Picture a meadow in a quiet river valley that turns into a sea of white blossoms every spring - that's the Märzenbecherwiese in the Polenz valley, home to one of the largest wild populations of spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum) in Saxony. Thousands of delicate, bell-shaped white flowers carpet the wet meadows, making it a genuine spring spectacle worth planning a trip around.

The Polenztal has an intimate, damp character - the meandering Polenz stream regularly floods the surrounding meadows, and groundwater seeps down from the wooded slopes, keeping the ground constantly moist. Outside the flowering season, the meadows are still rich with other species like marsh thistle, cuckooflower and meadow buttercup, while summer brings butterflies and birdlife to the valley. Misty mornings give the valley a soft, atmospheric quality throughout the seasons.

How to get there

• Bockmühle (mill on the county road between Cunnersdorf and Langenwolmsdorf) - easy route, recommended starting point for exploring the reserve, the Polenztalweg trail runs through the whole area
• Also accessible from the villages of Polenz or Heeselicht

Practical information

• Best time to see the spring snowflake bloom is early March to early April
• The area has been a protected nature reserve since 1967 - stay on the marked paths
• Meadows are only mown after late June to allow seeds to ripen - please avoid stepping off the trail
• Wildlife includes bullhead fish, otters, kingfishers and black storks

Interestingly, the first written record of the mass snowflake bloom here dates back to 1821, and by around 1900 the site had already become a popular tourist attraction for the Dresden region.