Kulmer Steig
Encyclopedia
The Kulmer Steig is a byword for transport links from the Elbe valley
over the eastern part of the Eastern Ore Mountains
to Bohemian Kulm (Czech: Chlumec u Chabařovic), hence the name which means "Kulm Trail". It is an ancient road system of partly derelict and unmetalled historic transport routes. These historic long-distance routes have been uncovered today thanks to archaeological discoveries. The routes all head south from the Elbe valley between Dresden
and Pirna
and cross the Eastern Ore Mountains over mountain passes
on the Saxon side between Fürstenwalde in the west and Oelsen in the east. The lowest crossings are located near Müglitz (Mohelnice
) from where they continue via Ebersdorf (Habartice
) and the Geiersberg as well as Schönwald (Krasný Les) and further on over the Nollendorf Pass to Kulm. The Kulmer Steig was an especially good transport route because the road cut a passage through untamed wilderness and 30 kilometres could be covered in a day.
In places it overlaps with the Old Kings Way (Alter Königsweg or Via Regia
) from Cologne
to Kraków
and Berlin
to Prague
and the Salt Road
(Salzstraße) from Halle to Prague.
to Bohemia
running south
through the Ore Mountains
was not preferred, or even a route along the banks of the Elbe.
Both routes had major disadvantages. The one from Dresden running south over the Freital Heights (Freitaler Höhen) crosses the Ore Mountains near Zinnwald at a height of at least 850 metres above sea level (at Cínovec). The ascents and the descent on the Bohemian side are very steep in places and the climatic conditions, especially in winter, are rather severe, as users of the B 170 federal road still experience today in the Altenberg/Zinnwald area each winter. The riverbank route close to the Elbe, by contrast, runs through a canyon-like ravine in Bohemian Switzerland which, taking into account security considerations, was viewed as rather unsafe by travelling merchants. All the more because the sparsely populated region offered little protection. The castles in Saxon
and Bohemian Switzerland, especially after the impoverishment of their noble owners in the 15th century, also tended to favour robber baronies rather than protection of the trading routes.
The use of the eastern part of the East Ore Mountains, despite being something of a detour, only had moderate gradients and more favourable weather conditions. The crest itself was only about 700 m above sea level at the Nollendorf Pass.
Dohna formed an outstandingly well protected entrance int the Müglitz valley with its castles on the Robisch and the Reichsburg on the Schlossberg opposite and enabled a very safe passage and crossing of the lower Eastern Ore Mountains. From here there were several different route options:
Pirna as well, with its ford over the Elbe, offered a good entry point into this mountain range crossing, especially in the Late Middle Ages
following the Dohna Feud
, when Dohna lost its position to Pirna. Having said that, this approach probably did not go via Zehista, but ran somewhat to the east via the plateau at Kohlberg and then reached Dohma before following the eastern route thereafter.
In addition to these major arteries, there was a multitude of branch routes, e. g.
These transport corridors were upgraded with the arrival of more modern modes of transport. For example, the Old and New Dresden to Teplitz Post Road. But even the present-day roads use these corridors, for example the A 17 motorway
.
(ca. 1800-750 BC) and Iron Age
(750 BC - early AD). Even a few finds from the Neolithic
(Stone Age
ca 4500-1800 BC) show statistically significant associations with the above-described routes of the Kulmer Steig.
In the Middle Ages, the route served as a trading and military road. According to tradition, the Kulmer Steig was used as early as 805 and 856 by armies advancing into Bohemia. The first records of such use, however, date to 1040, when Margrave Eckhard II of Meissen with the Saxon army and a force under Archbishop Bardo of Mainz advanced into Bohemia and intervened in the dispute between Henry III
and Bretislaus I The eastward expansion of Henry I may also have followed this route, especially since he also credited with the establishment of Dohna Castle
in 930 (other sources identify Otto I
as founding it around 960, perhaps this is a misunderstanding with regard to the castle on the Robisch and the Reichsburg opposite on the Schlossberg). It is recorded that Henry I founded Meissen
Castle in 929 and in the same year moved on to Bohemia. Other armies were moved down this route by Wiprecht of Groitzsch
in 1107 and Emperor Lothair III
in 1126.
These transport routes also played an important role in the great wars of the Middle Ages. Armies in the Thirty Years' War
, the Seven Years' War
and during the wars of liberation from Napoleonic occupation
, particularly around the year 1813, used these routes for crossing the Ore Mountains and regularly brought death, misery and devastation to the region.
With the introduction of road tolls in the 14th century and also the construction of post roads in the 18th century and modern roads since the early 19th century, the old road system described above, with its sunken roads shaped by centuries of heavy carts, disappeared.
In the later Middle Ages, these trade routes increasingly concentrated on the post roads (e.g. the Old and New Dresden to Teplitz Post Road) with their surveys and designations made by Adam Friedrich Zürner in 1712/13 on behalf of the Saxon Elector August the Strong.
The modern road network emerged in the 19th and 20th century. It is based, as mentioned above, on the described routes of the Kulmer Steig (e.g. Staatstraße 173 from Pirna to the border crossing at Bahratal; Kreisstraße
8760 from Pirna to Herbergen; Kreisstraße 8770 from Dohna via Köttewitz into the Seidewitz valley, Staatstraße 176 from Pirna through the Seidewitz valley to Liebstadt
and on to Börnersdorf and Breitenau, and, of course, the A 17 autobahn
, which runs parallel to the Old Dresden to Teplitz Post Road, etc).
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
over the eastern part of the Eastern Ore Mountains
Eastern Ore Mountains
The Eastern Ore Mountains form a natural region that covers the eastern part of the Saxon Ore Mountains. It is part of the major landscape unit, the Saxon Highlands and Uplands...
to Bohemian Kulm (Czech: Chlumec u Chabařovic), hence the name which means "Kulm Trail". It is an ancient road system of partly derelict and unmetalled historic transport routes. These historic long-distance routes have been uncovered today thanks to archaeological discoveries. The routes all head south from the Elbe valley between Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and Pirna
Pirna
Pirna is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 40,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a Große Kreisstadt...
and cross the Eastern Ore Mountains over mountain passes
Ore Mountain passes
The Ore Mountain passes are crossings and passages over the crest of the Ore Mountains in Central Europe, over which tracks, roads, railway lines and pipelines run from the Free State of Saxony in the Federal Republic of Germany to Bohemia in the Czech Republic and vice-versa.- Upper Ore Mountains...
on the Saxon side between Fürstenwalde in the west and Oelsen in the east. The lowest crossings are located near Müglitz (Mohelnice
Mohelnice
Mohelnice is a name of several locations in the Czech Republic:* town Mohelnice in the Olomouc Region * village Mohelnice * Mohelnice, part of village Křešín, in the Vysočina Region...
) from where they continue via Ebersdorf (Habartice
Habartice
Habartice is a village in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on border with Poland, next to the town of Zawidów. It has 472 inhabitants .-External links:*...
) and the Geiersberg as well as Schönwald (Krasný Les) and further on over the Nollendorf Pass to Kulm. The Kulmer Steig was an especially good transport route because the road cut a passage through untamed wilderness and 30 kilometres could be covered in a day.
In places it overlaps with the Old Kings Way (Alter Königsweg or Via Regia
Via Regia
Via Regia, i.e. "Royal Highway", denotes a mediæval historic road. The term, in the usual sense, means not just a specific road, rather a type of road. It was legally associated with the king and remained under his special protection and guarantee of public peace.There were many such roads in the...
) from Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
to Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and the Salt Road
Salt Road
A salt road ) is any of the prehistoric and historical trade routes by which essential salt has been transported to regions that lacked it ....
(Salzstraße) from Halle to Prague.
Route
From a cursory examination of the geography one may wonder why the direct route from DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
running south
through the Ore Mountains
Ore Mountains
The Ore Mountains in Central Europe have formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for many centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest of the mountain range...
was not preferred, or even a route along the banks of the Elbe.
Both routes had major disadvantages. The one from Dresden running south over the Freital Heights (Freitaler Höhen) crosses the Ore Mountains near Zinnwald at a height of at least 850 metres above sea level (at Cínovec). The ascents and the descent on the Bohemian side are very steep in places and the climatic conditions, especially in winter, are rather severe, as users of the B 170 federal road still experience today in the Altenberg/Zinnwald area each winter. The riverbank route close to the Elbe, by contrast, runs through a canyon-like ravine in Bohemian Switzerland which, taking into account security considerations, was viewed as rather unsafe by travelling merchants. All the more because the sparsely populated region offered little protection. The castles in Saxon
Saxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland is a hilly climbing area and national park around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Together with the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic it forms the Elbe Sandstone Mountains....
and Bohemian Switzerland, especially after the impoverishment of their noble owners in the 15th century, also tended to favour robber baronies rather than protection of the trading routes.
The use of the eastern part of the East Ore Mountains, despite being something of a detour, only had moderate gradients and more favourable weather conditions. The crest itself was only about 700 m above sea level at the Nollendorf Pass.
Dohna formed an outstandingly well protected entrance int the Müglitz valley with its castles on the Robisch and the Reichsburg on the Schlossberg opposite and enabled a very safe passage and crossing of the lower Eastern Ore Mountains. From here there were several different route options:
- Eastern route: Zehista – Dohma – Ottendorf – Gersdorf – Gottleuba – Oelsen – Schönwald – Nollendorf – Kulm
- Main route: Köttewitz – Meusegast – Niederseidewitz – Ottendorf – Gersdorf – Gottleuba – Oelsen – Schönwald – Nollendorf – Kulm
- Western route: Köttewitz – Meusegast – Niederseidewitz – Nentmannsdorf – Herbergen – Liebstadt – Börnersdorf – Breitenau – Schönwald – Nollendorf – Kulm
Pirna as well, with its ford over the Elbe, offered a good entry point into this mountain range crossing, especially in the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
following the Dohna Feud
Dohna Feud
The Dohna Feud was a 14th-century dispute between the burgraves of Dohna, who resided in the Eastern Ore Mountains of Central Europe, on the one hand and Saxon nobleman, John of Körbitz and the Meißen Margrave William I on the other...
, when Dohna lost its position to Pirna. Having said that, this approach probably did not go via Zehista, but ran somewhat to the east via the plateau at Kohlberg and then reached Dohma before following the eastern route thereafter.
In addition to these major arteries, there was a multitude of branch routes, e. g.
- from Breitenau via Fürstenwalde, Müglitz and Ebersdorf to Kulm,
- from Herbergen via Göppersdorf to Börnersdorf or
- from Gottleuba via Hellendorf and Peterswald to Nollendorf.
These transport corridors were upgraded with the arrival of more modern modes of transport. For example, the Old and New Dresden to Teplitz Post Road. But even the present-day roads use these corridors, for example the A 17 motorway
Bundesautobahn 17
is an autobahn in Saxony, south-eastern Germany. It links Dresden to the Czech border where the D8 continues to Prague. The road is a fairly new contribution to the German autobahn-system, with its first stretch opened in 2001 and the last in 2006.- Location :...
.
Chronology
The location of some of the highways outlined above can be worked out even for prehistoric times. This is evinced, inter alia, by archaeological finds (pottery, coins, even from Roman times, tools, weapons) from the BronzeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
(ca. 1800-750 BC) and Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
(750 BC - early AD). Even a few finds from the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
(Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
ca 4500-1800 BC) show statistically significant associations with the above-described routes of the Kulmer Steig.
In the Middle Ages, the route served as a trading and military road. According to tradition, the Kulmer Steig was used as early as 805 and 856 by armies advancing into Bohemia. The first records of such use, however, date to 1040, when Margrave Eckhard II of Meissen with the Saxon army and a force under Archbishop Bardo of Mainz advanced into Bohemia and intervened in the dispute between Henry III
Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry III , called the Black or the Pious, was a member of the Salian Dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors...
and Bretislaus I The eastward expansion of Henry I may also have followed this route, especially since he also credited with the establishment of Dohna Castle
Dohna Castle
Dohna Castle on the road from German Saxony to Bohemia was the seat of the burgraves of Dohna. Of the old, once imposing double castle only a few remnants of the walls remain...
in 930 (other sources identify Otto I
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
as founding it around 960, perhaps this is a misunderstanding with regard to the castle on the Robisch and the Reichsburg opposite on the Schlossberg). It is recorded that Henry I founded Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
Castle in 929 and in the same year moved on to Bohemia. Other armies were moved down this route by Wiprecht of Groitzsch
Wiprecht of Groitzsch
Wiprecht of Groitzsch was the Margrave of Meissen and the Saxon Ostmark from 1123 until his death. He was born to a noble family of the Altmark, the son of Wiprecht of Balsamgau and Sigena of Leinungen...
in 1107 and Emperor Lothair III
Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III of Supplinburg , was Duke of Saxony , King of Germany , and Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 to 1137. The son of Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia...
in 1126.
These transport routes also played an important role in the great wars of the Middle Ages. Armies in the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
and during the wars of liberation from Napoleonic occupation
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, particularly around the year 1813, used these routes for crossing the Ore Mountains and regularly brought death, misery and devastation to the region.
With the introduction of road tolls in the 14th century and also the construction of post roads in the 18th century and modern roads since the early 19th century, the old road system described above, with its sunken roads shaped by centuries of heavy carts, disappeared.
In the later Middle Ages, these trade routes increasingly concentrated on the post roads (e.g. the Old and New Dresden to Teplitz Post Road) with their surveys and designations made by Adam Friedrich Zürner in 1712/13 on behalf of the Saxon Elector August the Strong.
The modern road network emerged in the 19th and 20th century. It is based, as mentioned above, on the described routes of the Kulmer Steig (e.g. Staatstraße 173 from Pirna to the border crossing at Bahratal; Kreisstraße
Kreisstraße
A Kreisstraße is a class of road in Germany. It carries traffic between the towns and villages within a Kreis or district or between two neighbouring districts. In terms of importance, the Kreisstraße ranks below a Landesstraße , but above a Gemeindestraße or "local road"...
8760 from Pirna to Herbergen; Kreisstraße 8770 from Dohna via Köttewitz into the Seidewitz valley, Staatstraße 176 from Pirna through the Seidewitz valley to Liebstadt
Liebstadt
Liebstadt is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated 12 km southwest of Pirna, and 23 km southeast of Dresden .- References :...
and on to Börnersdorf and Breitenau, and, of course, the A 17 autobahn
Bundesautobahn 17
is an autobahn in Saxony, south-eastern Germany. It links Dresden to the Czech border where the D8 continues to Prague. The road is a fairly new contribution to the German autobahn-system, with its first stretch opened in 2001 and the last in 2006.- Location :...
, which runs parallel to the Old Dresden to Teplitz Post Road, etc).
Sources
- Simon, Klaus und Hauswald, Knut: Der Kulmer Steig vor dem Mittelalter. Zu den ältesten sächsisch-böhmischen Verkehrswegen über das Osterzgebirge. In: Arbeits- und Forschungsberichte zur sächsischen Bodendenkmalpflege. Hrsg.: Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen mit Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte, Dresden. Bd. 37/1995, Theis, Stuttgart, S. 9–98 (früher im Deutschen Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin. Aufnahme nach Bd. 35/1992) ISBN 3-8062-1180-9, ISSN 0402-7817
- M. Ruttkowski: Altstraßen im Erzgebirge; Archäologische Denkmalinventarisation Böhmische Steige. in: Arbeits- und Forschungsberichte zur sächsischen Bodendenkmalpflege, Band 44, 2002 ISBN 3-910008-52-6