On the southern slope of the Baumannsberg mountain in the Ore Mountains lies a striking mosaic landscape of moors, heathlands and mountain meadows, locally known as Baumgärtels Kiefern. This is a place where rare bog pine grows alongside bog blueberry and round-leaved sundew, creating scenery rarely found elsewhere in this region of Germany.

The protected area stretches from around 710 m down to 658 m above sea level, with shallow hollows sloping gently southward. In spring and summer the meadows burst into colour with mountain arnica and spotted orchid, while butterflies like the pearl-bordered fritillary and silver-washed fritillary flutter over the flowering grasslands. In autumn the heathlands and birch bog woodland glow in russet tones, and winter brings a hushed, snow-covered stillness to the wetlands. A stream, once unnamed on maps and now called the Hochmoorbächel, rises here and flows toward the Zwickauer Mulde.

How to get there

• From Schönheide — via local forest tracks, approx. 1-1.5 hours, easy to moderate difficulty
• From the Fichzigweg track on the northern boundary or the Rautenkranzer Weg to the south

Practical information

• Protected as a nature reserve since 2013, part of the Natura 2000 network
• Home to rare protected species including bog pine (Pinus rotundata) — please stay on marked paths
• Ground is wet and boggy; sturdy waterproof footwear is recommended

Interesting fact: in the late 19th century the moor covered around 21 hectares, before peat extraction for heating began — a practice that continued almost until the 1960s.