The Heidenau–Kurort Altenberg railway, also known in German as the ''Müglitztalbahn'' ("Müglitz Valley Railway") is a German

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

. Branching off the Elbe Valley Railway, it connects the town of

Heidenau Heidenau is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the left bank of the Elbe, 13 km southeast of Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is ...

near

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

with the towns of

Glashütte Glashütte [] is a town in Saxony, Germany, known as the birthplace of the German watchmaking industry and has a population of about 7,000. Historically, it was first mentioned in a document circa 1445. In January 2008, the former municipality Re ...

and Altenberg in the

Ore Mountains The Ore Mountains (, or ; ) lie along the Czech–German border, separating the historical regions of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany. The highest peaks are the Klínovec in the Czech Republic (German: ''Keilberg'') at ab ...

, where it terminates. The total length is 38 km, with a total incline of 634 meters.Müglitztalbahn official web site
(in German) The scenic track follows primarily the Müglitz river, passing the towns of

Dohna Dohna is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, Saxony, Germany. It is located south of Heidenau, in the Müglitz (river), Müglitz valley and lies at the northeastern foot of the Eastern Ore Mountains. It is accessed by the P ...

and

Geising Geising is a ''Stadtteil'' (municipal division) of Altenberg in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany.

. The railway was initially a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

railway, which was opened on 17 November 1890. Between 1935 and 1938, the tracks were graded and converted to

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

. Passenger transport services are operated on behalf of

Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe The Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe (Upper Elbe Transport Association or VVO) is a transport association run by public transport providers in the Saxon Elbeland area of the German state of Saxony. The VVO area comprises the city of Dresden, togeth ...

Städtebahn Sachsen The Städtebahn Sachsen was a railway company that operated regional train services in Saxony, Germany by order of Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe. Städtebahn was a subsidiary of ''Nordbayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft'' (NBE) and started its operations ...

since 12 December 2010 following a retendering of the transport services. The rail infrastructure is operated by

DB Netz DB Netz () was a major subsidiary of that owned and operated a majority of the German railway system. It was one of the largest railway infrastructure managers by length (33,291 km as of 2019) and transport volume of its network. On 1 Janu ...

, the stations are run by

DB Station&Service DB Station&Service was a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, responsible for managing over 5,400 train stations on the German railway network. On 1 January 2024, it merged with DB Netz to form DB InfraGO.Müglitz valley, which coincided with the beginning of the manufacture of watches in

(1845). In addition, a number of smaller production facilities in the wood and paper industry were built after

Friedrich Gottlob Keller Friedrich Gottlob Keller (27 June 1816 – 8 September 1895) was a German machinist and inventor, who (at the same time as Charles Fenerty) invented the wood pulp process for use in papermaking. He is widely known for his wood-cut machine (used fo ...

invented a method for making paper from

wood pulp Pulp is a fibrous Lignocellulosic biomass, lignocellulosic material prepared by chemically, semi-chemically, or mechanically isolating the cellulose fiber, cellulosic fibers of wood, fiber crops, Paper recycling, waste paper, or cotton paper, rag ...

in 1843. Along the Müglitz numerous small paper and paper industries were established, including large paper factories such as the Peschelmühle near Burkhardswalde and the Pappenfabrik Glashütte (1886). Also metalworking plants such as the Schlottwitz machine factory and iron foundry in Glashütte (1874). The upturn in the industrial economy was closely linked to the growing industries in the

Dresden Basin The Dresden BasinDickinson (1964). pp. 624-625. ( or ''Dresdner Elbtalweitung'') is a roughly 45 km long and 10 km wide area of the Elbe Valley between the towns of Pirna and Meißen.Elkins (1972), pp. 293-4. The city of Dresden lies in ...

, which depended on supplies from the surrounding area. The transport systems were not able to cope with the increased requirements (access to raw materials, transport of finished products), so that between 1846 and 1864, the Müglitz valley road was extended and rebuilt. In the medium term, however, the valley road was hardly able to cope with ever-increasing quantities of goods, especially as the demand for cheap

lignite Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35% and is considered the lowest ...

rose for the operation of steam boilers. Since horse-drawn carts were unable to match the capacity, speed and costs of the railway, manufacturers, merchants, trade associations and representatives of the cities demanded the construction of a railway line from 1865. It would connect the municipalities in the Müglitz valley to the Dresden–Bodenbach line and the lignite deposits of the North Bohemian Basin via the

. In December 1887, the Saxon Landtag (parliament) agreed to the construction of the railway, as the competitiveness of the companies in the valley diminished markedly in the 1880s due to poor accessibility. Plans, which provided, among other things, for lines via Lockwitz–

Kreischa Kreischa is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, Saxony, Germany. It directly borders the Saxon capital Dresden and consists of 14 districts. Kreischa was first mentioned in 1282 in the name ''Heinricus de Kryschowe'' ...

–Schlottwitz or

Pirna Pirna (; , ) is a town in Saxony, Germany and capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 37,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a ''Große ...

–

Zehista Zehista is a village in the municipality of Pirna in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district of Saxony, Germany. It was incorporated into Pirna in 1930. The place was mentioned for the first time in 1355. It lies in the valley of the river Se ...

–

Liebstadt Liebstadt is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated southwest of Pirna, and southeast of Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the ...

–Schlottwitz could not be realised and the factories in the lower Müitz valley were not connected. The permit was therefore given for the construction of a complete valley railway from Mügeln bei Pirna (now a district of Heidenau) to

Geising Geising is a ''Stadtteil'' (municipal division) of Altenberg in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany.

. It was designed as a 750 mm gauge railway to make it easier to follow the curves of the valley and to provide numerous connections. A continuation to

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

did not occur because the transit traffic was considered to be insufficient and would have been difficult to finance the technically complex route through Bohemia that would have been required by the steep descent following the crossing of the Ore Mountains.

The narrow-gauge railway from 1890 to 1939

After two years of construction, with up to 1100 workers per month, the line was put into operation on 17 November 1890. It was 36.1 km long and overcame a difference in height of 470 m. The narrow and winding valley made considerable demands on the route selection. Of the total length, 86% was uphill (31 km) and 40% was in curvy sections (14.5 km). The Geising Viaduct was at 65 m long, the longest of the 57 bridges built. For the time being, Altenberg did not have a connection to the railway, as there was insufficient finance and no suitable locomotives available for the steep Geising–Altenberg section. Geising station was officially given the double name of "Geising-Altenberg", although the hill town hardly gained any benefit, since it was about 3 km away from and 160 metres in altitude above Geising. Despite this small "flaw", the railway was greeted by the valley inhabitants with festivals, fireworks and gun salutes. The first timetable provided for four daily train pairs; the travel time for the entire route was 150 minutes, a one-way trip in second class cost 2.30

Marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...

. The total of 3.6 million Marks spent on the railway contributed significantly to the economic boom of the neighbouring communities. As early as 1895, 14 industrial plants were connected by branches. In addition to the finished products, lignite, wood pulp, straw, paper, wood and bricks have been transported. From the 1920s, ice blocks were carried in winter from the Große Galgenteich lake near Altenberg to the Dresden cold stores. Passenger traffic was also significant. Numerous hikers took advantage of the railway to travel from Dresden and the Dresden Basin into the Ore Mountain area, which developed into a summer resort. The snow safety of the upper levels has also given the railway significant winter sport traffic since the turn of the century. As a result, it developed into one of the most economic routes in the Saxonian narrow-gauge railway network. Because of the heavy freight traffic, there were even proposals in 1914 for the operational separation of goods and passenger traffic on the Mügeln– Weesenstein section by the construction of a second railway. However, these plans were not implemented due to the post-war economic crisis. Instead, the extension of the line to Altenberg became the focus of interest. The town repeatedly proposed an extension of the railway. Various plans would have seen a continuation from Geising via Altenberg to

Moldava Moldava may refer to: * Moldava (Teplice District), a municipality and village in the Czech Republic * Moldava nad Bodvou, a town in Slovakia See also *Moldova, a country in Europe *Moldavia, a historical region in Europe * Moldova (disambiguation ...

, Hermsdorf, Kipsdorf or Frauenstein. The government did not support these projects because of high construction costs and the low revenues expected. The 1914 proposal for an extension to Altenberg failed at the beginning of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, but was then started as an emergency project in 1919. Within four years the 5.5 km-long roundabout line from Geising via the

Geisingberg The Geisingberg is a striking basalt mountain in the eastern Ore Mountains in the German federal state of Saxony. Location and surrounding area The Geisingberg lies in the upper Eastern Ore Mountains between the mining town of Altenberg and t ...

to Altenberg was opened on 10 November 1923. Large sections of the railway line were destroyed during a devastating flood on 8 July 1927.

Conversion to standard gauge

Because of the steadily increasing transport demand after the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

Deutsche Reichsbahn The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'' (), also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the Weimar Republic, German national Rail transport, railway system created after th ...

decided to rebuild the line as

in 1934. This project was implemented between 1935 and December 1938. The Heidenau-Lauenstein section was completely redesigned; on the rest of the section to Altenberg, only the radius of the curve was enlarged. As a result, the line was approximately 3 km shorter. Tunnel Weesenstein

With the commencement of services on the standard gauge track in 1938, the number of road and track crossings and thus the danger of accidents were markedly reduced despite the increasing road traffic, but the Niederschlottwitz–Glashütte section was not accessible until April 1939. The flood risk also declined due to the raising of the line, although not on all sections of the line. However, the creation of a profitable basis for freight transport and improvements in passenger services were more important. For Deutsche Reichsbahn, the railway was the "new gateway to the eastern Ore Mountains", which made the Altenberg winter sport region "a sports ground at the gates of the national capital". The travel time for passenger services was shortened significantly, Altenberg was approximately 70 minutes from

, about 160 minutes from

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

and about 180 minutes from

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

During the Second World War

The outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

strongly restricted tourism. Because of the lack of coal, only three to five pairs of passenger trains operated every day, but the number of railcars from regions affected by air warfare was increasing. At the end of the Second World War there were fighting in the Müglitz Valley between Soviet and German troops. In April 1945, the railway installations in Glashütte, Bärenhecke-Johnsbach and Altenberg were damaged by strafing. In the last days of the war in May 1945 further damage occurred during air raids on Altenberg and Glashütte. Parts of the

10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg The 10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg" () was a German Waffen-SS armoured division during World War II. The division's first battles were in Ukraine in April 1944. Afterwards, the unit was then transferred to the west, where it fought the A ...

used the Müglitz Valley as a retreat to northern Bohemia and planned the demolition of the Weesenstein tunnel. The derailment of a military train at Bärenstein on 7 May, as well as the rapid Soviet advance, prevented the planned destruction of the operationally important railway.

After the Second World War

Although the Müglitz Valley Railway survived the Second World War largely intact apart from isolated damage in some railway stations, the enterprise was difficult in the early post-war years. On the other hand, there was an acute shortage of rollingstock as on all other lines. Class 84 locomotives were used for the transport of

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

in the

Western Ore Mountains The Western Ore Mountains () is a natural region that forms the westernmost part of the Ore Mountains in the German state of Saxony. It is also part of the major landscape unit known as the Saxon Highlands and Uplands. It extends eastwards to inc ...

and passenger cars of the "Altenberg" class were used for express services. On the other hand, the track of the line had been built between 1935 and 1938 out of reused materials due to the scarcity of raw materials, and the material shortage of the immediate post-war years made the urgently necessary renewal difficult. From 1949/50, it was possible to speak of an initial normalisation of traffic, which included, among other things, the reinstatement of the first winter sports traffic. In the passenger and freight transport sector of the early 1950s, the operations of the uranium ore mining operation of the ''SDAG Wismut'' company near Bärenhecke played an important role between 1948 and 1954. All in all, rail traffic reached considerable proportions again. In the mid-1960s, at least 14 plants were connected to nine freight lines, including metal, chemical and paper processing companies in

('' VEB Druckguss Heidenau'' and ''VEB Chemiewerke Dohna''). In passenger transport, it was used by hikers as well as increasingly by commuters to the Dresden Basin. Since the beginning of the 1960s, Deutsche Reichsbahn has been trying to increase the transport performance and profitability of the railways by the use of railcars, double-deck wagons and diesel locomotives. While the operation of the former succeeded only to a limited extent, the diesel traction increasingly took over operations from the mid-1960s onwards with the class 110. This locomotive class took over operations on the Müglitz Valley Railway from 1967. At the same time, there were considerations of abandoning operations, in particular freight, on part or even all of the line. This was an issue particularly after the flooding in October 1966 of Geising station with a wave carrying sludge and gravel, which had escaped after the failure of the drainage system of ''VEB Zinnerz Altenberg''. In addition, the railway was affected by increased the competition from private cars. This, however, was probably the reason for a shift in transport services to the already heavily used streets, especially in the winter months on the Dresden–Altenberg and Heidenau–Altenberg routes. Nevertheless, freight traffic declined in the following decades and focused on the section between Heidenau and Köttewitz. The route was maintained as a route for excursion traffic. In the winter months numerous special trains were used, connecting Altenberg directly with Dresden,

Cottbus Cottbus () or (;) is a university city and the second-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after the state capital, Potsdam. With around 100,000 inhabitants, Cottbus is the most populous city in Lusatia. Cottbus lies in the Sorbian ...

Halle (Saale) Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (), is the second largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is the sixth-most populous city in the area of former East Germany after (East Berlin, East) Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Chem ...

Riesa Riesa (; ) is a town in the district of Meißen in Saxony, Germany. It is located on the river Elbe, approximately northwest of Dresden. History The name ''Riesa'' is derived from Slavic ''Riezowe''. This name, romanised as "Rezoa", appears f ...

and

Hoyerswerda Hoyerswerda () or Wojerecy () is a major district town in the district of Bautzen in the German state of Saxony. It is located in the Sorbian settlement area of Upper Lusatia, in which the Upper Sorbian language is spoken in addition to German. ...

. In the mid-1970s there were serious plans to electrify the line. The electrification was to be carried out by

Czechoslovak State Railways Czechoslovak State Railways (''Československé státní dráhy'' in Czech or ''Československé štátne dráhy'' in Slovak, often abbreviated to ČSD) was the state-owned railway company of Czechoslovakia. The company was founded in 1918 ...

(ČSD) in May 1976 after completion of work on the Elbe Valley Railway between Dresden and Schöna. Technically, it would have been easy to carry out, since all the tunnels have the rail profile necessary for the catenary installation. The project was not implemented for unknown reasons.

Decline and refurbishment to 1990

In July 1990, the Müglitz Valley Railway celebrated the 100th anniversary of the opening of its route. The economic upheaval that began as a result of

German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

put the continuation of operations on the line into question again. A number of industrial enterprises were closed between Heidenau and Altenberg at the beginning of the 1990s. In 1991 the VEB Zinnerz Altenberg factory was closed. Other companies were able to continue their production only to a much lesser extent. As a result, the railways lost a large part of the freight volume within a few years. The decline in traffic volume was exacerbated by the sudden increase in competition between road and rail fieight transport as well as rail passenger transport. This negative development led to the closure of the freight operations south of Köttewitz (where there is a siding to the Fluorchemie factory) in 1995. Due to the uncertain future of the route,

Deutsche Bahn (, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). DB was fou ...

failed to carry out necessary investments and only remediated wear and tear. As a result of this and the further decline in passenger numbers, the decommissioning of the entire line for safety reasons was considered in 1997. Also, the timetable introduced in that year was operationally unstable during the peak hours and its regular-interval timetable of services every two hours was unattractive. It was only when the

, the local public transport utility, took over the line and awarded a contract to DB for the operation of train services for 15 years that a general restoration took place in 1998/99. The expenditure of €15 to 20 million enabled a thorough renewal of the railways and thus the elimination of numerous speed restrictions. In addition, DB used modern

Siemens Desiro The Siemens Desiro (, , ) is a family of Diesel multiple unit, diesel or electric multiple unit passenger trains developed by Siemens Mobility, a division of the German Siemens, Siemens AG conglomerate. The main variants are the Desiro Classic, ...

sets. With a reduction of travel times of60 minutes, services running every to 60 or 90 minutes and the use of new technology, there was a considerable increase in passenger numbers. The rehabilitated railway achieved patronage of about 1,200 to 2,000 passengers a day and thus proved its profitability. It was not only important for tourists, but also for student and commuter traffic. Schlottwitz Hochwasser 2

As early as 1897, during the floods in the

Eastern Ore Mountains The Eastern Ore Mountains () form a natural region of Saxony that covers the eastern part (in area almost the eastern half) of the Saxon Ore Mountains range. Together with the Western and Central Ore Mountains, it is part of the larger Saxon Hi ...

of 1927 as well as in 1954, 1957, 1958 and 1966, serious flood damage occurred along the line, but this was by no means as great as the 2002 floods. Between 12 and 14 August 2002 enormous masses of water were discharged above the crest of the Eastern Ore Mountains. In Zinnwald-Georgenfeld, 406 mm of rain fell in this time, almost half of the annual average precipitation. The torrential rain turned the Müglitz into a torrential stream, devastating almost the entire valley. The situation was exacerbated by the break-up of the only flood retention basin in the Brießnitz valley, which is located above Glashütte. For the third time after 1897 and 1927, the line was largely destroyed. The dams and bridges were submerged and heavily devastated by parts of structures that had broken away. The resulting total loss amounted to approximately €50 million. Bahnhof Altenberg 2

On 11 December 2002, after the construction of 1888/90, the flood of 1927, the standardisation in 1934/39 and the rehabilitation in 1998/99, the fifth period of major works on the railway began, which was finished by 20 December 2003. The resumption of operations was celebrated with popular festivals; Altenberg alone welcomed around 2,000 people on the first train. Its journey was preceded by the construction of two bridges and the repair of a further 13 bridges and five railway stations. Within a very short time, the railway reached patronage levels similar than before the flood with about 1,000 passengers each day and thus proved its importance as a transport route through the Eastern Ore Mountains. At the end of December 2010,

Regionalbahn The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...

RB72 (

–Kurort Altenberg) services were running on the line; there were additional

Regional-Express In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (; RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with a top speed of and an average speed of about as it calls at fewer stations than ''R ...

RE19 ( Dresden Hbf–Kurort Altenberg) services run on the weekends of the winter half year. A special feature of the route is that these additional trains are only run if the conditions are appropriate for winter sports. It is announced in the traditional media on Thursdays whether they are running. The 2008 timetable included a total of 14 pairs of regional railway train running between Heidenau and Altenberg. Apart from a few gaps in the morning, a regular-interval hourly service was offered on working days. On the weekends, services ran every two hours.

Current operation

The responsible authority for the provision of transport services in regional traffic is the

(VVO). After all transport services were retendered, they have been provided by the

since 12 December 2010. The services have been operated as SB72 and SE19 since then. It has a full-day regular-interval hourly service with trains crossing in Glashütte. On the weekends, the timetable remains unchanged with a two-hour cycle. In order to connect with the S-Bahn in Heidenau, the timetable has an unusual

symmetry minute The symmetry minute is a significant time point in the clock face timetables used by many public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general p ...

, which is approximately at 14 minute past the hour. Köttewitz, Weesenstein, Burkhardswalde-Maxen, Mühlbach (b Pirna), Oberschlottwitz, Bärenhecke-Johnsbach, Bärenstein (b Glashütte/Sachs) and Hartmannmühle stations are

request stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a bus stop, stop or train station, station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or drop ...

s. As in the past, additional direct trains are still operated between Dresden Hbf and Kurort Altenberg, only stopping at selected stations. From 10 December 2011 to 14 December 2014, the little used request stops of Köttewitz and Burkhardswalde-Maxen were not served. The reason for this was the construction of the S-Bahn tracks between Dresden-Neustadt and Coswig, which led to timetable changes. In order to speed up the trains and ensure connections in Heidenau, the VVO decided to drop the stops temporarily. On 2 June 2013, train operations had to be stopped again due to

floods A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

. In contrast to the flood in 2002, however, there was only minor damage, and the trains were able to return to schedule as of noon on 4 June.

Buildings

During the reconstruction of the line in the 1930s, a great deal of importance was attached to the connection of the station buildings to the landscape. The goal was to create a smooth transition between the rural structures of the Dresden Basin and those of the eastern Ore Mountains. Even smaller halts were given individually designed wooden service buildings. At the same time, a new slate-covered steep roof and the use of wood as a building material for all attachments, such as freight sheds and waiting rooms, are common to all the newly built station buildings. The red-painted window frames are also typical of the landscape. Some of the buildings–as in Burkhardswalde-Maxen and Lauenstein–are decorated with

Sgraffito (; ) is an artistic or decorative technique of scratching through a coating on a hard surface to reveal parts of another underlying coating which is in a contrasting colour. It is produced on walls by applying layers of plaster tinted in con ...

elements on the facades. During the floods of August 2002, some of the station buildings of the line were badly affected.

Route description

The route turns from Heidenau station southwards into the Müglitz valley and crosses the four-lane state road 172. Just before Dohna, it crosses Autobahn 17 and climbs the first significant slope before Köttewitz station. After the station, the Müglitz is crossed for the first time, followed immediately by the first and, at 198 metres, the longest of a total of four tunnels through spurs. Just after Weesenstein station, the route is shortened again by a second tunnel, 240 metres long. After Burkhardswalde-Maxen, the valley narrows for a short time and at 15.0 km between Niederschwottwitz and Oberschwottwitz, the line runs past the rock of the Schlottwitz

agate Agate ( ) is a banded variety of chalcedony. Agate stones are characterized by alternating bands of different colored chalcedony and sometimes include macroscopic quartz. They are common in nature and can be found globally in a large number of d ...

lode. Again, the valley is shortened before Glashütte with the 292 metre-long Brückenmühle tunnel. After the station is the longest tunnel of the line, 539 metres long, and a two-lane concrete bridge, which is untypical of the Müglitz Valley Railway, is traversed at Bärenhecke-Johnsbach. From Lauenstein, the line leaves the Müglitz valley and follows the Roten Wasser (part of the Greifenbach) valley to the southwest towards Geising. The town itself is reached to the north through a 235-metre-long curving tunnel and a 76-metre-long bridge so that the line changes direction completely from running south to running north. The last section leaves the valley on the western slope and rounds the

. Starting from kilometre 36.6, the steepest section begins with a gradient of 1:37.6.

Stations

Heidenau () The Müglitz Valley Railway begins in ''Heidenau station'' on the

Děčín–Dresden-Neustadt railway The Děčín–Dresden railway, also called the Elbe Valley Railway (German: ''Elbtalbahn'') is an electrified main line (railway), main line in Saxony and the Czech Republic. Formerly called the Saxon-Bohemian State Railway (''Sächsisch-Böhmis ...

. There is a connection to the

Dresden S-Bahn The Dresden S-Bahn is a network of S-Bahn-type commuter train services in Dresden and the surrounding area. It is commissioned by Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe (VVO) from DB Regio ''Verkehrsbetrieb Südostsachsen'' and currently consists of three serv ...

line S1 (

Meissen Meissen ( ), is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden and 75 km (46 mi) west of Bautzen on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, th ...

-Triebischtal – Schöna) and S2 ( Dresden Flughafen –

). Dohna (Sachs) () Dohna (Sachs) station ''Dohna (Sachs)'' station still has the entrance building from the narrow gauge period. Because of its great importance for passenger traffic, Dohna was integrated into the

fare zone before German reunification. At times, the station, which is located in the Dohna lower town, was also planned as the terminus of an S-Bahn service, but this was not implemented. Dohna Fluorchemie siding () The ''Dohna Fluorchemie'' siding is located beyond Dohna station just before Köttewitz station. The siding leading to a chemical plant in

is the only one on the line still used for freight traffic. Köttewitz () ''Köttewitz'' halt (German: ''Haltepunkt'', that is a station without any

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

) is located just outside the town. Köttewitz is only a request stop because of the extremely low volume of passengers. From 10 December 2011 to 14 December 2013, Köttewitz was not served to save time in order to improve connections in Heidenau to the trains on line S1. Instead, a special bus served this halt from Heidenau or Mühlbach. The halt is beyond the approach signal to Dohna station and is thus operationally part of Dohna station. Weesenstein () Weesenstein Hp 1

''Weesenstein'' halt is now only a demand stop. The small service building is owned by Deutsche Bahn AG. The entrance building dates back to 1938. Burkhardswalde-Maxen () Burkhardswalde-Maxen Bahnhof 01

''Burkhardswalde-Maxen'' halt is located just outside the villages of Burkhardswalde and Maxen. Today it has little traffic. Directly on the slope above the station are the formerly well-known Margon mineral water (''Margonwasser'') springs and the attached ''Schloss Gesundbrunnen'' ("healthy spring palace"). In the course of the restoration the line in 1998/99, the former station was restored as a halt. The station building, which is heritage listed, is mainly known for its

sgraffito (; ) is an artistic or decorative technique of scratching through a coating on a hard surface to reveal parts of another underlying coating which is in a contrasting colour. It is produced on walls by applying layers of plaster tinted in con ...

decorations on its

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

. These have their background in some events of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

that took place nearby. After the

Battle of Maxen The Battle of Maxen (20 November 1759) was a battle at Maxen, in the Electorate of Saxony during the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War). It resulted in surrender of a Prussian corps. The Prussian corps of 14,000 men, commanded b ...

on 20 November 1759, the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n General von Finck surrendered and was captured by the

Austrians Austrians (, ) are the citizens and Nationality, nationals of Austria. The English term ''Austrians'' was applied to the population of Archduchy of Austria, Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, ...

, who were allied with

, together with 14,000 men. Pictured are a Saxon

grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was historically an assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when ...

and a Prussian

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European paramilitary volunteer units that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenaries or private military companies, rega ...

knight and above is the inscription "Anno 1759". In 2002, the flood waters of the Müglitz destroyed the station building's rear wooden freight platform. The structure was then demolished and not rebuilt. Deutsche Bahn has offered the station building for sale for a few years, but so far without success. The building is empty and decaying. Mühlbach (b Pirna) () The current ''Mühlbach (b Pirna)'' halt is in an almost identical position to the station on the narrow gauge line. It was originally called ''Häselich'' after the neighbouring small village and was later called ''Häselich-Mühlbach''. Since 15 May 1938, it has borne the present name. The layout originally consisted of a continuous railway track with a platform and a loading track, which was connected at both ends, which was not included in the standardisation. The originally wooden waiting room was replaced in 1938 by a more formal, significantly enlarged building in the Heimatstil (“homeland style”, a German revivalist style), which is now used for residential purposes. During 1998/99, the separate passenger tracks were moved a few metres towards Heidenau and are no longer connected to the line. Niederschlottwitz () Haltepunkt Niederschlottwitz

The former ''Niederschlottwitz'' station, now classified as a halt was built in 1938 on the site of the narrow-gauge station. The entrance building is almost the same as in Burkhardswalde and Bärenstein. The sgraffito on the gable represents a peasant couple that was typical for the area. The signal box was built in a contemporary style. Niederschlottwitz was reclassified in 1999 after the extension of the second station track as a halt with

block post A block post in railway signalling is the signal box at one end of a block section. German practice In Germany, block posts are known as ''Blockstellen'' (abbreviation: ''Bk'') and are defined as railway facilities on the open line that mark the ...

. The elevated signal box served until the 2002 flood to protect the signal block and the neighbouring level crossing. The block post was not re-established after the flood and an automatic system is now used to secure the line. Oberschlottwitz () Haltepunkt Oberschlottwitz

''Oberschwottwitz'' halt was established in 1938 on the slope before the Müglitz Viaduct and is sited approximately on the location of the former narrow gauge station. The small, massive entrance building is built in the Heimatstil and is now unused. Glashütte (Sachs) () ''Glashütte (Sachs)'' station is now the only station on the line with a

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains o ...

. When the new building was built in 1938, the entire station area was raised above flood level. A new entrance building was built; it now serves as

Nomos Glashütte NOMOS Glashütte is a economy of Germany, German watchmaking company based in Glashütte, Saxony, specializing in artisan manual-winding and automatic mechanical watches. It was founded by Roland Schwertner in January 1990, two months after the ...

’s headquarters and production site. Bärenhecke-Johnsbach () Baerenhecke-Johnsbach

''Bärenhecke-Johnsbach'' halt is located near the village of Bärenhecke, on the opposite side of the Müglitz, but has a very limited passenger traffic because of its great distance from the much larger village of Johnsbach. At the end of the 1990s, the entrance to the Bärenhecke mill and bakery was located at the stop. Bärenstein (b Glashütte/Sachs) () The ''Förderverein für die Müglitztalbahn eV'' (“supporting association for the Müglitz Valley Railway”, which developed the station precincts into a museum with several buildings, had its headquarters in the "Bärenstein" station. After the insolvency of the association, the entrance building is now privately owned. Officially, the station is connected to an

industrial spur A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...

, so that regular use by museum trains is possible. It is notable for having a waterhouse (for supplying water for steam trains) from the narrow-gauge era, which is the oldest in Saxony and which is still operational. A similar building exists in all of Saxony only at Burkhardswalde-Maxen halt and on the

Pressnitz Valley Railway The Pressnitz Valley Railway (German: ''Preßnitztalbahn'') was a narrow gauge railway line in Saxony, Germany. It used to climb from Wolkenstein on the standard gauge Annaberg-Buchholz–Flöha railway through the valley of river Preßnitz (Cz ...

in Steinbach. Lauenstein (Sachs) () The current ''Lauenstein (Sachs)'' halt was classified as a station until 1998/99, before it was an important passing point on the upper part of the line. Hartmannmühle () It is still possible to find the wooden waiting room from the narrow-gauge era at ''Hartmannmühle'' halt. The ''Wildpark Osterzgebirge'' tourist attraction now lies opposite the stop. Because of the low traffic, Hartmannmühle is now only a request stop. Geising () Geising Bahnhof 01

The current ''Geising'' halt was the terminus of the narrow-gauge line until 1923 and called Geising-Altenberg station. In October 1966, Geising station was flooded with a mud and boulder wave that had escaped due to a damage to the drainage system of the washing plant of VEB Zinnerz Altenberg. The station was then returned to the station and the signal box was left open. The entrance building dates back to the narrow-gauge period. The only change with standardisation of the line in 1938 was the addition of a spacious waiting room. Today it is used for commercial purposes. Geisingberg-Sprungschanze The "Geisingberg-Sprungschanze" halt was only open between 1933 and 1941. It was only served at sporting events on the ski jumping hill on the

. Kurort Altenberg (Erzgeb) () Bahnhof Altenberg 3

''Kurort Altenberg'' station is the terminus of the Müglitz Valley Railway. It was built in 1938 at the same place as the old narrow-gauge station, however with a change in the angle of the tracks. Originally there were four platforms for winter sports, which were reduced to three after the 1999 rehabilitation of the track. The station has a covered structure that directly links to the suburban bus stop, which can also be used as a conference hall. The entrance building, which was destroyed in 1945 and later rebuilt, now belongs to the town of Altenberg, which uses it as a centre for tourist information and the operation of a cross-country ski trail. Platform 1 was developed in 2013 with the federal funds from the ''Schienenwegeausbaugesetz'' (“railways extension act). It was raised to a platform height of 55 centimetres above the top edge of the rail and a given guidance system for the blind. The cost was over €240,000.

References

* (Kirchbach report) * * * * * * * * * (13/14 September 1997, 25/26 April 1998, 12 December 2002, 30 June 2003, 23 December 2004) * *

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Muglitz Valley Railway Railway lines in Saxony Railway lines opened in 1890 750 mm gauge railways in Germany Transport in the Ore Mountains Buildings and structures in Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge 1890 establishments in Germany