The Central Saxon Hills (german: Mittelsächsische Hügelland, also called the ''Sächsisches Burgen- und Heideland''), is a region of ''

Hügelland ''Hügelland'' is a type of landscape consisting of low rolling hills (geology), rolling hills whose topography or surface structure lies between that of a lowland region (plains or river terraces) and that of a more rugged hill range or low mount ...

'' with indistinct boundaries in the centre of the German state of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Geographic location

To the north the region extends roughly as far as the confluence of the

Freiberg Freiberg is a university and former mining town in Saxony, Germany. It is a so-called ''Große Kreisstadt'' (large county town) and the administrative centre of Mittelsachsen district. Its historic town centre has been placed under heritage c ...

and

Zwickau Zwickau (; is, with around 87,500 inhabitants (2020), the fourth-largest city of Saxony after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz and it is the seat of the Zwickau District. The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: ...

Mulde rivers and along the Freiberg Mulde to

Nossen Nossen ( hsb, Nosyn) is a town in the district of Meissen, in Saxony, Germany. It is located 80 km southeast of Leipzig. The town is dominated by a large Renaissance castle. Nossen is best known for its proximity to a motorway junction wher ...

and on in the valley of the Triebisch to just before Meissen. Its short eastern boundary runs from Meissen along the Triebisch in a southerly direction to the

Tharandt Forest The Tharandt Forest (german: Tharandter Wald) is a landscape in the centre of the German Free State of Saxony and lies southwest of the forest town of Tharandt, south of the town of Wilsdruff, roughly between the cities of Freiberg and Dresde ...

, continuing through it. In the south, the

hill country The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Americ ...

is bounded by an artificial line from the Tharandt Forest and running north of the cities and towns of

, Chemnitz,

Glauchau Glauchau (; hsb, Hłuchow) is a town in the German federal state of Saxony, on the right bank of the Mulde, 7 miles north of Zwickau and 17 miles west of Chemnitz by rail ( its train station is on the Dresden–Werdau line). It is part of the ...

and

Werdau Werdau () is a town in Germany, part of the Landkreis Zwickau (district), Zwickau in Saxony. It is situated on the river Pleiße, 8 km from Zwickau. The town was mentioned as early as 1304, and in 1398 it was purchased by Frederick I, Elect ...

. In the west the region is bounded by the

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

n state border, the River Pleiße and a line from

Frohburg Frohburg is a town in the Leipzig district, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated 11 km northeast of Altenburg, and 34 km southeast of Leipzig. It includes the village of Flößberg and the town Kohren-Sahlis. History Frohburg castle ...

to the confluence of the two Muldes. According to other sources, the ''Lommatzscher Pflege'' and the so-called Oschatz Hill Country (''Oschatzer Hügelland'') - the latter only referred to in specialist literature - may be included. The most important rivers in the Central Saxon Hills are the Mulde with its two headstreams, the Freiberger Mulde and Zwickauer Mulde. The largest towns are

Döbeln Döbeln ( hsb, Doblin) is a town in Saxony, Germany, part of the Mittelsachsen district, on both banks of the river Freiberger Mulde. History * 981: First written mention of Döbeln (Margravate of Meissen). * Around 1220: Döbeln is describe ...

and

Grimma Grimma ( hsb, Grima) is a town in Saxony, Central Germany, on the left bank of the Mulde, southeast of Leipzig. Founded in 1170, it is part of the Leipzig district. Location The town is in northern Saxony, southeast of Leipzig and south o ...

Geology and agricultural use

The region, with its ice age loess deposits (hence it is sometimes called the

Central Saxon Loess Hills The Central Saxon Loess Hill CountryPetermanns ''Geographische Mitteilungen'', Volume 130, Perthes, J., 1986. p. 143. (german: Mittelsächsisches Lösshügelland), also called the Central Saxon Loess Hills is a natural region in central Saxony. I ...

or ''mittelsächsisches Lößhügelland'') is heavily dominated by agriculture (

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

and

vegetable farming Vegetable farming is the growing of vegetables for human consumption. The practice probably started in several parts of the world over ten thousand years ago, with families growing vegetables for their own consumption or to trade locally. At fir ...

), especially as a result of its very high soil values. The low hills and almost level plains of the Central Saxon Hills are almost entirely unforested. Woods only occur on the valley slopes of the rivers bisecting the region.

Geographic location

Geology and agricultural use

See also