The A 17 begins at the western Dresden autobahn triangle, generally follows the edge of the city to the south, passing the towns of Heidenau and Pirna until it reaches the border between Germany and the Czech Republic at the Ore Mountains, where it ends.
They were worked on the Müglitz Valley Railway (Müglitztalbahn) between Heidenau and Altenberg in the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge), for which they were specially designed to negotiate tight curves.
Heidenau is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Branching off the Elbe Valley Railway, it connects the town of Heidenau near Dresden with the towns of Glashütte and Altenberg in Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains), where it terminates.