Dorfbachklamm

Altendorfer Dorfbachklamm

Useful Information

Location:	Kirnitzschtalstraße between Bad Schandau and the Ostrau mill. (50.926357, 14.185328)
Open:	No restrictions. [2020]
Fee:	free. [2020]
Classification:	Gorge
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	L=80 m, VR=100 m.
Guided tours:	self guided, D=30-45 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Dorfbachklamm.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1720	Old workers' path built.
1938	developed by steel steps at the suggestion of local historian Hermann Lemme.

Description

The Dorfbachklamm is a rather short gorge-like rock formation in the Kirnitzschtal valley. The lower end of the path is located on the Kirnitzschtal road between Bad Schandau and the Ostrau mill. The steep cliffs were made accessible by iron stairs and paths in 1938. Today the gorge is integrated into the network of paths of the Gebirgsverein and is part of the Malerweg (Painter Trail). Because the path is rather short and relatively expensive to maintain, there are always considerations about dismantling it.

A predecessor was the Alte Arbeiterweg (Old Workers Trail), which was built in 1720 and used by the Altendorf quarrymen to get from Altendorf to the Postelwitz quarries. This path is in some ways even more spectacular, as it consists in part simply of steps carved into the sandstone. That is why it is also called the Steinbrecherstiege (Quarrymens Staircase). Nowadays it is also equipped with railings in the steeper parts, but this was not originally the case. The quarrymen needed a certain head for heights to use it. It is a good idea to use one for the way up and return on the other. Even though the entire circular route from the road is only 300 m long, you should plan on at least 30 to 45 minutes, after all you have a difference in altitude of 100 m to contend with.

The Dorfbachklamm gorge takes its name from the Dorfbach, a right-hand tributary of the Kirnitzsch, which covers a difference in altitude of little less than 100 m from the plateau near Altdorf down to the Kirnitzsch. Accordingly, it has also cut into the rock. However, despite its name, it has not created a narrow gorge and does not have any spectacular waterfalls. The rock formations here are rather called Schrammsteine, a local term for rock towers.