From the Muldenbrücke Wechselburg, the forest adventure trail leads past the Eulenkluft, which marks the border of the Saxon Granulite Mountains and serves as a habitat for many animals with its cracks and projections, up the Rochlitzer Berg. On the way up, numerous historical witnesses from the past of the region can be discovered – whether a porphyry path stone that points somewhat off the trail to the millstone quarry, an atonement cross, or various boundary stones marking the border between the former count-owned Schönburg forest and the electoral Saxon forest.
Scattered throughout the forest are boulders made of Rochlitzer porphyry – remnants of the so-called block sea that once richly covered the mountain peak. Before the quarries were set up, the oldest stone extraction began with processing these exposed blocks, for example into millstones.
Upon reaching the mountain, the forest adventure trail flows directly into the porphyry educational trail. Here the “Waldschlösschen” immediately catches the eye on the right side; it was established as a mountain inn after the tower was built on the Rochlitzer Berg and later became a branch of the Rochlitz hospital. In good weather, children can explore the porphyry educational trail from the “Eselei” right opposite on the backs of donkeys every Sunday during the summer months.
Continuing up the mountain past the “Böhmestein,” a memorial stone for a young soldier who died at this spot in 1866, the path leads to the “panorama lookout.” The former debris dump of the Seidel quarry today offers one of the most beautiful views of the Rochlitzer Mulde valley. Below the plateau, the villages Sörnzig, Fischheim, Steudten, Seelitz, Nöbeln, and not least part of Wechselburg can be seen. The St. Otto church in Wechselburg, which even towers over the basilica with its tall church tower, is clearly visible from the plateau.
To the left of the plateau begins the Rudolf-Zimmermann-way, named after the eponymous Rochlitz ornithologist, local historian, and master of wildlife photography (1878–1943). After a few meters, the hiking trail to Sörnzig branches right, along which the forest adventure trail continues.
At the end of the forest, a unique view opens onto the Mulde valley and the village of Sörnzig. On the left side, “Bellmann’s Rest,” a solitary bench, invites you to take a break. Coming from the Rochlitzer Berg, various porphyry details on individual houses catch the eye in Sörnzig. A porphyry stone on the right edge of the path points the way to Rochlitz and Wechselburg. Also noteworthy are the wire cable suspension bridge and the country inn. Located directly behind the inn, the intarsia art barn of the “Muldentaler Intarsienkunst” association invites visitors. Here, old craftsmanship can be experienced anew. By inserting veneer pieces of various colors, new and unique artworks are created under skilled hands. The “swinging bridge” connects the two villages Sörnzig and Fischheim. At this point, the route of the forest adventure trail is briefly identical with that of the "Erlebnistour Seelitz - Dem Porphyr auf den Fersen" (Experience Tour Seelitz - On the Trail of Porphyry).
The forest adventure trail continues to the right through Fischheim. Near the railway line of the former Mulde valley railway, the trail leads further toward Wechselburg past an over 200-year-old style oak tree. It represents a remarkable point in the landscape. From afar on the left side, the Fischheim Borstel is visible. The terrain hill carries a Slavic castle wall in peak location.
Along a small meadow, the Borngrund, the forest adventure trail leads along the lower path further toward Wechselburg. Here it is possible to leave the forest adventure trail for a while and explore the picturesque Wechselburg castle park. It was laid out in the early 19th century by the Schönburg count family in the English landscape style and is now under nature and monument protection.
Upon leaving the park and passing through the first gate arch, the former castle grounds with the basilica open up, and after the second gate arch, the outer castle courtyard. The three-aisled Wechselburg basilica from the 12th century is the best-preserved building in the valley of castles designed with Rochlitzer porphyry tuff and probably the most important building beyond the region. The former monastery buildings were converted into a baroque palace between 1753 and 1756, largely using old building fabric, which despite its simple forms dominates the Wechselburg landscape.
In the small local history museum "Am Dorbochn" – the gate arch represents the entrance to the former Schönburg castle grounds – visitors can get an overview of the eventful history of the place and the surrounding area.
The forest adventure trail continues over the market square, past the 1st Saxon Deaconess Institute from 1843, to which a porphyry plaque with an engraved inscription attached to the building recalls. Countess Amalie of Schönburg-Wechselburg and Pastor Dr. Leonhard Kalb founded the 1st Saxon Evangelical Deaconess Institute in this building in 1843 for the training and employment of poor and nursing sisters under spiritual and medical guidance.
The St. Otto church towers even higher than the basilica with its tower. It originated in 1190 from the former monastery hospital because the church community was denied further use of the monastery church, which had become private property due to the Reformation. In 1604 the church was destroyed by fire. The Thirty Years' War prevented a fundamental redesign, so the new, rather simple St. Otto church for a baroque building could only be consecrated in 1737.
A small alley leads from the market to the right behind the parsonage up 59 cantor steps to the “Saurand” (Upper Bridge Street). Before the street leads back over the Mulde bridge to the starting point, a very large building can be seen on the left – the old mill. The history of this large mill, which was only built in 1877, reaches back to the time of the monastery's founding. Until 1960, it served as a grain mill. After that, the building was used until 1992 as a grain storage mainly for brewing barley for export to Kulmbach in Bavaria. The adjacent smaller building, the old sawmill, is a technical monument from the mid-19th century. Every two years, the Heimatverein Wechselburg e.V. organizes a large mill festival there.
The picturesque Wechselburg Mulde bridge was built from 1844 to 1846 from Rochlitzer porphyry. Its predecessor, a wooden bridge, was built as a replacement for an older ford. In April 1945, a bridge joist was blown up. In 1995, a thorough reconstruction was carried out.
At the end of the Mulde bridge, two life-sized figures made of a plastic mixture containing porphyry immediately catch the eye. Each holds a castle in their hand and thus symbolize the castle or territorial exchange between Duke Ernst Moritz of Saxony and the Counts of Schönburg in 1543. This exchange gave Wechselburg its current name, which was previously recorded as "Zschillen" (= bee place).
At this point, the forest adventure trail meets its starting point again.
