Perched at 848 metres above sea level on the summit of the Hundsmarter hill in the Erzgebirge, the upper reservoir of the Markersbach pumped-storage power station is one of Saxony's most striking industrial landscapes. A vast ring dam holds back millions of cubic metres of water right on top of a mountain — a sight that feels almost surreal when you first emerge from the forest trail. This is the second most powerful pumped-storage facility in Germany and one of the largest in Europe.

The open panorama from the dam crest is the real reward. Rolling forested ridges of the Erzgebirge stretch in every direction, and on clear days the views are truly far-reaching. In summer the deep blue water and fresh breeze make it a surprisingly pleasant place to linger, while in winter the bare, wind-swept dam takes on a dramatic, almost otherworldly atmosphere. The contrast between raw industrial scale and the quiet mountain setting is what makes Markersbach so memorable.

• Markersbach village / power station car park — marked footpath leading to the dam, approximately 150 steps to climb, approx. 20–30 minutes walk, difficulty: easy to moderate

• Access to the upper reservoir area is free and open to the public.
• The site is under permanent video surveillance — please respect all marked boundaries.

Worth knowing: the ring dam surrounding the reservoir stretches an impressive 2,590 metres in length, making it the largest earth dam in Saxony. The power station can ramp up to full output of 1 GW in just 2 minutes — a key asset for balancing renewable energy peaks on the German grid.