15th Saxon Hiking Day Großenhain

Saxony's Largest Hiking Festival Comes to Großenhain

Since 2006, the Saxon Hiking Day has invited the Free State's hiking community to a different region each year — combining hikes, a specialist forum, cultural program, and city tours into a three-day weekend. In 2026, Großenhain will be the host. The town, with around 19,000 inhabitants, located in the Meißen district, about 35 kilometers northwest of Dresden, is the gateway to the Großenhainer Pflege and southern Brandenburg, with a castle, the Baroque Garden Zabeltitz, and the extensive Röderau forest in the immediate vicinity.

Day 1 — Specialist Forum and School Hiking Day

Friday, May 29, 2026, is a day for knowledge exchange and further training. The «Wanderwerkstatt» (Hiking Workshop) will take place at the Kulturschloss Großenhain — a specialist forum for trail maintainers, hiking guides, tourism professionals, and local representatives. In parallel, there will be a children's city tour with a visit to the Karl Preusker Library, and in the evening, a reading by author Evelyn Kühne. The day is aimed at multipliers in the Saxon hiking scene as well as the youngest participants.

Day 2 — Over 30 Hikes, Tourism Fair, Open-Air Dance Night

Saturday, May 30, is the main hiking day. Guided and individual hikes will start from the early morning hours — from short, family-friendly routes to longer, more challenging routes for experienced hikers. The program includes: city tours through the historic old town (Marienkirche, Stadtmuseum, Kulturschloss), nature tours through the Röderau Valley and the 283-hectare Röderau forest, themed hikes on military history (around the former airfield), ecological tours, and spiritual pilgrimage routes. Starting at 2 p.m., the «Wandertagstreffen» (Hiking Day Meet-up) will begin on the festival meadow at Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Allee with a tourism fair, stage program, and club fair. The evening is dedicated to the open-air dance night.

Day 3 — Parks, Gardens, Nordic Walking, Yoga

Sunday, May 31, is themed «Day of Parks and Gardens». The focus will be on tours through the Baroque Garden Zabeltitz — one of Saxony's most beautiful Baroque complexes — and other parks in the region. The program will be complemented by Nordic walking activities, yoga in the green, and concerts. The day consciously offers a slower, more contemplative form of hiking — enjoyment and movement rather than distance.

Großenhain and Surroundings

Großenhain is located between Dresden and Lusatia, at the transition from the Saxon hill country to the wide lowlands of the Großenhainer Pflege and Lower Lusatia. Those traveling to Großenhain pass through a flat, sparsely populated landscape with vast fields, forests, and small villages — ideal for hiking tours that offer more expanse than elevation. An additional highlight: the Baroque Garden Zabeltitz (about 5 km northeast), one of Saxony's most significant garden architectural sites.