrument making to historic buildings and events.

Hiking and Cycling

The “Vogtland’s Fruits” Genussweg (a trail focused on local produce) connects the green-marked hiking trail between Kürbitz and Mehltheuer with the VogtlandPanoramaWeg at the Großer Weidenteich nature reserve in Neundorf.

The 10 km Dragon Circular Trail starts at the sports field in Mehltheuer and is marked with a green dot and the dragon Justus. On the Kürbitz–Mehltheuer hiking trail, the climb from Thossen leads up to the Reuther Linde; from there, you can enjoy a view across the Vogtland. The two hiking trails offer different points of reference: for the Dragon Circular Trail, these are its length and starting point; for the Kürbitz–Mehltheuer trail, the climb to the Reuther Linde and the view across the Vogtland. As route information can change, check the latest details before setting out.

The shorter version of the Dragon Cycling Trail leads from Fröbersgrün via Klein Amerika and the Grenzweg to Mehltheuer, then back to Syrau via Schneckengrün and Kauschwitz. The sequence of places shows the direction of this cycling route and helps distinguish it from the hiking trails.

Culture and Local History

Mehltheuer is home to the 32 m² “World’s Smallest Musical Instrument Museum,” with more than 350 historic instruments. These include a hunting horn dating from 1662. During a guided tour, you can also visit the demonstration workshop, where plucked, bowed, and reed instruments are made. A visit to the museum thus combines a precisely dated historic instrument with the craft of instrument making.

Waldhaus Mehltheuer is a listed inn with a dining area for day visitors and a hall extension dating from 1898. It is considered significant for architectural, local, and social history. These three perspectives encompass the building’s architectural history as well as the local and social history of the house.

The St. Stephen’s Chapel was built as a wooden barrack in 1958 and has since served the parish of Mehltheuer and Oberpirk as a place of worship and meeting. Its role in the parish is therefore central. The chapel offers a different perspective from the Waldhaus: its history is tied to its continued use by the church.

Another chapter in the town’s history is the Mehltheuer subcamp. It existed from December 2, 1944, to April 16, 1945, in the former Mehltheuer tulle factory. Machine parts were produced there for Vogtländische Maschinenfabrik AG (VOMAG); the prisoners were housed in a barrack connected to the factory.

Discover more destinations: Elsterberg, Heinsdorfergrund, Bergen, Markneukirchen, Reuth, Tirpersdorf, Neuensalz, Mühlental.

For the main travel overview: Vogtland.