The Zwickauer Mulde (German pronunciation: [ˈtsvɪkaʊɐ ˈmʊldə]) is a river in Saxony, Germany.

The valleys in the catchment area of the Mulde were presumably used from the end of the last cold stage as access routes into the Ore Mountains that was covered in dense, ancient forests.

Paths, trade routes and military roads, linked the old settlement areas around Leipzig and Altenburg with Bohemia.

At unavoidable river crossings, (fords, later ferries and bridges) and at intersections castles, villages and monasteries were established.

With the discovery of the rich silver deposits in the late Middle Ages, settlements grew up around the source streams in the upper Ore Mountains and the mining towns emerged.