City stories or dragon's caveThe second stage offers the choice of either taking a detour to the Vogtland metropolis of Plauen on the shorter tour or exploring the mysterious dragon's cave in Syrau.
The hike runs for the most part in the valley and through the forest and thus offers a pleasant coolness, especially in summer.
The main route runs from Jocketa via Plauen to the district of Zwoschwitz.
A particularly beautiful section leads through the wild and romantic Nymphental, the entrance to which is formed by the Teufelskanzel, a striking greenstone rock. Accompanied by the lively murmur of the Kaltenbach stream, after a few kilometres you are already on Plauen territory in the small village of Jößnitz. Idyllically situated on the edge of the forest, the Pfaffenmühle, which is over 100 years old, is a popular resting place for hikers.
Now you can opt for a trip to Plauen, whose historic old town has much to discover: St. John's Church, the Old Town Hall, the Malt House, the unique Lace Museum, the Vogtland Museum and the e.o.plauen Gallery, to name but a few.
Or you can follow in the footsteps of dragons in the nearby Vogtland mill district.
The dragon cave in Syrau, the only show cave in Saxony, has a lot to offer: first descend many steps, feel the rock, cross narrow passages and hear the water dripping everywhere. Here, dragon Justus guards his subterranean hidden realm with impressive stalactite formations, crystal-clear lakes, soft clay formations and bizarre sinter curtains.
And the last windmill in the Vogtland can also be found in Syrau high up on the Drachenburg. As a technical museum, its interior provides information about the miller's hard work and how a mill works. The grinding mill is a masterpiece of the architecture of the time with immense dimensions. The wings of the mill could always be turned into the wind by means of a revolving construction, as it was a tower mill.
