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Walking route · Pirna · Updated on 14 November 2026

Malerweg walk

Malerweg is a walk of 116.9 km from Pirna. Along the way you'll find 392 benches, 8 water fountains and refill points, 26 public toilets and 2 bike pumps.

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Malerweg
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Photo: Rabbite21 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons
Malerweg, photo 2
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Photo: Lukas Beck · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons
Malerweg, photo 3
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Photo: Bybbisch94, Christian Gebhardt · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

The route step by step

From start to finish, with what you pass along the way and the distance in between.

  • 116.9 km
  • ± 31:00 h
  • ↑ 3,020 m · ↓ 2,993 m
  • Hard
  • From A to B
  • Regional route

  1. Start in Pirna

    0 km

    At the start: St. Mary's Church and water point.

  2. 183 m · 16 benches

    Schloss Sonnenstein

    183 m

    Public toilet

  3. 363 m · 9 benches

    Gedenkstätte Sonnenstein

    546 m

    Museum

  4. 3.5 km · 6 benches

    Bike pump

    4 km

  5. 674 m · bench

    Public toilet

    4.7 km

  6. 332 m · bench

    Public toilet

    5 km

  7. 3.8 km · 6 benches

    Public toilet

    8.9 km

  8. 1.9 km · 8 benches

    Robert-Sterl-Haus

    10.7 km

    Bike pump

  9. 6.4 km · 14 benches

    Thürmsdorfer Schloss

    17.1 km

    Public toilet

  10. 3.3 km · 14 benches

    2 public toilets

    20.5 km

  11. 1.5 km · 19 benches

    Public toilet and water point

    22 km

  12. 5.1 km · 34 benches

    Aussichtsturm

    27.1 km

    Public toilet

  13. 5.1 km · 33 benches

    Public toilet

    32.2 km

  14. 456 m · bench

    Public toilet

    32.7 km

  15. 13.4 km · 42 benches

    Gedenkpfeiler 1914-1918

    46.1 km

    Memorial

  16. 1.7 km · 8 benches

    2 public toilets

    47.8 km

  17. 171 m · 4 benches

    Public toilet

    48 km

  18. 2.1 km · bench

    Aussichtsturm Großer Winterberg

    50.1 km

    Observation tower

  19. 154 m

    2 public toilets

    50.2 km

  20. 3.7 km · 2 benches

    Public toilet

    54 km

  21. 7.3 km · 4 benches

    Buschmühle

    61.2 km

    Museum

  22. 294 m

    Neumannmühle

    61.5 km

    Public toilet and water point

  23. 2.5 km · 2 benches

    Neuer Wildenstein and 1 more

    64 km

    Kuhstall and public toilet

  24. 1.6 km · bench

    Lichtenhainer Wasserfall

    65.6 km

    Public toilet

  25. 1.9 km · 5 benches

    Bloßstock

    67.5 km

    Attraction

  26. 3.2 km

    Kleines Prebischtor

    70.6 km

    Attraction

  27. 7.1 km

    Public toilet and 4 water fountains and refill points

    77.8 km

  28. 10.9 km · 25 benches

    Public toilet

    88.7 km

  29. 12.8 km · 41 benches

    Felsenburg Neurathen

    101.5 km

    Ruins

  30. 230 m · 2 benches

    2 public toilets

    101.7 km
Show the other 5 steps

  1. 1.2 km · 5 benches

    Steinerner Tisch

    102.9 km

    Memorial

  2. 2.2 km · 22 benches

    Kriegerdenkmal and 1 more

    105.1 km

    Burgruine Wehlen, public toilet and water point

  3. 10.4 km · 44 benches

    Richard-Wagner-Denkmal

    115.5 km

    Memorial

  4. 226 m · 5 benches

    Elektrizitätswerk Copitz

    115.8 km

    Ruins

  5. 1.1 km · 12 benches

    Finish

    116.9 km

    At the finish: public toilet.

Follow these steps in the app

Longest stretch without a toilet: 15.1 kmBetween 32.7 km and 47.8 km there is no public toilet within 100 m of the route.

The route with the pitstops and sights within 100 m of it.

21 sights along the way

In the order you pass them. With the Outdoor Pitstop app you hear their story on the spot. 13 more along the route are on the map.

Elevation and terrain

Up
↑ 3,020 m
Down
↓ 2,993 m
Highest point
536 m
Lowest point
111 m
  • 5-10% slope · 26.4 km
  • 10-15% slope · 12.3 km
  • 15-20% slope · 3.5 km
  • 20% slope or steeper · 587 m
  • 73 stairs

Elevation from Copernicus GLO-30 (European Union and ESA), smoothed.

produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved

Way types

116.9 km in total
  • Path: 43.7 km
  • Track: 39.6 km
  • Street: 14 km
  • Stairs: 73 stairs
  • Road: 6.5 km
  • Busy road: 2.4 km
  • Footpath: 425 m
  • Unknown: 50 m

Surfaces

116.9 km in total
  • Unpaved: 47 km
  • Gravel: 27.9 km
  • Asphalt: 21.3 km
  • Paved: 10 km
  • Natural: 5.4 km
  • Unknown: 4.5 km

About the walking route Malerweg

Updated on 14 November 2026, with data from OpenStreetMap, the AHN and Copernicus.

Where do you walk?

Malerweg is a walking route of 116.9 km that starts in Pirna. It does not end where it starts. Along the way you pass St. Mary's Church (after 0 m), Schloss Sonnenstein (after 218 m) and Gedenkstätte Sonnenstein (after 546 m).

How hard is the route?

You climb 3,020 m in total and descend 2,993 m. There are 73 flights of steps along the way. Allow ± 31:00 h, without breaks. The level is hard.

What paths do you walk on?

The longest part is path (43.7 km), track (39.6 km) and street (14 km). Of the surface, 47 km unpaved and 27.9 km gravel. For 4.5 km the surface is not known.

Pitstops along the way

Within 100 metres of the route there are 392 benches, 8 water fountains and refill points, 26 public toilets and 2 bike pumps. You can fill your bottle at the start, after 22 km, after 61.5 km, after 77.8 km, after 77.9 km and after 105.2 km. The longest stretch without a toilet is 15.1 km. The Outdoor Pitstop app navigates you there.

The Malerweg (Painters' Way) is a 117 km walking route through the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in Saxon Switzerland, named after painters such as Caspar David Friedrich and Ludwig Richter who drew the rocks here. It runs from Liebethal near Pirna on the right bank of the Elbe via Stadt Wehlen, Kurort Rathen and Hohnstein to the Großer Winterberg and Schmilka, then on the left bank via Schöna, Gohrisch and Königstein back to Pirna. On the way you pass the Kuhstall rock arch, the Lichtenhain waterfall and the Neurathen rock castle. Almost half is path and steps, often unpaved. We know of 26 toilets but only 8 drinking water points.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Walks nearby

6
Map ›

Sights nearby

Within 10 km of the route, best known first.

  1. 1Pravčická bránaPravčická bránaAttraction · 1.6 km from the route
  2. 2Königstein FortressKönigstein FortressAttraction · 183 m from the route
  3. 3Schloss PillnitzSchloss PillnitzAttraction · 6.3 km from the route
  4. 4Ruins of Schomberg chateauRuins of Schomberg chateauRuins · 1.7 km from the route
  5. 5sv. Rochsv. RochMemorial · 6.6 km from the route
  6. 6sv. Jan Nepomuckýsv. Jan NepomuckýMemorial · 6.6 km from the route
  7. 7sv. Šebestiánsv. ŠebestiánMemorial · 6.6 km from the route
  8. 8sv. Václavsv. VáclavMemorial · 6.6 km from the route
  9. 9sv. Rozáliesv. RozálieMemorial · 6.6 km from the route
  10. 10sv. Vojtěchsv. VojtěchMemorial · 6.6 km from the route
  11. 11sv. Annasv. AnnaMemorial · 6.7 km from the route
  12. 12sv. Josefsv. JosefMemorial · 6.7 km from the route
  13. 13Obětem fašismuObětem fašismuMemorial · 6.9 km from the route
  14. 14Balzerovo leženíBalzerovo leženíAttraction · 8.7 km from the route
  15. 15Olžin pád 1872Olžin pád 1872Memorial · 1.5 km from the route
  16. 16LuchssteinLuchssteinMemorial · 3.4 km from the route
  17. 17Rozhledna Janovský vrchRozhledna Janovský vrchObservation tower · 3.7 km from the route
  18. 18Hunger StoneHunger StoneAttraction · 3.8 km from the route
  19. 19rozhledna Tanečníce;rozhledna Tanečnicerozhledna Tanečníce;rozhledna TanečniceObservation tower · 4.1 km from the route
  20. 20Vlčí deskaVlčí deskaMemorial · 4.5 km from the route
  21. 21památník pochodu smrti 23.4.1945památník pochodu smrti 23.4.1945Memorial · 4.9 km from the route
  22. 22Pamětní deska Johann HillePamětní deska Johann HilleMemorial · 5.5 km from the route
  23. 23St. AdalbertSt. AdalbertMemorial · 5.8 km from the route
  24. 24Pomník obětem 1. světové válkyPomník obětem 1. světové válkyMemorial · 6.5 km from the route
  25. 25Schloss WeesensteinSchloss WeesensteinAttraction · 6.8 km from the route

Explore more

More walks around Pirna

More nearby

Frequently asked questions

How long is Malerweg?

Malerweg is 116.9 km long. Allow ± 31:00 h of walking: 4.5 km an hour and 10 minutes more per 100 metres of climbing, without breaks.

Is this route a circular walk?

No, the route starts and ends at different spots.

Where does this route start?

The route starts in Pirna.

How hard is this route?

Hard, with 3,020 m of climbing.

Are there toilets along this route?

Yes, there are 26 public toilets within 100 m of the route. The longest stretch without a toilet is 15.1 km.

Can you fill up with water along this route?

Yes, there are 8 water fountains and refill points within 100 m of the route.

What is there to see along this route?

Along the way you pass St. Mary's Church, Schloss Sonnenstein and Gedenkstätte Sonnenstein.

Can I download this route as a GPX file?

Yes. Sign in with your Outdoor Pitstop account and choose Download GPX at the top of this page: 10 routes a month for free, unlimited with Pro.

Starting point

More routes from this place

Pirna

Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors

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