Fairy Fritillary Meadows in the Polenz Valley

From the village square (market) in Heeselicht, we take a small dirt path marked "yellow line" in the direction of Polenztal/ Scheibenmühle. The very lovingly designed signposts for the Märzenbechern-Rundweg also give us orientation. First we walk through a beautiful meadow valley past small ponds, then we meet a small asphalt road at the last houses of the village and hike down the increasingly steep path to Polenztal. At the Scheibenmühle we have reached the Polenz.

Before we cross the bridge, we want to look for the mouth of the Hussite tunnel. Directly on the bank downstream, we can discover the barred entrance. In the Middle Ages, tin was dug here. It is 125 metres long. Now bats regularly take up their quarters in it.

Back at the bridge, we cross the Polenz and walk upstream on the Polenztalweg in the direction of Bockmühle with the "red dot" marking. Now our path winds its way with small ascents and descents through the valley, past granite rocks, small rock spurs and the wide meadows of mullein.

Endangered species such as the bullhead live in the fish-rich Polenz. The otter and beaver have also been recorded. Birds found here are the dipper, kingfisher, grey wagtail and black stork. There is also evidence of eight bat species.

The Bockmühle (restaurant) is a good place for a rest. From here we hike up the road towards Stolpen (marked "green line"). At the top of the hill, turn off at the large farmstead (Luschdorfhof) onto the hiking trail towards Heeselicht (signposted Märzenbecherweg). When you reach the edge of the forest, you will see a sign indicating the disappeared village of Luschdorf. Passing the fallow deer enclosure with a resting place, we walk back to Heeselicht amidst meadows and fields.

GPS data updated 2022