Hochwald is one of the highest peaks in the Zittau Mountains, straddling the German-Czech border with a broad, distinctive saddle-shaped silhouette. Known locally as the 'Observation Tower of the Zittau Mountains', it rewards every visitor with sweeping panoramas that stretch far beyond the immediate region.

The mountain has two summits — the southern one, crossed by the state border, and the northern one (743.8 m a.s.l.), crowned by an impressive 25-metre stone lookout tower built in 1892. On clear days, the view from the tower and the terrace of the Saxon mountain hut spans the Karkonosze with Sniezka, the Jizera Mountains, the iconic Jested tower, and even Saxon Switzerland. The forested slopes are beautiful year-round — lush and cool in summer, ablaze with colour in autumn, and peacefully snow-covered in winter.

• Oybin — the most popular starting point, several marked trails, difficulty: easy to moderate
• Hain / Krompach / Petrovice — alternative trailheads on both the German and Czech sides
• Kammloch car park — a convenient option for those arriving by car

• The 'Sächsische' Bergbaude (Hochwaldbaude) on the southern summit offers a restaurant and accommodation on the Saxon side
• The Hochwald-Turmbaude next to the northern summit tower is another restaurant, open through the season and hosting New Year's Eve celebrations
• A tourist shuttle train serves Hochwald daily in summer
• The long-distance European trail E3 and the Eisenach–Budapest hiking route both cross the summit
• The summit sits on the Schengen border — free passage between Germany and the Czech Republic

The stone Hochwaldturm has stood here since 14 September 1892, inaugurated by Oskar Friedrich, chairman of the Globus Mountain Association that funded its construction — making it one of the most storied viewpoints in the entire Zittau Mountains.