The Kirnitzschtal: a tram, a stream and the way into the back country
If you are heading for the Kuhstall, the Schrammsteine or the Schleusen gorge, you pass through here.
The Kirnitzschtal (Kirnitzsch valley) runs east from Bad Schandau into the rear part of Saxon Switzerland. Since 1898 the metre-gauge Kirnitzschtal tram has followed the stream for about eight kilometres (5 mi) to the Lichtenhain Waterfall. According to the operator, it is one of the smallest tram systems in Germany and the only one that runs into a national park.
From every stop, hiking trails lead into the rocks: to the Schrammsteine, the Affensteine, the Winterberge and the Kuhstall. The national park authority explicitly names the tram as a starting point for hikes; for the Kuhstall it advises taking the bus or tram to the Lichtenhain Waterfall, because the car parks in the valley usually fill up quickly.
Is the valley in the national park? Mostly, yes. Comparing the stops with the park boundary in OpenStreetMap shows that the Bad Schandau Kurpark terminus, the depot and the Waldhäus’l stop lie outside; from Ostrauer Mühle onwards the line runs inside the boundary. The Lichtenhain Waterfall itself lies just under one kilometre inside the park.
The waterfall is a small piece of stagecraft. The Lichtenhain village stream has been dammed with a weir since 1830, because the natural fall was too modest for travellers. The historic weir was restored in 1994; since then it has once again been opened every half hour, and the water gushes over the rocks for a few minutes.
This sets the rhythm of a visit: tram and waterfall both run on a half-hourly cycle. If you arrive by tram, you usually only wait a few minutes for the next rush of water, and then you can choose between the ride back, the climb to the Kuhstall or a meal at the terminus.
In numbers
- Route
- about 8 km, metre gauge
- In service since
- 1898
- Summer frequency
- every 30 minutes
- Journey time to the waterfall
- about 30 minutes
- Weir at the waterfall
- since 1830
- Weir restored
- 1994
- Single ticket
- €7.00
- Day ticket
- €10.00
