The Parkeisenbahn is a 381mm-gauge miniature railway that loops through the Küchwald park, north of the city centre. Like similar park railways across the former East Germany, it was designed both as entertainment and as a training ground: young people in the Junge Eisenbahner (Young Railway Workers) programme staffed the operations, learning signalling, station duties, and eventually driving. That tradition continues.
Trains run on weekends and holidays from spring through autumn, pulled by small diesel and occasionally steam locomotives. It's a gentle half-hour ride through parkland, and a good option if you're visiting Chemnitz with children or simply want to spend time in the Küchwald area alongside the Botanical Garden. The combination of park, Parkeisenbahn, and Botanical Garden makes for a relaxed half-day in the northern city.