Morgenröthe: Space Travel, Iron Casting and Hiking Trails

Morgenröthe offers three distinct themes for visitors to explore: space travel, the history of iron casting, and trails through forests and countryside. When planning your stay, you can decide whether the German Space Travel Exhibition, the region’s technological heritage, or a hike should be the focus. The specific attractions range from a large-scale exhibition to several trails described in different ways.

Space travel in the exhibition and outdoor grounds

The German Space Travel Exhibition presents more than 1,000 exhibits on two levels. Their number and arrangement give you a tangible sense of the exhibition’s scope. The exhibition’s outdoor grounds include a planet park and a children’s playground. The exhibition is accessible at ground level, and you can reach the upper level by lift. One explicitly stated exception is the basic module of the MIR space station: because of its design, it is not accessible to people with disabilities. If accessibility affects your plans, check these details before travelling.

Iron casting and technological heritage

In Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz, cast-iron bellmaking is a longstanding tradition; more than 9,000 church bells were made there. In Saxony’s list of historic monuments dated July 4, 2026, the FLM “Ironworks; Morgenröthe Bell Foundry” is listed as a preserved open-air museum of technological and regional historical significance. The restored blast furnace in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz is one of the few surviving records of pig iron smelting in the Vogtland and Ore Mountains in the 17th and 18th centuries. The historic blast furnace is open to visitors. The number of bells adds another aspect of regional technological history to the story of pig iron smelting: the casting of church bells. Pig iron smelting is the process of producing pig iron from iron ore.

Hiking trails with different destinations

The 11.5 km circular trail starts at the German Space Travel Exhibition in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz and leads through the forest to Vogtlandsee lake and Waldpark Grünheide. Along the way, there are places to swim, a large playground, a forestry educational trail and places to get refreshments. The distance provides a concrete basis for planning, while the lake and forest park are destinations along the route.

The forest-area circular trail passes through the “Drei Bächel” natural forest reserve, which is home to a 230-year-old stand of spruce trees. Here, a specific forest stand is the focus. The Rautenkranz circular hiking trail passes Cottafelsen and, after crossing a bridge on the B 283, reaches the fallow deer enclosure.

To choose a trail, compare the specific features of each: the 11.5 km circular trail leads to Vogtlandsee lake and Waldpark Grünheide; the forest-area circular trail passes through the natural forest reserve with its old spruce stand; and Cottafelsen and the fallow deer enclosure are landmarks along the Rautenkranz circular hiking trail. This lets you plan your hike around specific destinations without treating the trails as interchangeable.

Discover more destinations: Triebel/Vogtland, Oberheinsdorf, Neumark, Heinsdorfergrund, Markneukirchen, Theuma, Neuensalz, Schöneck/Vogtland.

See the main travel overview: Vogtland.