The Falkenschlucht and other surprises around the Gohrisch

Starting from the spa town Gohrisch, we walk along the Stillen Grund (marked "yellow dot"; upper circular route) and past the greenhouses of the former nursery (now bivouac site Forststeig). We continue following the upper circular route, which turns right (marked "yellow dot"), and arrive at the first small viewpoint "Uncle Paul's Bench". From here there is a wonderful view of the Lilienstein.

Soon after, we join the Malerweg, which we follow turning left. At the foot of the Gohrisch, we can choose between two different ascents. The ascent through the Falkenschlucht leads through a narrow rock gorge, requiring some climbing skill. The second option stays on the Malerweg. Once at the top, we first head to the Weather Vane Viewpoint. For this, a small path on the rocky plateau goes to the left, between rocks and past a short section secured with an iron chain, upwards.

Returning the same way and continuing over the Gohrisch, we reach the Pavilion Viewpoint. After the eastern descent to the saddle between the Gohrisch and Papststein, we come across the Speckstein Tunnel, which is related to the basalt quarry. At the immediate border area between sandstone and basalt, there is a layer of brown iron and a layer of decomposed basalt, called "Speckstein". The age of the tunnel is not exactly known. Older records already mention the pit in 1583 as "Hülffe Gottes" at the Gohrisch. The chronicler Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger reports that the Speckstein Tunnel was created around 1750 in search of coal. It remains unclear whether the tunnel originally served to mine the Speckstein or if it was meant to access coal deposits (formed by driftwood in the sandstone). Since the 1990s, the tunnel serves as a winter quarter for bats.

At the Galgenschänke, we cross the street. Immediately after the parking lot, we turn sharply left onto the Alte Jäke hiking trail. It goes steeply down into the valley, crossing the Schandauer Straße again at the village entrance of the spa town Gohrisch. We pass the forest cemetery and continue straight to the sports field. To the left is the Lindenweg to the Hörnelweg. Now we follow the "yellow dot" marking towards the Hörnelteich (a glacial erratic stone). We continue on the path around the Folgenfelder, past the caravan site, back to the starting point of the hike in Gohrisch.

The name of the village "Gohrisch" is derived from the old Slavic word gora, which means "mountain". The first documented mention was in 1437 as Gorusch and a year later as Gorisch. It remained a very small village for centuries because there were only limited opportunities to lay fields on the flatlands. Two hundred years ago, about 100 people lived in 20 farmhouses. Only through the development of tourism did the place flourish and soon was allowed to call itself a high-altitude health resort. By 1910, about 700 people lived in Gohrisch. Since 1936, it has been entitled to carry the title "spa town".