Entering the forest
The forests in the city area of Chemnitz are largely used for recreation. At any time of year, walkers, hikers, cyclists and mushroom pickers use the opportunity to relax and unwind in the forest. According to the Saxon Forest Act, everyone has the right to enter the forest for the purpose of recreation, but they do so at their own risk.
However, driving motorised vehicles and parking vehicles in the forest are not covered by this regulation. Forest paths are not public paths, but the public traffic area ends at the outer edge of the public road. Anyone who leaves the public road and drives on forest paths or parks there is therefore committing an offence and may be fined.
This regulation also applies if the vehicle is parked on the forest road in front of a green and white forest road closure sign or in front of a forest barrier. The forest closure signs serve to draw attention to the regulations on driving and parking in the forest in accordance with Section 11 (4) SächsWaldG. However, the regulations also apply if there is no forest closure sign or barrier.
Vehicles must therefore be parked outside the forest on public roads or only in specially marked forest car parks. This is because forest roads are primarily used for forest management and are also important as rescue routes for rescuing injured persons or for fighting forest fires.