Posterstein can be explored from two perspectives: the castle with its museum, and the trails that lead through the village and surrounding countryside. A visit to the museum includes the castle dungeon and the 25-metre-high keep. Outdoors, the almost four-kilometre Holzmichel Trail and the nine-kilometre Sprotte Water Adventure Trail offer routes of different lengths. You can therefore make culture and outdoor activity different focal points of your stay.
Church and castle: history on site
The late Gothic church in Posterstein was built by the lords of Posterstein Castle and has been a branch church of Nöbdenitz since the 16th century. Its Baroque woodcarving adorns the altar, pulpit and gallery. Floral ornaments appear alongside Christian symbols. The building’s history and the interior’s design are both defining historical themes of Posterstein.
A visit to the Museum at Posterstein Castle includes access to the castle dungeon and the climb to the 25-metre-high keep. Before travelling, check whether both are currently included in the visitor offering. Whatever the weather, the keep’s viewing platform offers a view across the Altenburger Land.
On the castle’s upper floor, the museum presents exhibitions on the region’s cultural history, including one on the history of the salon of the Duchess of Courland. Individual exhibitions may change. The museum also regularly hosts special exhibitions, special holiday programmes and activities for schools; children’s birthday parties can also be held there. Check the current programme details before making plans.
The family exhibition “The Children’s Castle” offers another way to explore history. At interactive, engaging stations, children can playfully discover history from the age of knights to the time of the salon ladies. The exhibition is a distinct part of the museum’s offering.
The Holzmichel Trail and the Sprotte Water Adventure Trail
The Holzmichel Trail is an almost four-kilometre circular route around Posterstein. It passes through the half-timbered village and under a motorway bridge built in 1938, then leads to the suspension bridges on the Sprotte Adventure Trail. The return route passes via RothenmĂĽhle and the cemetery on the way back to Posterstein. The route description features orchards and small wooded areas; along the way, there is a shelter, viewpoints and picnic spots.
The Sprotte Water Adventure Trail offers a different kind of route: it runs from Posterstein Castle to Schmölln and is nine kilometres long in total. Twelve interactive stations and activities about life by the water accompany the route. Compared with the Holzmichel Trail, it is longer and has a different endpoint. The details about length and route help you distinguish between the two trails when planning, without confusing their different courses.
In the wider travel destination of the Altenburger Land
The wider regional setting is the Altenburger Land, a landscape of gentle hills, extensive forests and idyllic bathing lakes. The region’s cultural monuments include the Rote Spitzen: surviving Romanesque towers of a former Augustinian canons’ monastery, recognised as a cultural monument of national significance.
Altenburg Residential Palace is also in the Altenburger Land. It stands on a porphyry rock and houses the Palace and Playing Cards Museum. The Playing Cards Museum is one of the oldest and most extensive museums of its kind in Europe. These regional cultural attractions add to the picture of Posterstein without conflating their history with that of the village or its castle.
Discover more destinations: Windischleuba, Löbichau, Rositz, Vollmershain, Altkirchen, Nischwitz, Nobitz, Heukewalde.
View the wider travel guide: Altenburger Land.
