Ore Mountains Mining Region

Silver was found at Freiberg in 1168 and mining continued in the Erzgebirge for eight hundred years, through silver, tin, cobalt, and later uranium; the wealth built towns, funded churches and drove technology, and mining terms entered German from the local dialect, including Schicht for a shift and Kobold, which gave cobalt its name. UNESCO listed the region in 2019 as a transboundary site with the Czech side, covering twenty-two component parts. When ore declined, miners turned to woodcarving in winter, producing the Schwibbogen arch, the nutcracker and the Räuchermann smoker figure, all originating here and now sold worldwide at Christmas.

History

From the first discovery of silver ore in 1168 at Christiansdorf, now part of Freiberg, mining went on in the Ore Mountains without a break until 1990: the region was a world leader in silver in the 14th to 16th centuries, while on the Bohemian side Krupka grew into a mining town for silver and tin and later iron, lead, copper and mercury. As the surface silver and tin ran short in the 16th century the region became the world's producer of cobalt until the mid-18th century, and in the 19th and 20th centuries anthracite and uranium drove the economy of Saxony. On 6 July 2019 the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region, shared by Germany and the Czech Republic, was inscribed as a World Heritage Site for its 800 years of mining technology (Wikipedia, Ore Mountain Mining Region).

The main sights

• The show mines - workings open across the range, entered on tours.
• The mining towns - Annaberg, Freiberg, Schneeberg and Marienberg.
• The Christmas crafts - nutcrackers and arches originating with miners.
• The transboundary listing - twenty-two components across two countries.

When to go

April to October for the mines and walking; December for the Christmas markets and craft towns, which are the region's other season. Mines are cool year-round.

Things to know

Mine tours require booking, warm clothing and a head for confined spaces. The region is dispersed and needs a car. December accommodation books out.

Nearby

Freiberg lies north; the Czech border runs along the ridge.

Key facts