Kohlstatt-Weg DÖ 98

We hike briefly uphill from the parking lot above the Silberstein sports field and turn right onto a beautiful forest path. We follow this for 700 m until we reach a forest road. Here we keep left and hike slightly uphill to turn left again at the next fork in the path.

After just a few hundred meters, a hunter's trail (the "Vugelsteig") leads us uphill to the left through a beautiful beech forest. We climb steadily uphill and reach the Hahnenkamm road after 600 m and can take our first break at the "Schiefertisch" (slate table).

From here, we turn left towards Lotharheil and turn left shortly before the slate mine, which we can see in a hollow on the right below.

The plant with the deep black-blue Silurian slate has been owned by the Teichmann family since 1904. Slates of all kinds, slate clocks and slate jewelry are produced. (You can buy slate during the week in the slate store directly in Lotharheil.)

According to tradition, the slate deposit was discovered by a forester and developed in 1856 by Reichsrat Frh. Lothar von Faber (Lotharheil), a descendant of the pencil manufacturer from Stein near Nuremberg. He founded a pencil factory in Geroldsgrün in 1859. His descendants still operate the large factory complex with its colorful paint job today.

We then soon come to "Hopperles Kohlstatt", a former cabbage site, a refuge and the Willi Pfeifer memorial stone, which commemorates the pre-war chairman of the Hof local group, who rendered outstanding services to the hiking trails and the Dürrenwaid-Silberstein tourist resort.

Then we turn left, walk along the only slightly uphill path and then follow pleasant paths through the forest until we come to a forest road, which we follow to the right before turning right again into the forest and walking downhill, crossing a forest road to get back to the starting point.