Festival weekend on 06 & 07 September 2025
150 YEARS OF THE CHEMNITZ - AUE - ADORF RAILWAY LINE
It is a chapter of local history - written on rails, since 1875.
This railway line has not only connected places, but has moved the lives of entire generations. From the Zwönitz valley across the Zwickauer Mulde to Muldenberg, Schöneck and Adorf, it was the engine of economic growth, the backbone of industrial prosperity - and today, fortunately, it is a powerful symbol of sustainable mobility in rural areas.
A reason to celebrate? And how!
What has united us for 150 years deserves a celebration with heart and steam.
On 6 and 7 September 2025 historic special trains roll between Chemnitz and Aue and revive the magic of days gone by. Along the route, towns and communities invite visitors with lovingly designed activities, exciting insights into history and a colourful supporting programme for the whole family.
Get in, join the party - and experience a piece of railway history up close!
Programme of the anniversary celebration
Programme points along the route
CHEMNITZ MAIN STATION
EXCURSIONS
CHEMNITZ EINSIEDEL
DOUBLE ANNIVERSARY
DITTERSDORF
SMALL ENJOYMENT FESTIVAL
BURKHARDTSDORF
HISTORICAL STEAM ENGINE
THALHEIM
CATERING & FAMILY PROGRAMME
DORFCHEMNITZ
BONE STEAM
LÖßNITZ
RAILWAY STATION & FAMILY FESTIVAL
AUE-BAD SCHLEMA
EXHIBITION & BOUNCY CASTLE
SCHÖNHEIDE
NARROW-GAUGE RAILWAY FESTIVAL
Chemnitz main station
Steel horses in the cultural capital!
Experience the fascination of historic special trains - Starting point for all excursion railways into the Zwönitz valley is Chemnitz main station! Our team will give you a warm welcome at our City-Bahn Welcome Pavilion right by the platform. This is your perfect starting point for impressive day trips and railway history you can touch. Our exclusive Purple Path tours with tour guide Ramona Wagner through the idyllic Zwönitz Valley also start here. Climb aboard, discover, enjoy!
Chemnitz Einsiedel
Jubilation, hustle and bustle, anniversary!
Celebrate twice with us - 125 years of Einsiedel town hall and 150 years of the railway! Exciting exhibitions in the town hall, customs railway operation for the little ones and a colourful street festival at the bus loop await you - burger barbecue and T-shirt design are just some of the highlights you can look forward to.
On Saturday there's, Beer garden enjoyment at the Einsiedler Brauhaus until 10 pm for the grown-ups - and if you like, you can enjoy a cosy ride on the Horse-drawn carriage between Erfenschlag and Dittersdorf.
Attention nature fans: Guided hikes take you along the dam circular trail and the Dittersdorfer Höhe. A weekend full of stories, encounters and exercise!
Dittersdorf
Small pleasure festival - big flavour!
Treat yourself to an enjoyable break at the Nagy butcher's rest area - with regional delicacies, fresh on your plate. From 2 to 5 p.m. there is also a relaxed Musical supporting programme - including the Amtsberg primary school. All directly opposite the Dittersdorf stop. Just drop by, feast and enjoy!
Burkhardtsdorf
Technology to marvel at!
This weekend it's not just steaming on the tracks. Immerse yourself in the world of historical engineering: the Museum der Bulldog-Freunde Erzgebirge e.V. is opening its doors for a real highlight: the functional Hartmann steam engine is fired up - experience the history of technology up close!
Thalheim
Thalheim railway station invites you!
On 06.09.2025 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Delicious catering directly at the railway station - perfect for the small (or large) appetite in between.
On 07.09.2025 it will be colourful: From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. you can expect not only food & drink, but also a cheerful Family programme for young and old. Come along, join in and enjoy!
Dorfchemnitz
History meets pleasure!
The Bone crush opens its doors to the special exhibition on the anniversary of the route - on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The friends of Knochenstampfe will be catering for your physical well-being, probably from midday - a real feast for the curious and connoisseurs!
Lößnitz
Railway station meets history - and the whole of Lößnitz joins in the celebrations!
At the historic station building of the lower railway station, a Railway station and family festival - Saturday & Sunday from 2 to 6 pm. Look forward to a Exhibition with historical artefacts of the model railway club "Bahnhof Lößnitz" e.V. You can expect exciting insights into former service rooms and expert discussions with real railway enthusiasts.
Catering is provided by a local club and the club members
In the 'Cleaning wool' will be filmic from 6 pm. At the "Time travel" media evening, you can experience historical photographs from the Günter Meyer archive and nostalgic video footage of the Chemnitz-Aue (Sat) and Aue-Adorf (Sun) sections - filmmaker Dr Werner Jungnickel himself.
And the city centre also has something special to offer:
The Lößnitz cellar and vault festival invites you to a discovery tour through lovingly designed, partly medieval cellar vaults of local entrepreneurs and citizens on Saturday from 6 pm - a unique experience in the region!
Aue-Bad Schlema
A short journey through time at Auer railway station
On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can take an exciting journey into the past at Auer Bahnhof railway station: Large-format historical photographs on the platform, a Lecture on the history of the railway station at 11 a.m. and the Aue-Bad Schlema miners' orchestra from 3 p.m. will provide special moments between the tracks and history. For the younger guests there will be a Bouncy castle and hands-on activities give.
Small snacks and drinks recharge your batteries - perfect for anyone who wants to experience railway love and local history live!
Schönheide
Full steam ahead and back!
We will take you to the narrow-gauge railway festival in Schönheide Süd with our free shuttle bus. Between Schönheide and Carlsfeld, history will be brought to life this weekend from 10 am to 6 pm along the former Wilkau-Haßlau - Schönheide - Carlsfeld railway line:
Schönheide Ost celebrates the Opening of the renovated reception building - with catering, a small exhibition and a real highlight: for the first time since 1978, train journeys start here again!
In Schönheide South, the XII. WCd narrow-gauge railway festival with everything that makes the railway heart beat faster: Steam locomotive rides, cab rides, trolley loading, plus model and garden railways, cinema bus, sales stands, catering and more. The Wernesgrüner Schienen-Express also commutes between Schönheide Süd and Hammerbrücke.
Along the route there is steam operation in Wilkau-Haßlau, at the Schönheide Museum Railway, in Schönheide Süd and Carlsfeld - each accompanied by a colourful supporting programme.
Shuttle bus services, some with historic vehicles, ensure relaxed connections.
Special trips
In addition to the normal service on lines C13 and C14, there will be special trips with historic trains between Chemnitz main station and Aue on the anniversary weekend.
Please refer to the special timetable for the exact journey times and trains used. The special timetable will be published here shortly.
Special ticket
With our special ticket, you can use all rail-bound transport services on the Chemnitz main station - Aue (Sachs) line use. This includes the historic special trips as well as the regular trains of the City-Bahn Chemnitz.
The special ticket is sold exclusively on the historic special trains by our train attendants.
A right to carriage exists only for the train connection on which the ticket was purchased. Unless otherwise agreed for special transport, the conditions of carriage of the respective railway company apply. There is no entitlement to a seat. It is not possible to take bicycles on the historic special trains. The special trains are not barrier-free. The carriage of pushchairs, walking frames and wheelchairs depends on the structural conditions and the available capacity.
