02 🇩🇪 | Mining and remediation nature trail Bad Schlema

This impressive tour starts at the Uranium Mining Museum in Bad Schlema, the perfect place to immerse yourself in the fascinating history of the town. Here, visitors can learn how the once most powerful radium-producing spa in the world became a uranium mining hub after World War II, and how Bad Schlema managed to flourish again as a spa town after German reunification. Today, little of the former industrial mining remains; instead, tourists are greeted by rolling hills, green forests and engaging stories.

A clearly marked trail leads uphill through the forest, past the memorial to the victims of Fascism. At the edge of the forest, the first panoramic view of the town opens up. The trail then descends past a small park and church into the valley, where it crosses the main road. Around Lichtloch 9 (a former mine shaft), the next ascent begins - to one of the many slag heap mounds that still characterize the townscape today.

From the top you can enjoy fantastic views of Bad Schlema and the surrounding countryside. The trail follows the slope of a second mound, bringing ever-changing views and new vistas. Eventually you reach the Biedenkopf viewpoint: the highlight of the route. It commemorates Ingrid and Kurt Biedenkopf, who played a key role in reviving Bad Schlema as a spa town. From here, the view stretches across the vast spa park with its iconic sail structure, over to the imposing St. Wolfgang's Church in Schneeberg.

The trail leads through a mixed forest to the Squirrel Spring, then along the gurgling Silberbach stream to the spa park. Here, the trail turns right to the unique Roter Kamm geotope, a geological window into the history of the earth. Directly opposite, the Markus Semmler mine offers a fascinating insight into the traditional mining history of the region.

Finally, the trail leads through a well-kept spa district with shops and restaurants back to the starting point.