Friedewald
The Friedewald woods in the northeast of Coswig, a mixture of pine and oak with various other tree species, extend across some 4,000 hectares as far as the ponds of Moritzburg. They are criss-crossed by numerous watercourses which come together as they approach Coswig in the form of the Lockwitzbach stream. Many little ponds act as valuable biotopes. On the southwestern edge of Friedewald, in the Coswig district of Spitzgrund, is the Spitzgrund millpond, created at the end of the 19th century to drive a mill.
The most striking elevation in the Coswig area is Hohe Stein, which offers a broad view of the hills on the south bank of the Elbe. Today, Friedewald is a popular recreational area with well-signposted hiking and cycling routes, educational trails about the woods and shelters.
Im 16. Jahrhundert wurde der Friedewald zum Jagdgebiet von Kurfürst Moritz von Sachsen (reg. 1547-1553). Er ließ das bereits bestehende Jagdhaus, später Moritzburg genannt, im Renaissancestil ausstatten. Seine heutige Form erhielt das Jagdschloss unter August dem Starken im 18. Jahrhundert. Im stilvoll renovierten Forsthaus Kreyern hat das Forstrevier Moritzburg des Freistaates Sachsen seinen Sitz. Unweit davon befindet sich die Wolfssäule, die daran einnert, dass 1618 ein starker Wolf im Friedewald erlegt wurde.
To this day, part of the Friedewald is still church property; the Wettin forestry administration, a private family-run forestry enterprise, manages over 1,000 hectares of the Friedewald. In 2016, a natural burial site was established there, sponsored by Coswig town council. www.naturruhe-friedewald.de/