Ore Mountains

Coordinates: 50°30′N 13°00′E / 50.500°N 13.000°E / 50.500; 13.000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Erzgebirge
)
For other similarly named ranges, see Ore Mountains (disambiguation).

Ore Mountains
Erz Mountains
Krušné Mountains
Reservoir near Myslivny
Highest point
PeakKlínovec
Elevation1,244 m (4,081 ft)
Coordinates50°23′46″N 12°58′04″E / 50.39611°N 12.96778°E / 50.39611; 12.96778
Naming
Native name
Geography
Location in Germany
Location in the Czech Republic
Physical map
CountriesCzech Republic and Germany
Regions/StatesKarlovy Vary, Ústí nad Labem and Saxony
Range coordinates50°30′N 13°00′E / 50.500°N 13.000°E / 50.500; 13.000
Geology
OrogenyVariscan
Age of rockPaleozoic
Type of rocksedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks
Official nameErzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region
TypeCultural
Criteria(ii), (iii), (iv)
Designated2019
Reference no.1478
RegionWestern Europe/Eastern Europe

The Ore Mountains (German: Erzgebirge, Czech: Krušné hory) lie along the Czech–German border, separating the historical regions of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany. The highest peaks are the Klínovec in the Czech Republic (German: Keilberg) at 1,244 metres (4,081 ft) above sea level and the Fichtelberg in Germany at 1,215 metres (3,986 ft).

The Ore Mountains have been intensively reshaped by human intervention and a diverse cultural landscape has developed. Mining in particular, with its tips, dams, ditches and sinkholes, directly shaped the landscape and the habitats of plants and animals in many places. The region was also the setting of the earliest stages of the early modern transformation of mining and metallurgy from a craft to a large-scale industry, a process that preceded and enabled the later Industrial Revolution.

The higher altitudes from around 500 m above sea level on the German side belong to the Ore Mountains/Vogtland Nature Park – the largest of its kind in Germany with a length of 120 km. The eastern Ore Mountains are protected landscape. Other smaller areas on the German and Czech sides are protected as nature reserves and natural monuments. On the ridges there are also several larger raised bogs that are only fed by rainwater. The mountains are popular for hiking and there are winter sports areas at higher elevations. In 2019, the region became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[1]

Name

In English, the Ore /ɔːr/ Mountains are sometimes referred to as the Ore Mountain Range, but are also sometimes called the Erzgebirge [ˈeːɐ̯tsɡəˌbɪʁɡə] or Erz Mountains /ɛərts, ɜːrts/ after their German name or the Krušné Mountains /ˈkrʊʃni, -neɪ/ after their Czech name. In Czech they are the Krušné hory [ˈkruʃnɛː ˈhorɪ], from old Czech krušec, meaning "piece of ore", and were historically known as Rudohoří, a literal translation of the German name, and Vyšehory, meaning "high mountains".[2] In Upper Sorbian the mountains are known as the Rudne horiny. The German and Upper Sorbian names, as well as the historical Czech Rudohoří, literally mean "ore mountains".

Geography

Geology

The Ore Mountains are geologically considered to be one of the most heavily researched mountain ranges in the world. The Ore Mountains are a

Hercynian block tilted so as to present a steep scarp face towards Bohemia and a gentle slope on the German side.[3]
They were formed during a lengthy process.

During the

Palaeozoic era, the mountains had been eroded into gently undulating hills (the Permian massif
), exposing the hard rocks.

In the Tertiary period these mountain remnants came under heavy pressure as a result of plate tectonic processes during which the Alps were formed and the North American and Eurasian plates were separated. As the rock of the Ore Mountains was too brittle to be folded, it shattered into an independent fault block which was uplifted and tilted to the northwest. This can be very clearly seen at a height of 807 m above sea level (NN) on the mountain of Komáří vížka which lies on the Czech side, east of Zinnwald-Georgenfeld, right on the edge of the fault block.

Consequently, it is a

fault-block mountain range, which has been incised by a whole range of river valleys whose rivers drain southwards into the Ohře and northwards into the Mulde or directly into the Elbe
.

View from Mückentürmchen in the Eastern Ore Mountains to the west. Left: the escarpment descending to the Eger Graben; right: the gentle northern dip slope.

The main geologic feature in the Ore Mountains is the Late

quartzites. Two key mineral centres intersect this pluton at Joachimsthal, one trending northwesterly from Schneeberg through Johanngeorgenstadt to Joachimsthal, and a second trending north–south from Freiberg through Marienberg, Annaberg, Niederschlag, Joachimsthal, and Schlaggenwald. Late Tertiary faulting and volcanism gave rise to basalt and phonolite dikes. Ore veins include iron, copper, tin, tungsten, lead, silver, cobalt, bismuth, uranium, plus iron and manganese oxides.[4]

The most important rocks occurring in the Ore Mountains are

potatoes up to the highlands. Today the land is predominantly used for pasture
. But it is not uncommon to see near-natural mountain meadows.

To the north of the Ore Mountains, west of

stone coal where mining has already been abandoned. A similar but smaller basin with abandoned coal deposits, the Döhlen Basin, is located southwest of Dresden
on the northern edge of the Ore Mountains. It forms the transition to the Elbe Valley zone.

Terrain

The western part of the Ore Mountains is home to the two highest peaks of the range: Klínovec, located in the Czech part, with an altitude of 1,244 metres (4,081 ft) and Fichtelberg, the highest mountain of Saxony, Germany, at 1,214 metres (3,983 ft). The Ore Mountains are part of a larger mountain system and adjoin the Fichtel Mountains to the west and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains to the east. Past the River Elbe, the mountain chain continues as the Lusatian Mountains. While the mountains slope gently away in the northern (German) part, the southern (Czech) slopes are rather steep.

Topography

The Ore Mountains and adjacent regions
View of Breitenbrunn in the Ore Mountains, from Joachimsthaler Strasse

The Ore Mountains are oriented in a southwest–northeast direction and are about 150 km long and, on average, about 40 km wide. From a

geomorphological perspective the range is divided into the Western, Central and Eastern Ore Mountains, separated by the valleys of the Schwarzwasser and Zwickauer Mulde and the Flöha
("Flöha Line"), the division of the western section along the River Schwarzwasser is of a more recent date. The Eastern Ore Mountains mainly comprise large, gently climbing plateaux, in contrast with the steeper and higher-lying western and central areas, and are dissected by river valleys that frequently change direction. The crest of the mountains themselves forms, in all three regions, a succession of plateaux and individual peaks.

To the east it is adjoined by the

fault-block
, descend very gradually.

The topographical transition from the Western and Central Ore Mountains to the

V-shaped valleys of the Ore Mountains break through this fault and the shoulder of the Dresden Basin
.

The Ore Mountains belong to the

Thuringian Slate Mountains and Thuringian Forest
, that has no unique name but is characterised by a rather homogeneous climate.

According to cultural tradition, Zwickau is seen historically as part of the Ore Mountains, Chemnitz is seen historically as just lying outside them, but

Saxon Lowland and Saxon Elbeland. Its cultural-geographical transition to Saxon Switzerland in the area of the Müglitz and Gottleuba
valleys is not sharply defined.

Notable peaks

Main article: List of mountains in the Ore Mountains
The Fichtelberg-Keilberg Massif

The highest mountain in the Ore Mountains is the

Fichtelberg, which was the highest mountain in East Germany. The Ore Mountains contain about thirty summits with a height over 1,000 m above sea level (NN)
, but not all are clearly defined mountains. Most of them occur around the Klínovec and the Fichtelberg. About a third of them are located on the Saxon side of the border.

Important rivers

Stein Castle on the Zwickauer Mulde

From west to east:

Natural regions in the Saxon Ore Mountains

The natural regions on the Saxon side of the Ore Mountains

In the division of Germany into natural regions that was carried out Germany-wide in the 1950s[5] the Ore Mountains formed major unit group 42:

  • 42 Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge)
    • 420 Southern slopes of the Ore Mountains (Südabdachung des Erzgebirges)
    • 421 Upper Western Ore Mountains (Oberes Westerzgebirge)
    • 422 Upper Eastern Ore Mountains (Oberes Osterzgebirge)
    • 423 Lower Western Ore Mountains (Unteres Westerzgebirge)
    • 424 Lower Eastern Ore Mountains (Unteres Osterzgebirge)

Even after the reclassification of natural regions by the

Saxon Academy of Sciences (Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften) in Leipzig merged the Ore Mountains with the major unit group of Vogtland to the west and the major landscape units of Saxon Switzerland, Lusatian Highlands and Zittau Mountains to the east into one overarching unit, the Saxon Highlands and Uplands
. In addition, its internal divisions were changed. Former major unit 420 was grouped with the western part of major units 421 and 423 to form a new major unit, the Western Ore Mountains (Westerzgebirge), the eastern part of major units 421 and 423 became the Central Ore Mountains (Mittelerzgebirge) and major units 422 and 424 became the Eastern Ore Mountains (Osterzgebirge).

The current division therefore looks as follows:[6]

The geographic unit of the Southern Slopes of the Ore Mountains remains unchanged under the title of Southern Ore Mountains (Süderzgebirge).

Climate

The Stürmer in winter

The climate of the higher regions of the Ore Mountains is characterised as distinctly harsh. Temperatures are considerably lower all year round than in the lowlands, and the summer is noticeably shorter and cool days are frequent. The average annual temperatures only reach values of 3 to 5 °C. In Oberwiesenthal, at a height of 922 m above sea level (NN), on average only about 140 frost-free days per year are observed. Based on reports of earlier chroniclers, the climate of the upper Ore Mountains in past centuries must have been even harsher than it is today. Historic sources describe hard winters in which cattle froze to death in their stables, and occasionally houses and cellars were snowed in even after snowfalls in April. The population was regularly cut off from the outside world.[7] The upper Ore Mountains was therefore nicknamed Saxon Siberia already in the 18th century.[8]

The fault block mountain range that climbs from northwest to southeast, and which enables prolonged rain to fall as

Bohemian Wind
may occur during certain specific southerly weather conditions.

As a result of the climate and the heavy amounts of snow a natural

Dwarf Mountain Pine region is found near Satzung, near the border to Bohemia at just under 900 m above sea level (NN). By comparison, in the Alps these pines do not occur until 1,600 to 1,800 m above sea level (NN)
.

  • Climatic diagram of Annaberg-Buchholz[9]
    Climatic diagram of Annaberg-Buchholz[9]
  • Climatic diagram of Freiberg[9]
    Climatic diagram of Freiberg[9]
  • Climatic diagram of the Fichtelberg[9]
    Climatic diagram of the Fichtelberg[9]
  • Climatic diagram of Zinnwald-Georgenfeld[9]
    Climatic diagram of Zinnwald-Georgenfeld[9]

History

Etymology of the name

Silver from the Freiberg district

The term Saltusbohemicus ("Bohemian Forest") for the region emerged in the 12th century. In the German language the names Böhmischer Wald, Beheimer Wald, Behmerwald or Böhmerwald were used, in Czech the name Český les. The last-mentioned names are used today[when?] for the mountain range along the Czech Republic's southwestern border (see: Bohemian Forest).

From earlier research, other names for the Ore Mountains have also appeared in a few older written records. However, the names Hircanus Saltus (Hercynian Forest) or Fergunna, which appeared in the 9th century, were only used in a general sense for the vast forests of the Central Uplands. Frequently the term Miriquidi is used to refer directly to the Ore Mountains, but it only surfaces twice in the 10th and early 11th centuries, and these sources do not permit a clear identification with the ancient forest that formerly covered the whole of the Ore Mountains and its foreland.

Following the

Meißener Berge ("Meissen Mountains") was temporarily used. A quarter of a century later the names Erzgebirge in German and Rudohoří in Czech became established. The Czech toponym is Krušné horyⓘ, derived from an old Czech expression krušec,[10]
meaning "ore".

The mountains are sometimes divided into the Saxon Ore Mountains and Bohemian Ore Mountains. A similarly named range in Slovakia is usually known as the Slovak Ore Mountains.

Economic history

Europe's earliest mining district appears to be located in Erzgebirge, dated to 2500 BC. From there tin was

Medieval period, Iberia's and Germany's deposits lost importance and were largely forgotten while Devon and Cornwall began dominating the European tin market.[12]

From the second half of the 13th century glass manufacturing in the Ore Mountains established itself, but lost its significance with the mining boom

From the time of the first wave of settlement, the history of the Ore Mountains has been heavily influenced by its economic development, especially that of the mining industry.

Settlement in the Ore Mountains was slow to begin with, especially on the Bohemian side. The harsh climate and short growing seasons hindered the cultivation of agricultural products. Nevertheless, settlements were supported by the aristocratic

Hrabischitz
family and established mainly at the foot of the mountains and along mountain streams into the deep woods.

In 1168, as a result of settlement in the early 12th century at the northern edge of the Ore Mountains, the first

Freiberg, resulting in the First Berggeschrey or mining rush. Almost simultaneously, the first tin
ore was discovered on the southern edge of the mountains in Bohemia.

Historic depiction of mining on the Annaberg mining altar (1522)

In the 13th century, colonization of the mountains took place only sporadically along the Bohemian Way (antiqua Bohemiae semita). It was here that

glassworks site is Ulmbach
. This timber-hungry industry lost its importance, however, with the boom in mining, which also enjoyed royal patronage.

Frohnauer Hammer Museum of Technology, an example of the iron hammer mills that were built as part of the mining industry

Mining on the Bohemian side of the mountains probably began in the 14th century. An indication of this is a contract between Boresch of Riesenburg and the Ossegg abbot, Gerwig, in which the division of revenue derived from ore was agreed. Grains of tin (Zinnkörner or Graupen) were obtained at that time in the Seiffen mining area and gave the Bohemian mining town of Graupen (Czech Krupka) its name.

With the further settlement of the Ore Mountains in the 15th century, new, rich, ore deposits were eventually discovered around

Marienberg, Oberwiesenthal, Gottesgab (Boží Dar), Sebastiansberg (Hora Sv. Šebestiána) and Platten (Horní Blatná). Economically, however, only silver and tin ores were used. From that time, the wealth of Saxony was built on the silver mines of the Ore Mountains. As a metal used for coinage, silver was minted on site in the mountain towns into money. The Joachimsthaler coins, minted in the valley of Joachimsthal, became famous and gave their name to the medieval coin known as the Thaler from which the word "dollar" is derived.[15] After the end of the Hussite Wars
, the economy in Bohemia, which had been disrupted by the conflict, recovered.

horse gin above the Rudolph Shaft (Rudolphschacht) in Lauta

In the 16th century the Ore Mountains became the heartland of the Central European mining industry. New ore discoveries attracted more and more people, and the number of residents on the Saxon side of the mountains continued to rise rapidly. Bohemia, in addition to migration from within the country, also received migration from elsewhere, mainly of German miners, who settled in the mountain villages and in the towns at the edge of the mountains.

Under Emperor

Ferdinand II an unprecedented Re-Catholicization began in Bohemia from 1624 to 1626, whereupon a large number of Bohemian Protestants then fled into the neighbouring Electorate of Saxony. As a result, many Bohemian villages became devastated and desolate, while on the Saxon side new places were founded by these migrants, such as the mining town of Johanngeorgenstadt
.

Following the decline of mining, the manufacture of wooden goods and toys developed, especially in the Eastern Ore Mountains

Ore mining largely came to a standstill in the 17th century, especially after the

Augustus under the Timber Act of 1560, to buy their wood in Bohemia. Wood from the Saxon Ore Mountains was still needed for the mines and smelters in Freiberg. This export of timber led, among other things, to the construction of an artificial cross-border rafting channel, the Neugrabenflöße, along the river Flöha
. Because of the decline in industrial production in that period, people without any ties migrated to the interior of Germany or Bohemia.

The manufacture of bobbin lace and trimmings also expanded as the mining industry declined

After the discovery of the

Meissen Porcelain Factory in Meissen for nearly 150 years. Its export from the state, however, was prohibited by the Prince-electors
under threat of severe punishment or even death.

The first large paintmill in Saxony was founded in 1635 in Niederpfannenstiel, from which a blue paintworks later evolved

Towards the end of the 19th century, mining slowly declined again.

overshot wheels from the crest of the mountains, such as the Freiberg Mines Water Management System or the Reitzenhainer Zeuggraben. Only a few mines remained profitable over a long period. Amongst them was the Himmelsfürst Fundgrube near Erbisdorf, whose 50 continuous years of profitable operation were commemorated in 1818 with the issue of a commemorative coin
(Ausbeutetaler) and which went on to make a profit continuously until 1848. Thanks to discoveries of rich ore seams it became the most productive Freiberg mine of the 19th century.

Schwarzenberg/Erzgeb. had developed by the time of German reunification
into one of the most important production facilities for washing machines in Eastern Europe.

But even the excavation of the

price of silver
dropped rapidly and led to the unprofitability of the entire Ore Mountain silver mining industry. This situation was not altered even by short-term discoveries of rich deposits in various mines nor the state's purchase of all the Freiberg mines and their incorporation into the state-owned enterprise, Oberdirektion der Königlichen Erzbergwerke, founded in 1886. In 1913, the last silver mines closed and the company was disbanded.

Mining in the Ore Mountains was given new life during the

Glashütte. In the Western Ore Mountains, economic alternatives were offered by the engineering and textile industries
.

Trail map of ski resort Klínovec (Klinovec-Oberwiesenthal)

In 1789 the

SAG Wismut, a cover up for the Eastern Bloc's highly secretive uranium mining.[4][16][17]

Germany's oldest still working smelting facility in Muldenhütten near Freiberg

For the third time in history, thousands of people poured into the Ore Mountains to build a new life. The principal mining areas were located around

Lengenfeld at a uranium mining waste lake; 50,000 cubic metres of waste water poured down 4 kilometres into the valley.[18] Until 1991 uranium ore was also mined in Aue-Alberoda and Pöhla
.

VEB Zinnerz open pit mine in Altenberg (1982)

Mining operations in

Oelsnitz until 1971 and in the Döhlen Basin near Freital
until 1989.

Boží Dar (German: Gottesgab) on the Czech side, is actually the highest town in Central Europe

The mountains that until the late 11th (and early 12th century) were covered in dense forests were almost completely transformed into a cultural landscape by the mining industry and by settlement. The population density is high right up into the upper regions of the mountains. For example, Oberwiesenthal, the highest town in Germany, lies in the Ore Mountains, and neighbouring Boží Dar (German: Gottesgab) on the Czech side, is actually the highest town in Central Europe. Only on the relatively inaccessible, less climatically favourable ridges are there still large, contiguous forests, but since the 18th century these have been managed economically. Due to the high demand for timber by the mining and smelting industries, where it was needed for pit props and fuel, large-scale deforestation took place from the 12th century onwards, and even the forests owned by the nobility could not cover the growing demand for wood. In the 18th century, industries were encouraged to use coal as fuel instead of timber in order to preserve the forests, and this was enforced in the 19th century. In the early 1960s the first signs of forest dieback were seen in the Eastern Ore Mountains near Altenberg and Reitzenhain, after local damage to the forests had become apparent since the 19th century as a result of smelter smoke (Hüttenrauch). The German population of the Bohemian part of the Ore Mountains was expelled in 1945 in accordance with to the Beneš decrees.

Nature

The upper western part of the Ore Mountains, known in German as Erzgebirge, belongs to the Ore Mountains/Vogtland Nature Park. The eastern part, called the Eastern Ore Mountains (Osterzgebirge), is a protected landscape. Further small areas are nature reserves and natural monuments, and are protected by the state.

Nature reserves

See also: Protected areas of the Czech Republic

Mining and Pollution

Ever since the settlement in mediaeval times, the Ore Mountains were farmed intensively. This led to widespread clearings of the originally dense forest, also to keep up with the enormous need for wood in mining and metallurgy. Mining including the construction of dumps, impoundments, and ditches in many places also directly shaped the scenery and the habitats of plants and animals.

Evidence for local forest dieback due to the smoke from smelting furnaces was first noted the 19th century. In the 20th century, several mountain crests were deforested because of their climatically exposed location. Thus, in recent years, mixed forests are cultivated which are more resistant to weather effects and pests than the traditional monocultures of spruces.

The Ore Mountains/Vogtland Nature Park

Human interventions have created a unique cultural landscape with a large number of typical biotopes which are worthy of protection such as mountain meadows and wetlands. Today, even old mining spoil heaps offer a living environment for a variety of plants and animals. 61% of the area of

Eagle owls and Black storks
have returned in the early 21st century.

Economy

The German part of the Ore Mountains is one of the major business locations in Saxony. The region has a high density of industrial operations. Since 2000, the number of industrial workers has risen against the Germany-wide trend by about 20 percent. Typical of the Ore Mountains are mainly small, often owner-managed, businesses.

The economic strengths of the Ore Mountains are mainly in manufacturing. 63 percent of the industrial workforce is employed in the metalworking and electrical industry.

Only of minor importance is the formerly dominant textile and clothing industry (5 percent of industrial net product) and the food industry. The newly established chemical, leather and plastic industries and the industries traditionally based in the Ore Mountains-based – wood, paper, furniture, glass and ceramics works – each contribute about 14 percent of regional net product.

Mining, the essential historical basis of industrial development in the Ore Mountains, currently plays only a minor economic role on the Saxon side of the border. For example, in

fluorspar
per year will be extracted there.

In the Czech part of the Ore Mountains, tourism has gained a certain importance, even though the Giant Mountains are more important for domestic tourism. In addition, mining still plays a greater role, particularly coal mining in the southern forelands of the Ore Mountains. Europe's largest deposits of lithium-bearing mica zinnwaldite in Cínovec, a Czech village between town of Dubí and the border with Germany which gave its old German name Zinnwald to the mineral, are expected to be mined starting 2019 (as of June 2017).[19][20]

Tourism

Annaberg-Buchholz, St. Anne's Church

When several

narrow gauge railways dating to that era, such as the Pressnitz Valley Railway
, are popular tourist attractions.

In 1924 the

Ore Mountain/Krušné hory Ski Trail
is a German-Czech ski mountaineering trail along the entire Ore Mountain crest.

Based on the historical

Schneeberg. On the Bohemian and Saxon sides of the border there are also many castles, built in different architectural styles, which may be visited. One of the best known examples is Augustusburg Castle
.

In the Advent and Christmas season the Ore Mountains, with its distinct traditions, Christmas markets and miners' parades is also a popular destination for short breaks.

Radium Palace Hotel in Jachymov

Very unique and popular spa resort are located in Jáchymov in the Czech Republic. In the historical town are some of the most unique spas in the world. Musculoskeletal system is treated here with radon water and direct irradiation. This treatment is suitable for vascular diseases. Furthermore, for the nerve, rheumatic diseases or inflammation of nerves. The most important use is the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system (gout etc.). The spa was founded in 1906. One of the spa buildings is Radium Palace – spa neoclassical hotel palace, already at the time of its establishment in 1912 was one of the best that Europe could offer in the field of spas.

With 960,963 guests staying for 2,937,204 nights in 2007[21] the Ore Mountains and West Saxony is the most important Saxon holiday destination after the cities, and tourism is an important economic factor in the region. Since 2004 the Ore Mountain Tourist Association (Tourismusverband Erzgebirge) has offered the Ore Mountain Card (ErzgebirgsCard) with which over 100 museums, castles, heritage railways and other sights may be visited free of charge.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

In 2019, the following 22 mines or mining complexes were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region.[1]

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Location of 22 sites of the UNESCO Site in Saxony, Germany and north-west Czech Republic
Site Country Location Area
ha (acre) 		Buffer Area
ha (acre)
Dippoldiswalde Medieval Silver Mines Germany 50°53′48″N 13°40′26″E / 50.89667°N 13.67389°E / 50.89667; 13.67389 536.871 -
Altenberg-Zinnwald Mining Landscape Germany 50°45′50″N 13°46′13″E / 50.76389°N 13.77028°E / 50.76389; 13.77028 269.367 1,716.705
Lauenstein Administrative Centre Germany 50°47′07″N 13°49′23″E / 50.78528°N 13.82306°E / 50.78528; 13.82306 2.926 18.885
Freiberg Mining Landscape Germany 50°55′05″N 13°20′40″E / 50.91806°N 13.34444°E / 50.91806; 13.34444 624.434 2,202.532
Hoher Forst Mining Landscape Germany 50°37′10″N 12°34′07″E / 50.61944°N 12.56861°E / 50.61944; 12.56861 44.799 103.604
Schneeberg Mining Landscape Germany 50°35′44″N 12°38′39″E / 50.59556°N 12.64417°E / 50.59556; 12.64417 218.15 670.351
Schindlers Werk Smalt Works Germany 50°32′31″N 12°39′30″E / 50.54194°N 12.65833°E / 50.54194; 12.65833 2.659 2.7
Annaberg-Frohnau Mining Landscape Germany 50°34′52″N 12°59′33″E / 50.58111°N 12.99250°E / 50.58111; 12.99250 191.994 926.131
Pöhlberg Mining Landscape Germany 50°34′32″N 13°02′43″E / 50.57556°N 13.04528°E / 50.57556; 13.04528 118.94 -
Buchholz Mining Landscape Germany 50°33′47″N 12°59′20″E / 50.56306°N 12.98889°E / 50.56306; 12.98889 37.346 -
Marienberg Mining Town Germany 50°39′02″N 13°09′47″E / 50.65056°N 13.16306°E / 50.65056; 13.16306 25.306 44.603
Lauta Mining Landscape Germany 50°39′50″N 13°08′33″E / 50.66389°N 13.14250°E / 50.66389; 13.14250 20.592 -
Ehrenfriedersdorf Mining Landscape Germany 50°38′35″N 12°58′35″E / 50.64306°N 12.97639°E / 50.64306; 12.97639 71.148 891.575
Grünthal Silver-Copper Liquation Works Germany 50°39′01″N 13°22′08″E / 50.65028°N 13.36889°E / 50.65028; 13.36889 12.917 25.294
Eibenstock Mining Landscape Germany 50°30′45″N 12°35′57″E / 50.51250°N 12.59917°E / 50.51250; 12.59917 100.656 248.312
Rother Berg Mining Landscape Germany 50°31′12″N 12°47′15″E / 50.52000°N 12.78750°E / 50.52000; 12.78750 4.519 38.556
Uranium Mining Landscape Germany 50°38′00″N 12°41′08″E / 50.63333°N 12.68556°E / 50.63333; 12.68556 811.213 746.263
Jáchymov Mining Landscape Czech Republic 50°22′16″N 12°54′47″E / 50.37111°N 12.91306°E / 50.37111; 12.91306 738.452 637.9
Abertamy – Boží Dar – Horní Blatná – Mining Landscape Czech Republic 50°24′23″N 12°50′14″E / 50.40639°N 12.83722°E / 50.40639; 12.83722 2,608.279 3,011.867
The Red Tower of Death Czech Republic 50°19′44″N 12°57′12″E / 50.32889°N 12.95333°E / 50.32889; 12.95333 0.2 2.804
Krupka Mining Landscape Czech Republic 50°41′6.″N 13°51′19″E / 50.68500°N 13.85528°E / 50.68500; 13.85528 317.565 474.299
Mědník Hill Mining Landscape Czech Republic 50°25′27″N 13°06′41″E / 50.42417°N 13.11139°E / 50.42417; 13.11139 7.724 1,255.41
The Svornost mine in Jachymov (the Czech Republic) (1525) is the oldest mine still in use in Europe

Culture

Miners' parade in Marienberg
Seiffen

The culture of the Ore Mountains was shaped mainly by mining that goes back to the Middle Ages. The old saying, coined here, that "everything comes from the mine" (Alles kommt vom Bergwerk her!) refers to many areas of life in the region, from its landscape, to its handicrafts, industry, living traditions and folk art. The visitor may recognise this on his arrival from the normal everyday greeting Glück Auf! that is used in the region.

The Ore Mountains has its own dialect, Erzgebirgisch, which sits on the boundary between Upper German and Central German and is not therefore uniform.

The first important native dialect poet of the Ore Mountains was Christian Gottlob Wild in the early 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, Hans Soph, Stephan Dietrich and especially Anton Günther were active; their works have a lasting impact to this day in Ore Mountain songs and writings. Erzgebirgisch songs were later popularised by various local groups. The most famous include the Preßnitzer Musikanten, Geschwister Caldarelli, Zschorlauer Nachtigallen, the Erzgebirgsensemble Aue and Joachim Süß and his Ensemble. Today it is mainly De Randfichten, but also groups like Wind, Sand und Sterne, De Ranzn, De Krippelkiefern, De Erbschleicher and Schluckauf that sing in the Erzgebirgisch dialect.

The Ore Mountains are nationally known for their variety of customs at

smoking figures, Christmas pyramids, candle arches, nutcrackers, miners' and angels' figures, all of which are used as Christmas decorations. Above all, places in the Upper Ore Mountains decorate their windows during the Christmas season in such a way that they are transformed into a "sea of light". In addition, traditional Christmas mining celebrations such as the Mettenschicht
and Hutzenabende draw many visitors and have made the Ore Mountains known as "Christmasland" (Weihnachtsland).

In addition to the Christmas markets and other smaller traditional and modern folk festivals, the

George the Bearded
, it has been held annually since.

Also interesting is Ore Mountain cuisine, which is simple, but rich in tradition.

In 2019 the region was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region.[1]

Gallery

  • Stürmer mountain in March 2008
    Stürmer mountain in March 2008
  • Old adit near Johanngeorgenstadt
    Old adit near Johanngeorgenstadt
  • Jáchymov town hall
    Jáchymov town hall
  • Klínovec mountain
    Klínovec mountain
  • Uranite from the Ore Mountains
    Uranite from the Ore Mountains
  • Castle Krupka (the Czech Republic)
    Castle Krupka (the Czech Republic)
  • Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad in German, Carlsbad in English) is one of the most famous spas in the world. They are located below the Ore Mountains on the river Ohře
    Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad in German, Carlsbad in English) is one of the most famous spas in the world. They are located below the Ore Mountains on the river Ohře
View from the Auersberg mountain (1019m).

See also

Footnotes

References

  1. ^ a b c "Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Krušné hory". rozhlas.cz. 20 January 2004. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  3. ^ Elkins, T H (1972). Germany (3rd ed.). London: Chatto & Windus, p. 291. ASIN B0011Z9KJA.
  4. ^ a b c Heinrich, E. Wm. (1958). Mineralogy and Geology of Radioactive Raw Materials. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. pp. 283–284.
  5. Handbuch der naturräumlichen Gliederung Deutschlands
    . Remagen/Bad Godesberg: Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde.
  6. ^ Map of natural regions in Saxony Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine at www.umwelt.sachsen.de (pdf, 859 kB)
  7. ^ Athenaum sive Universitas Boemo-Zinnwaldensis von 1717, published by Peter Schenk.
  8. ^ Anonymous (1775). Mineralogische Geschichte des Sächsischen Erzgebirges. Hamburg: Carl Ernst Bohn.
  9. ^ a b c d "Deutscher Wetterdienst, Normalperiode 1961–1990". dwd.de. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  10. ^ Novotný, Michal (20 January 2004). "Krušné hory". Český rozhlas Regina. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  11. ISBN 0-904357-81-3
    .
  12. ^
    ISBN 0-7524-1452-6
    .
  13. ISBN 1-84171-564-6
    .
  14. ISBN 9963-8102-3-3
    .
  15. ^ National Geographic. June 2002. p. 1. Ask Us.
  16. ISBN 9780143116721
    .
  17. ISBN 9781610396547
    .
  18. ^ Peter Diehl: Altstandorte des Uranbergbaus in Sachsen pdf file Archived 28 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Seidler, Christoph (2 May 2012). "Mining Revival: German Solar Firm Goes Hunting For Lithium". Der Spiegel. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2018 – via Spiegel Online.
  20. ^ Muller, Robert (8 June 2017). "RPT-Miners eye Europe's largest lithium deposit in Czech Republic". reuters.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  21. ^ "Stat Statistics Office for the Free State of Saxony, Accommodation statistics (including campers)". sachsen.de. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2018.

Further reading

External links

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