4.9
(12)
77
hikers
Schwedenlöcher Gorge – Schwedenlöcher loop from Rathewalde
01:28
4.57km
190m
Hiking
Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.
Last updated: August 21, 2026
Tips
Your route passes through protected areas
Please check local regulations for:
Waypoints
Start point
Parking
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362 m
Rathewalder Mill
Highlight • Structure
Translated by Google •
Tip by
1.66 km
Schwedenlöcher Stairs
Highlight • Trail
Translated by Google •
Tip by
1.73 km
Schwedenlöcher Gorge
Highlight • Gorge
Originally it was an undeveloped and difficult to access gorge that was called Blanker Grund. When the northern village of Rathewalde was destroyed by Swedish soldiers in August 1639 during the Thirty Years' War, the farmers in the area fled into the wild ravine and brought themselves and their belongings to safety there. The gorge also served as a refuge in later times of war, for example in 1706 during the Great Northern War, in 1813 during the Wars of Liberation and in 1945 in the final days of the Second World War.
In the 1780s, the first paths for wood extraction were laid in the Schwedenlochen. This is commemorated by several dates carved into the sandstone (1782, 1784, 1787).
The actual development of the gorge for tourism came comparatively late. On the initiative of the Mountain Association for Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland, the Schwedenhöhlen were provided with a climbing system in 1886. In order to install the stairs and bridges, the gorge had to be partially widened artificially. The new hiking trail, which connected the famous Bastei rock massif with the Amselgrund, was inaugurated on May 1, 1886 on the occasion of the 6th German Geographers' Day.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
1.80 km
Green Gorge
Highlight • Gorge
1.82 km
Schwedenlöcher
Highlight (Segment) • Gorge
Translated by Google •
Tip by
2.38 km
Stone steps in the rocky gorge
Highlight • Gorge
Showing Translation
Tip by
2.41 km
Schwedenlöcher Stairs
Highlight • Trail
Translated by Google •
Tip by
2.66 km
Bare horn
Highlight • Gorge
4.57 km
End point
Parking
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
2.93 km
843 m
709 m
< 100 m
Surfaces
1.91 km
1.31 km
873 m
411 m
< 100 m
< 100 m
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Elevation
Highest point (300 m)
Lowest point (190 m)
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Weather
Powered by Foreca
Saturday 22 August
18°C
11°C
0 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 18.0 km/h
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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.
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