History

Introduction

The rise of industrialization led to the development of an infrastructure of roads, highways, train tracks and (luckily for us) bicycling paths. The new network either replaced or covered up the old one. Our initiative is to bring the old travel network back to the surface so that people can feel how pre-industrial Saxons traveled and were connected with each other. It is a fun and inspiring way to experience both a glorious past and gain a better understanding of where we are now and are heading to in the future.

About Us

Postwege - The Royal Roads of Saxony was developed by Robert Reimann, an American that has lived in Saxony since 2009 and his Dresden-born wife Anna. Robert - an avid cyclist - studied the postal monuments, plotted the locations of castles and historic landmarks from the time of the Saxon kingdom and used the original maps from the 1700s to reconstruct the network onto today’s cycling and driving infrastructure. Robert and Anna live along a royal road in Pirna, a picturesque town outside of Dresden on the Elbe river.

Timeline

• 1718 - The Saxon king commissions Zürner to survey and map all of Saxony
• 1721 - The king additionally commissions Zürner to build sandstone milestones and road markers. Many milestone monuments, usually located in town squares, still exist today and are used by us as hubs
• 2022 - The launch of the Postwege - Royal Roads of Saxony, starting in Saxony Switzerland and the eastern Ore mountains. Our routes are calculated using Zürner’s 1718 maps, castles and historic landmark data

About The Postwege - Royal Roads of Saxony

• The Royal Roads brings to life one of Saxony’s important cultural gems
• The network is a basis of a regional circular economy initiative
• International travelers can enjoy the rich history and attractions, locals can use the network as a day trip or weekend destination
• We have been recognized as one of the ‘best new tourism ideas’ by the Saxony Ministry of Tourism