Erz-Camino

At a Glance

• Start / Finish: Jahnsdorf/Erzgebirge (Saxony) / Kadaň (Czech Republic)
• Length: 95.5 km
• Duration: 3–4 days
• Elevation gain: ↗ 1,604 m / ↘ 1,753 m
• Stages: 4 (easily divisible at train stations and border towns)
• Difficulty: average — in terms of fitness, not technique
• Marking: Yellow scallop shell on a blue background, on both sides; in the Czech Republic, the hiking symbols are also included
• Countries: Germany and the Czech Republic — Schengen, but two currencies
• Connection: branches off in Jahnsdorf from the Sächsischen Jakobsweg from

Overview

The Erz-Camino is three paths in one, and a decision to be made at the door of a hostel: just past the pilgrim hostel Jahnsdorf, 17 kilometers southwest of Chemnitz, it branches off from the Saxon Way of St. James and heads south—95.5 kilometers through the Zwönitz Valley and the mountain town Annaberg-Buchholz and the Ore Mountains ridge all the way to Bohemia Kadaň along the Eger River. A complete pilgrimage route for a long weekend, spanning two countries, two currencies, and featuring a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the finish line.

You can choose which direction to take, and both are official: For Saxon pilgrims, the Erz-Camino is the branch leading into the mountains; for Bohemian pilgrims, it’s the feeder route—the operator explicitly lists it as the “Kadaň–Jahnsdorf variant.” to the"Saxon Way of St. James." The route isn't old, nor does it pretend to be: its three sections were developed between 2013 and 2018, and it has borne its current collective name since 2020. But it follows a Bohemian trail that already led from Grünhain through Weipert to the Eger Valley in the Middle Ages—the path is new, but the route is not.

Other Names

The operator describes the route as ErzCamino — a portmanteau of “Erzgebirge” and “Camino,” designated as a continuous route since 2020. On tourism websites, you’ll find it listed under the cumbersome full title “Erzcamino Kadaň–Jahnsdorf Variant to the Saxon Way of St. James,” and the order is no coincidence: from the organizers’ perspective, the trail comes up from Bohemia.

In addition, its three sections retain their own names: From Jahnsdorf to Grünhain, you'll be walking on the Pilgerweg St. Anna, continuing on to Annaberg-Buchholz on the Jakobsweg Silberberg, and over the ridge on the Jakobsweg Böhmisches Erzgebirge, Czech Svatojakubská cesta Krušnohořím. If you come across a sign with a different name along the way, don't worry—you're still on the right track.

Who It's Ideal For—and Who It's Not For

The Erz-Camino is ideal if you have a long weekend and are looking for a route that really tells a story: two countries, a mountain ridge, a World Heritage Site, and a border that was closed for 40 years. You can walk the 95.5 kilometers without taking time off work; both endpoints are connected to the rail network, and the stages can be shortened by getting on and off at train stations. It also works by bike—the operator offers a 128-km cycling route—and in the Zwönitz Valley, you’ll even occasionally see pilgrims passing by on donkeys.

To be honest, though, it's not for you if you're imagining a Camino experience in the traditional Spanish sense: no chain of hostels, no evening gatherings of pilgrims, no pilgrim meals. About one-third of the route is paved or on a road — which is normal for a low mountain range, but it’s still only a third. On the Bohemian section, the infrastructure is sparse and sometimes seasonal; anyone arriving there without a reservation may be out of luck. And anyone looking for an unbroken pilgrimage tradition won’t find it here—though they will find the places where it once took place.

Route & Landscape

By Jahnsdorf The trail climbs gently into the Ore Mountains: through Thalheim to the Zwönitztal, past St.-Anna-Kapelle and the old healing springs, to Grünhain-Beierfeld with the ruins of the Cistercian monastery and past Parents up to the mountain town Annaberg-Buchholz. This is the Saxon half: valley meadows, spruce forests, and churches with a mining history dotted in between. None of it is spectacular, and that’s exactly the point—you walk instead of gazing in wonder.

Things get serious past Annaberg. The trail climbs up to the Ore Mountains Ridge and crosses at Bärenstein/Vejprty over a bridge on the Pöhlbach, crossing the border. From here on, everything changes: vast plateaus, fewer houses, more wind. Across Kovářská and the Sfinx rock you reach Měděnec at the foot of the 910-meter-high Kupferberg Mědník — and then the terrain takes a sharp turn: Over the course of about 21 kilometers, you lose almost all of your elevation, descending to Klášterec nad Ohří and through the Egertal Valley to Kadaň. You can tell here that the trail goes up 1,604 meters but down 1,753 meters—Bohemia is lower in elevation than Saxony.

Stages, Terrain & Difficulty

Four stages ranging from 21 to 28 kilometers, physically demanding but technically straightforward—no section requires sure-footedness on rocky terrain. According to the operator, the terrain consists of 31% hiking trails, 27% asphalt, 26% gravel, and 7% road—sturdy hiking shoes are sufficient; mountaineering boots are just extra weight. The ridge stage is the longest and the only one with significant elevation gain; if you split the route at Vejprty or Kovářská, the trail becomes a relaxed five-day loop. If needed, you can shorten the first two stages at the Thalheim and Zwönitz train stations.

1. Jahnsdorf → Zwönitz (21.0 km) — Shortly after the Jahnsdorf pilgrim hostel, the trail branches off from the Saxon Way of St. James, follows the Eisenweg through Thalheim into the Zwönitz Valley, and passes the St.-Anna-Kapelle near the old healing springs. A gentle climb, with plenty of field and forest trails.
2. Zwönitz → Annaberg-Buchholz (25.4 km) — The longest stage in Saxony: through Grünhain-Beierfeld, with its monastery ruins, and Elterlein, where the statue of St. James—wearing a pilgrim’s hat, holding a scallop shell, and carrying a water bottle—stands in St. Laurentius Church. From Elterlein, it’s 12.9 km uphill to St. Annenkirche.
3. Annaberg-Buchholz → Měděnec (27.7 km) — The Ridge Day: 14.8 km to the Bärenstein/Vejprty border crossing, then 12.9 km via Kovářská, past the Air Battle Museum and the Sfinx rock. Can be broken up at Vejprty or Kovářská.
4. Měděnec → Kadaň (21.4 km) — The descent: past the World Heritage-listed Mědník Copper Mountain with its chapel from 1674, 14.8 km down to Klášterec nad Ohří, then 6.6 km through the Eger Valley to Kadaň. Trekking poles are recommended.

A way to Saint James, not a way of Saint James

The most significant pilgrimage story along the route is found in Annaberg, and it begins with a shipment of soil: In 1517, the young mountain town had soil brought from the Campo Santo Teutonico in Rome, 1519 With this, Bishop Johann VII of Meissen consecrated the cemetery outside the city walls—a papal bull granted it “the same blessings, indulgences, and forgiveness” as the original in Rome. From 1520 Every year on Trinity Sunday, pilgrims would make their way up there. Then came 1539 The Reformation came to Saxony, and the pilgrimage did what Erzgebirge traditions do: It didn’t disappear; it transformed—first into a festival of the dead, then into a fair. The Annaberger Kät (derived from “Trinitatis”) is now the largest folk festival of its kind in Saxony; since 2020, it has had its own commemorative stamp marking its 500th anniversary.

The route itself is honest enough not to claim an age it does not have: Not a single church along the route bears the name of St. James—Anna, Laurentius, Trinity, All Saints, yes; St. James doesn’t appear until the approach, in Chemnitz’s St. Jakobi City Church and on the city’s coat of arms. The Arch-Camino is a path to James, no way some James. But he is following a well-documented route: Siegfried Bayer’s club chronicle describes a medieval Bohemian trail that runs through Grünhain and Weipert to the Egertal Valley I walked today’s route—stop by stop. And in Elterlein, inside St. Laurentius Church, there is a carved statue of St. James wearing a pilgrim’s hat, holding a scallop shell and a water bottle; a pilgrim’s stamp has been available there again since 2019.

The most recent chapter is the most moving: the boundary that the path reaches at Bärenstein/Vejprty crosses, was closed for four decades. On the May 1, 1990 The crossing over the Pöhlbach was open for exactly one day, starting at June 1991 Pedestrians were allowed to cross at all times, but cars could only cross starting at December 2005 — Until then, getting to the other side of the stream meant a 60-kilometer detour. Today, both towns have shared a “common center” since 2013, and since 2020 The ErzCamino combines the three sections of trail opened between 2013 and 2018 into a single route that crosses this very bridge. Here, you’re not crossing a stream. You’re crossing forty years.

Highlights Along the Way

• St.-Anna-Kapelle near Zwönitz — at historic healing springs, rededicated in 1998; the first third of the trail is named after her. Anna is the patron saint of miners in the Ore Mountains.
• Grünhain Monastery Ruins — Founded in 1230; at its height, it ruled over 3 towns and 56 villages as far as Bohemia; burned down by the Hussites in 1429, plundered in 1525, and dissolved in 1536.
• St. Laurentius, Elterlein — the only statue of St. James along the route, recognizable by its pilgrim's hat, scallop shell, and water bottle; a blue scallop-shaped tile in the cemetery wall; stamp available since 2019.
• St. Annenkirche, Annaberg-Buchholz — Completed in 1525, it is one of the largest late-Gothic hall churches in Saxony; the mining altar from 1521, donated by the miners’ guilds, depicts 16th-century mining.
• Bärenstein–Vejprty Border Crossing — a bridge over the Pöhlbach: open for exactly one day on May 1, 1990; open to pedestrians starting in 1991; open to cars starting in 2005.
• Museum of the Air Battle, Kovářská — commemorates September 11, 1944, when 19 U.S. bombers and 37 German fighters were shot down over the town; the tail section of the “Boss Lady” became lodged in the roof of the girls’ school.
• Mědník (Kupferberg) — A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019: 910 meters high, with about 70 tunnels spanning six centuries, and a Baroque chapel from 1674 on top. A mountain with 70 holes and a chapel as its cap.
• Franciscan Monastery in Kadaň — Founded in 1473, consecrated in 1480, burial place of the Lobkowicz family, now a National Cultural Monument.
• Katova ulička, Kadaň — the narrowest alley in the Czech Republic: 66 centimeters at its narrowest point.

How Pilgrims Find Their Way onto This Path

The Erz-Camino is a branch of the Sächsischen Jakobsweg, and the turnoff has an address: immediately past the Jahnsdorf Pilgrim Hostel. Anyone traveling along the main route from Bautzen through Dresden, Freiberg, and Chemnitz will face a choice there—to continue 6.3 kilometers on to Stollberg toward Zwickau, or to head south over the ridge into Bohemia. This very decision is what defines the Erz-Camino.

The reverse is also true, and the operator actually prefers to read the route from the south: Anyone who is in Kadaň begins and joins the main route in Jahnsdorf—hence the official name “Variant of the Saxon Way of St. James.” Without a connecting route, you can reach Jahnsdorf via Chemnitz and the Erzgebirgsbahn railway, and Kadaň via Chomutov. Both routes are straightforward—which is not always a given for a border trail.

Continue the pilgrimage?

To be honest: The marked trail ends completely in Kadaň. The official Czech trail directory lists six Routes of St. James—and none of them pass through Kadaň, Karlovy Vary, or Cheb. If you want to continue, you should plan ahead, not once you’re already on the trail.

The obvious option is to take the path for what its name implies: a variation. Back to Jahnsdorf place it on the Sächsischen Jakobsweg Toward Stollberg, Zwickau, and Hof; near Zwickau and Plauen, the Via Imperii from Leipzig, and at the beginning of the main road in Bautzen, the Via Regia. The second option is the train: From Kadaň, it's about 110 kilometers to Prague, where the Železná begins toward Nuremberg and the Všerubská begins toward Regensburg. The East Bohemian Way and the South Bohemian Way Both are located beyond Prague—there's no direct route on foot from Kadaň, but the general direction is correct.

Preparation & Practical Information

The best time is May through October: The ridge lies at an elevation of 800 to 900 meters; in Vejprty, snow falls as late as April, and in midsummer, it’s more pleasant up there than in the valley. Two things set this route apart from one in Germany: the national border (Schengen—the crossing is a bridge, with no border control; still, be sure to bring your ID and European Health Insurance Card) and the currency: In the Czech Republic, you pay in The Crown. In Kadaň and Klášterec, the card works almost everywhere, but in Kovářská and Měděnec, you'd better not rely on it.

When it comes to accommodations, the operator’s message is clear: “ You must register by phone in advance!"— along with a request to cancel if you won't be coming. On the Saxon side, the association maintains a well-organized list of pilgrim hostels and pilgrim-friendly accommodations; Jahnsdorf has its own pilgrim hostel; on the Bohemian side, the network is sparser and partly seasonal—plan your mountain stage with a specific destination in mind, not on a whim. Some lodgings require you to bring your own sleeping bag.

One Pilgrim's Pass You don’t need it to walk this route—but it’s worth getting: The association issues a pilgrim’s passport and guidebook, and the stamp stations are mostly located in churches; in Elterlein, they’ve been there since 2019. If you’re walking the Erz-Camino as the first leg of a longer journey to Santiago, you can already collect valid stamps here. The easiest way to plan your stages and find suitable accommodations is directly in the Camino Ninja app.

What the journey will cost you

The trail itself is free. On the Saxon side, pilgrim hostels and pilgrim-friendly lodging listed in the association’s directory are typically located between 10 and 40 euros per night (as of November 2025) — ranging from simple community rooms with a kitchen to guesthouse rooms with breakfast. With groceries from the supermarket and one hot meal in the evening, you’ll spend 35 to 60 euros a day.

On the Bohemian side, prices are lower but the situation is more confusing: guesthouses in Kovářská, Měděnec, and Klášterec cost roughly 600 to 1,200 crowns per night, or about 25 to 50 euros (as of September 2026), and lunch at the Hospoda often costs half the price in Saxony. Expect to spend a total of 250 to 350 euros for four days, including train fare—and make sure you have a little extra in crowns: The last ATM before the Kamm isn’t where you’ll need it.

Getting Here

To begin with: According to Jahnsdorf Take the train via Chemnitz Central Station and the Erzgebirgsbahn toward Aue—a good 20 minutes; Thalheim and Zwönitz also have stations on the same line. If you want to take the Erz-Camino directly to the Sächsischen Jakobsweg...anyway, those who are joining the hike will be walking: From downtown Chemnitz, it's about 17 kilometers via Klaffenbach to the turnoff.

From the destination: Kadaň and Klášterec nad Ohří are located along the Chomutov–Cheb railroad line; via Chomutov You can reach Prague as well as—via Vejprty—the Saxon Ore Mountains again. In the summer, seasonal trains run between Chomutov, Vejprty, and Cranzahl; check the schedule in advance, as the service changes every year.

• Jahnsdorf: Erzgebirgsbahn from Chemnitz Central Station (toward Aue); also stops in Thalheim and Zwönitz
• Annaberg-Buchholz: Erzgebirgsbahn from Chemnitz toward Cranzahl — the perfect spot to mark the halfway point
• Vejprty: Border station, connection to Chomutov; seasonal service to Cranzahl in the summer
• Kadaň / Klášterec nad Ohří: Chomutov–Cheb Railway Line; from Prague via Chomutov
• Schedules: bahn.de for Germany, idos.cz for the Czech Republic