Reichenbach im Vogtland: City History, Museums and Parks

Reichenbach im Vogtland combines city history and museums with historic squares, parks and trails through hilly countryside. Different interests can shape your travel plans: the city’s history, a cultural event or time outdoors. The places and activities make these options tangible.

City History and Culture

Reichenbach was first documented in 1212. A document from 1271 describes the town as a fortified market settlement and mentions rights relating to defense, trade and fortification. These dates offer different historical perspectives: the first mention is complemented by a later description that specifies the settlement’s form and rights. The Neuberin Museum offers an introduction to the city’s history.

The Neuberin Museum is a theater, art, city history and regional museum for the northern Vogtland. It is housed in Reichenbach’s oldest secular building. The building is identified as a historic courthouse and as the birthplace of Friederike Caroline Neuber. The museum also presents Reichenbach’s textile, printing, publishing and railway history. Its subject matter thus ranges from theater and art to developments reflected in the city’s collections.

Trinitatiskirche, Trinitatis Park, the old post office and Schenker House are all located at Postplatz. Trinitatiskirche was built about 400 years ago as a cemetery chapel. Postplatz is also frequently the venue for family events, including concerts. During the warmer months, the Vogtland Philharmonie gives concerts in the music pavilion in the city park. If a concert is the reason for your visit, check the specific dates in advance.

Parks, Castle and Trails

Generationen Park is located in Reichenbach’s Raumbach Valley, on the former site of the 2009 Saxon State Garden Show. The park includes playgrounds, a mini-golf course and a skate park. Each offers a different focus for leisure time. If you plan to visit one of these facilities in particular, it is worth checking what is currently available.

In the Mylau district, the Burggarten Mylau is being redesigned as a medieval castle garden in the former dry moat. The design work is still underway and may continue to evolve. Mylau Castle is a protected monument and the largest almost completely preserved castle complex in the Saxon Vogtland. The collections of the Mylau Castle Museum trace their origins to natural history societies; objects from the nobility and regional contemporary art were added later. A permanent exhibition presents part of the collections.

The Mühlwand alum works offer another way to explore the history of resource extraction. On guided visits, you can explore the remains of historic slate mining and alum production, including tunnels, shafts, secondary minerals and stalactite formations. The site is a protected natural and cultural monument, and interpretive trails complement the visit.

There are also various ways to get active outdoors: Reichenbach offers circular hiking routes and sections of the Vogtland Pilgrimage Trail through the hilly landscape and over its ridges, as well as cycling routes in and around the city. Reichenbach’s water resources supported the development of clothmaking and the cloth trade. This adds an economic history perspective to the textile history presented at the Neuberin Museum. For detailed planning, it is worth checking the latest information on exhibitions, park facilities and event dates.

Discover more destinations: Reuth, Plauen, Heinsdorfergrund, Theuma, Rodewisch, Zwoschwitz, Pöhl, Auerbach/Vogtland.

For the broader travel overview: Vogtland.