TheOre Mountains (German:Erzgebirge,pronounced[ˈeːɐtsɡəˌbɪʁɡə]ⓘ or[ˈɛʁts-]ⓘ;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 theKlínovec in the Czech Republic (German:Keilberg) at 1,244 metres (4,081 ft) abovesea level and theFichtelberg 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 theearly modern transformation ofmining andmetallurgy from a craft to a large-scale industry, a process that preceded and enabled the laterIndustrial Revolution.
The higher altitudes from around 500 m above sea level on the German side belong to theOre 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 aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[1]
In English, the Ore/ɔːr/ Mountains are sometimes referred to as theOre Mountain Range, but are also sometimes called theErzgebirge[ˈeːɐ̯tsɡəˌbɪʁɡə] orErz Mountains/ɛərts,ɜːrts/ after their German name or theKrušné Mountains/ˈkrʊʃni,-neɪ/ after their Czech name.
In Czech they are theKrušné hory[ˈkruʃnɛːˈhorɪ], from old Czechkrušec, meaning "piece of ore", and were historically known asRudohoří, a literal translation of the German name, andVyšehory, meaning "high mountains".[2]
InUpper Sorbian the mountains are known as theRudne horiny. The German and Upper Sorbian names, as well as the historical CzechRudohoří, literally mean "ore mountains".
The Ore Mountains are one of the most geologically researched mountain ranges in the world. The Ore Mountains are aHercynian block tilted so as to present a steepscarp face towards Bohemia and a gentle slope on the German side.[3] They were formed during a lengthy process.
In theTertiary (period) these mountain remnants came under heavy pressure as a result ofplate tectonic processes during which theAlps 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 independentfault block which was uplifted and tilted to the northwest. This can be very clearly seen at a height of807 m above sea level (NN) on the mountain ofKomáří vížka which lies on the Czech side, east ofZinnwald-Georgenfeld, right on the edge of the fault block.
Consequently, it is afault-block mountain range, which has beenincised by a whole range of river valleys whose rivers drain southwards into theOhře and northwards into theMulde or directly into theElbe.
View from Mückentürmchen in the Eastern Ore Mountains to the west. Left: the escarpment descending to theEger Graben; right: the gentle northern dip slope.
The main geologic feature in the Ore Mountains is the LatePaleozoic Eibenstockgranitepluton, which is exposed for 25 miles along its northwest–southeast axis and up to 15 miles in width. This pluton is surrounded by progressive zones ofcontact metamorphism in which Paleozoicslates andphyllites have been changed to spottedhornfels,andalusite hornfels, andquartzites. 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. LateTertiary faulting andvolcanism gave rise tobasalt andphonolitedikes.Oreveins 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 areschist,phyllite andgranite withcontact metamorphic zones in the west,basalt as remnants in thePlešivec (Pleßberg),Scheibenberg,Bärenstein,Pöhlberg,Velký Špičák (Großer Spitzberg or Schmiedeberger Spitzberg),Jelení hora (Haßberg) andGeisingberg as well asgneisses andrhyolite (Kahleberg) in the east. Thesoils consist of rapidly leachinggrus. In the western and central areas of the mountains it is formed from weathered granite. Phyllite results in aloamy, rapidly weathered gneiss in the east of the mountains producing a light soil. As a result of the subsoils based on granite and rhyolite, the land is mostly covered inforest; on the gneiss soils it was possible to grow and cultivateflax in earlier centuries and, later,rye,oats andpotatoes up to the highlands. Today the land is predominantly used forpasture. But it is not uncommon to see near-natural mountain meadows.
To the north of the Ore Mountains, west ofChemnitz and aroundZwickau lies theOre Mountain Basin which is only really known geologically. Here there are deposits ofstone coal where mining has already been abandoned. A similar but smaller basin with abandoned coal deposits, theDöhlen Basin, is located southwest ofDresden on the northern edge of the Ore Mountains. It forms the transition to the Elbe Valley zone.
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) andFichtelberg, 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 theFichtel Mountains to the west and theElbe Sandstone Mountains to the east. Past the RiverElbe, the mountain chain continues as theLusatian Mountains. While the mountains slope gently away in the northern (German) part, the southern (Czech) slopes are rather steep.
The Ore Mountains and adjacent regionsView ofBreitenbrunn 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 ageomorphological perspective the range is divided into theWestern,Central andEastern Ore Mountains, separated by the valleys of theSchwarzwasser andZwickauer Mulde and theFlöha ("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 theElbe Sandstone Mountains and, to the west, by theElster Mountains and other Saxon parts of theVogtland. South(east) of the Central and Eastern Ore Mountains lies theNorth Bohemian Basin and, immediately east of that, theBohemian Central Uplands which are separated from the Eastern Ore Mountains by narrow fingers of the aforementioned basin. South(east) of the Western Ore Mountains lie theSokolov Basin, theEger Graben and theDoupov Mountains. To the north the boundary is less sharply defined because the Ore Mountains, a typical example of afault-block, descend very gradually.
The topographical transition from the Western and Central Ore Mountains to theloess hill country to the north betweenZwickau andChemnitz is referred to as theOre Mountain Basin; that from the Eastern Ore Mountains as theOre Mountain Foreland. BetweenFreital andPirna, the area is called the Dresden Ore Mountain Foreland (Dresdner Erzgebirgsvorland) or Bannewitz-Possendorf-Burkhardswald Plateau (Bannewitz-Possendorf-Burkhardswalder Plateau). Geologically the Ore Mountains reach the city limits ofDresden at theWindberg hill near Freital and theKarsdorf Fault. TheV-shaped valleys of the Ore Mountains break through this fault and the shoulder of theDresden Basin.
According to cultural tradition, Zwickau is seen historically as part of the Ore Mountains, Chemnitz is seen historically as just lying outside them, butFreiberg is included. The supposed limit of the Ore Mountains continues southwest ofDresden towards theElbe Sandstone Mountains. From this perspective, its main characteristics, i.e., gently sloping plateaus climbing up to theridgeline incised byV-shaped valleys, continue to the southern edge of theDresden Basin. North of the Ore Mountains the landscape gradually transitions into theSaxon Lowland andSaxon Elbeland. Its cultural-geographical transition toSaxon Switzerland in the area of theMüglitz andGottleuba valleys is not sharply defined.
The highest mountain in the Ore Mountains is theKlínovec (German:Keilberg), at 1,244 metres, in the Bohemian part of the range. The highest elevation on the Saxon side is the 1,215-metre-highFichtelberg, which was the highest mountain inEast Germany. The Ore Mountains contain about thirty summits with a height over1,000 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.
Even after the reclassification of natural regions by theFederal Agency for Nature Conservation in 1994 the Ore Mountains, regionD16, remained a major unit group with almost unchanged boundaries. However, at the beginning of the 21st century, the working groupNaturhaushalt und Gebietscharakter of theSaxon Academy of Sciences (Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften) inLeipzig merged the Ore Mountains with the major unit group ofVogtland to the west and the major landscape units ofSaxon Switzerland,Lusatian Highlands andZittau Mountains to the east into one overarching unit, theSaxon 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]
Theclimate 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 thesummer is noticeably shorter and cool days are frequent. The average annual temperatures only reach values of 3 to 5 °C. InOberwiesenthal, at a height of922 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 nicknamedSaxon 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 asorographic rain when weather systems drive in from the west and northwest, gives rise to twice as muchprecipitation as in the lowlands which exceeds 1,100 mm on the upper reaches of the mountains. Since a large part of the precipitation falls assnow, in many years a thick and permanent layer of snow remains until April. The ridges of the Ore Mountains are one of the snowiest areas in the GermanCentral Uplands.Foehn winds, and also the so-calledBohemian Wind may occur during certain specific southerly weather conditions.
As a result of the climate and the heavy amounts of snow a naturalDwarf Mountain Pine region is found nearSatzung, near the border to Bohemia at just under900 m above sea level (NN). By comparison, in the Alps these pines do not occur until 1,600 to1,800 m above sea level (NN).
The termSaltusbohemicus ("Bohemian Forest") for the region emerged in the 12th century. In the German language the namesBöhmischer Wald,Beheimer Wald,Behmerwald orBöhmerwald were used, in Czech the nameČeský 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 namesHircanus Saltus (Hercynian Forest) orFergunna, which appeared in the 9th century, were only used in a general sense for the vast forests of the Central Uplands. Frequently the termMiriquidi 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 thediscovery of large ore deposits the area was further renamed in the 16th century.Petrus Albinus used the name Erzgebirge ("Ore Mountains") for the first time in 1589, in his chronicle. In the early 17th century, the nameMeißener Berge ("Meissen Mountains") was temporarily used. A quarter of a century later the namesErzgebirge in German andRudohoří in Czech became established. TheCzech toponym isKrušné horyⓘ, derived from an old Czech expressionkrušec,[10] meaning "ore".
The mountains are sometimes divided into the Saxon Ore Mountains and Bohemian Ore Mountains. A similarly named range inSlovakia is usually known as theSlovak Ore Mountains.
Europe's earliest mining district appears to be located in Erzgebirge, dated to 2500 BC. From there tin wastraded north to theBaltic Sea and south to theMediterranean following theAmber Road trading route, of great importance in theBronze Age.Tin mining knowledge spread to otherEuropean tin mining districts from Erzgebirge and evidence of tin mining begins to appear inBrittany,Devon andCornwall, and in theIberian Peninsula around 2000 BC.[11] These deposits saw greater exploitation when they fell underRoman control between the third century BC and the first century AD.[12] Demand for tin created a large and thriving network amongst Mediterranean cultures ofClassical times.[13][14] By theMedieval 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 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 aristocraticHrabischitz 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 firstsilver ore was discovered in the vicinity of present-dayFreiberg, resulting in theFirst Berggeschrey or mining rush. Almost simultaneously, the firsttin ore was discovered on the southern edge of the mountains in Bohemia.
In the 13th century, colonization of the mountains took place only sporadically along the Bohemian Way (antiqua Bohemiae semita). It was here thatSayda was built, a station on the trade route from Freiberg viaEinsiedl,Johnsdorf andBrüx to Prague. In Sayda it joined the so-calledsalt road that ran fromHalle viaOederan and onto Prague. Glass-making was introduced into the region from the second half of the 13th century. The emergence of this branch of trade benefited from the abundance of excess timber, which was created by clearings and new settlements and which was able to meet the high demand of the glassworks. Monks fromWaldsassen Abbey brought a knowledge of the glass manufacture to the Ore Mountains. Most glassworks were located in the vicinity ofMoldau,Brandau and theFrauenbach valley. The oldestglassworks site isUlmbach. 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 ironhammer 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 betweenBoresch of Riesenburg and theOssegg abbot, Gerwig, in which the division of revenue derived from ore was agreed. Grains of tin (Zinnkörner orGraupen) were obtained at that time in the Seiffen mining area and gave the Bohemian mining town ofGraupen (CzechKrupka) its name.
With the further settlement of the Ore Mountains in the 15th century, new, rich, ore deposits were eventually discovered aroundSchneebergAnnaberg andSt. Joachimsthal. TheSecond Berggeschrey started and triggered a massive wave of colonization. In quick succession, new, planned, mining towns were built across the Ore Mountains in the vicinity of newly discovered ore deposits. Typical examples are the towns ofMarienberg,Oberwiesenthal,Gottesgab (Boží Dar),Sebastiansberg (Hora Sv. Šebestiána) andPlatten (Horní Blatná). Economically, however, onlysilver andtin 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. TheJoachimsthaler coins, minted in the valley ofJoachimsthal, became famous and gave their name to the medieval coin known as theThaler from which the word "dollar" is derived.[15] After the end of theHussite Wars, the economy in Bohemia, which had been disrupted by the conflict, recovered.
Replica openhorse gin above the Rudolph Shaft (Rudolphschacht) inLauta
In the 16th century the Ore Mountains became the heartland of the Central Europeanmining 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 EmperorFerdinand II an unprecedented Re-Catholicization began in Bohemia from 1624 to 1626, whereupon a large number of Bohemian Protestants then fled into the neighbouringElectorate 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 ofJohanngeorgenstadt.
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 theThirty Years' War. Due to the very sharp decline of the mining industry and because the search for new ore deposits proved fruitless, the population had to resort to other occupations. Agricultural yields were low, however, and also the demand for wood was reduced by the closure of smelteries. Many people were already active at that time in textile production. However, since that was not enough for subsistence, the manufacture of wooden goods and toys developed, especially in the Eastern Ore Mountains. Here, the artisans were required by Prince-ElectorAugustus 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, theNeugrabenflöße, along the riverFlöha. Because of the decline in industrial production in that period, people without any ties migrated to the interior of Germany or Bohemia.
The manufacture ofbobbin lace andtrimmings also expanded as the mining industry declined.
After the discovery of thecobalt blue pigments the mining industry experienced a revival.[4]Cobalt was extracted especially in Schneeberg, and processed in the state paintworks to produce cobalt blue paints and dyes. They succeeded in keeping the method of production secret for a long time, so that for about 100 years theblue colour works had a worldwide monopoly. From about 1820 in Johanngeorgenstadt,uranium was also extracted and was then used to colour glass, amongst other things. Even richer deposits of uranium ore were found in St. Joachimsthal. St. Andrew's White Earth Mine (Weißerdenzeche St. Andreas) at Aue suppliedkaolin to theMeissen Porcelain Factory inMeissen for nearly 150 years. Its export from the state, however, was prohibited by thePrince-electors under threat of severe punishment or even death.
The first large paintmill in Saxony was founded in 1635 inNiederpfannenstiel, from which a blue paintworks later evolved.
Towards the end of the 19th century, mining slowly declined again.Drainage costs increased, from the mid-19th century, led to a steady decrease in yield, despite sinking of deeper galleries (Erbstollen) and the expansion of ditch and tunnel (Rösche) systems for supplying the necessary water forovershot wheels from the crest of the mountains, such as theFreiberg Mines Water Management System or theReitzenhainer Zeuggraben. Only a few mines remained profitable over a long period. Amongst them was theHimmelsfürst Fundgrube nearErbisdorf, whose 50 continuous years of profitable operation were commemorated in 1818 with the issue of acommemorative 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.
The metalware factory of Louis Krauss, founded in 1887, inSchwarzenberg/Erzgeb. had developed by the time ofGerman reunification into one of the most important production facilities for washing machines in Eastern Europe.
But even the excavation of theRothschönberger Stolln, the largest and most important Saxon drainage adit, which drained the entire Freiberg district, could not stop the decline of mining. Because even before the completion of this technical achievement the German Empire introduced thegold standard in 1871, theprice 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 theFirst andSecond World Wars in order to supply raw materials.Nazi Germany also saw the resumption of silver mining. Afterwards the people returned to the manufacture of wooden products andtoys, especially in the Eastern Ore Mountains. Theclockindustry is centred onGlashütte. In the Western Ore Mountains, economic alternatives were offered by theengineering andtextile industries.
In 1789 thechemical elementuranium was discovered in St. Joachimsthal; then inpitchblende from the same area,radium was discovered byMarie Curie in 1898. In the late 1930s, following the discovery of thenuclear fission, uranium ore became of particular interest for military purposes. After the incorporation ofSudetenland into Germany in 1938 all the uranium production facilities were commandeered for the development of nuclear weapons. After the Americanatomic bomb was dropped onJapan in 1945,Soviet experts searched for evidence of theGerman nuclear energy project to supportSoviet atomic bomb development. Shortly thereafter, the processing of uranium ore for the Soviet Union began in the Ore Mountains under the code nameSAG Wismut, a cover up for the Eastern Bloc's highly secretive uranium mining.[4][16][17]
Germany's oldest still working smelting facility inMuldenhütten 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 aroundJohanngeorgenstadt,Schlema andAue. Uranium ore deposits were also exploited for the Soviet Union in Bohemian Jáchymov (St. Joachimsthal). Its processing was associated with serious health consequences for the miners. In addition a dam burst in 1954 atLengenfeld 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 andPöhla.
VEB Zinnerz open pit mine in Altenberg (1982)
Mining operations inFreiberg that had begun in 1168 finally ceased in 1968 after 800 years. InAltenberg andEhrenfriedersdorftin mining continued to 1991. Thesmelting of theseores took place mainly inMuldenhütten until the early 1990s. InSt. Egidien andAue there were importantnickel smelting sites. InPöhla in the Western Ore Mountains, during exploratory work forSDAG Wismut new, rich lodes of tin ore were discovered in the 1980s. The test workings of that time are now considered the largest tin finds in Europe. Another well-known place of tin production wasSeiffen. The village in the Eastern Ore Mountains has become a leading centre of wood andtoy manufacturing. Here, woodensmoking figures,nutcrackers, hand-carved wooden trees (Spanbäume),candle arches, (Schwibbogen),Christmas pyramids andmusic boxes are made. Up to the last third of the 20th century,Coal was mined nearZwickau until 1978, aroundLugau andOelsnitz until 1971 and in theDöhlen Basin nearFreital 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 denseforests were almost completely transformed into acultural landscape by the mining industry and bysettlement. Thepopulation 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 neighbouringBoží Dar (German:Gottesgab) on the Czech side, is actually the highest town inCentral 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 offorest dieback were seen in the Eastern Ore Mountains near Altenberg andReitzenhain, 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 theBeneš decrees.
The upper western part of the Ore Mountains, known in German asErzgebirge, belongs to theOre Mountains/Vogtland Nature Park. The eastern part, called theEastern Ore Mountains (Osterzgebirge), is a protected landscape. Further small areas are nature reserves and natural monuments, and are protected by the state.
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 localforest 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 traditionalmonocultures ofspruces.
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 ofOre Mountains/Vogtland Nature Park is covered with woodland. In particular in the western Ore Mountains, huge contiguous woodlands spread all the way to the highest altitudes and are used for forestry. Moreover, in this area several rain water fedbogs are found. Many of these protected areas offer a retreat for rare species with special environmental adaptations such as different species of orchids and gentian, theEurasian pygmy owl and kingfishers. Some alpine species of plants and animals that have been found at higher altitudes of the Ore mountains are otherwise only known from more distant places in the Sudeten mountains or the Alps. After conditions improved, once displaced species such asEagle owls andBlack storks have returned in the early 21st century.
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, inHermsdorf/Erzgeb. in the Eastern Ore Mountains,calcite is mined, and nearLengefeld in the Central Ore Mountains,dolomitic marble is extracted. For the first time in two decades, an ore mine was opened inNiederschlag nearOberwiesenthal on 28 October 2010. It is expected that 50,000-130,000 tons offluorspar per year will be extracted there.
In the Czech part of the Ore Mountains, tourism has gained a certain importance, even though theGiant 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 oflithium-bearingmicazinnwaldite inCínovec, a Czech village between town ofDubí 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]
When severalOre Mountain passes were upgraded intochaussees in the 19th century, and the Upper Ore Mountains were accessed by therailway, tourism began to develop. One of the early promoters of tourism in the Ore Mountains was Otto Delitsch. In 1907, a memorial was erected to him inWildenthal. In many places mountain inns and observation towers were erected on the highest peaks. At that time,skiers used the ridges with their guaranteed snow. Today,steam-workednarrow gauge railways dating to that era, such as thePressnitz Valley Railway, are popular tourist attractions.
Based on the historicalSilver Road a tourist road was created in 1990 running fromZwickau toDresden traversing the entire Ore Mountains and linking its main attractions. These includevisitor mines, mining trails, technical and local history museums and numerous other smaller attractions, especially the medieval town centres in the oldmining towns and its major churches, such asFreiberg Cathedral,St. Anne's Church inAnnaberg-Buchholz orSt Wolfgang's Church atSchneeberg. 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 isAugustusburg Castle.
In the Advent and Christmas season the Ore Mountains, with its distinct traditions,Christmas markets andminers' parades is also a popular destination for short breaks.
Radium Palace Hotel in Jachymov
Unique and popularspa resorts are located inJáchymov in the Czech Republic. In the historical town are some of the most unique spas in the world. Musculoskeletal system is treated here withradon 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.
The culture of the Ore Mountains was shaped mainly bymining that goes back to theMiddle 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 greetingGlück Auf! that is used in the region.
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 thePreßnitzer Musikanten,Geschwister Caldarelli,Zschorlauer Nachtigallen, theErzgebirgsensemble Aue andJoachim Süß and his Ensemble. Today it is mainlyDe Randfichten, but also groups likeWind, Sand und Sterne,De Ranzn,De Krippelkiefern,De Erbschleicher andSchluckauf that sing in the Erzgebirgisch dialect.
The Ore Mountains are nationally known for their variety of customs atAdvent andChristmas time. This is epitomized by traditionalOre Mountain folk art, in the form ofsmoking 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 theMettenschicht andHutzenabende 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, theAnnaberger Kät is the most famous and largest Ore Mountain folk festival. Started in 1520 by DukeGeorge the Bearded, it has been held annually since.
Also interesting isOre 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]
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 riverOhře.
^Novotný, Michal (20 January 2004)."Krušné hory".Český rozhlas Regina.Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved7 July 2015.
^Penhallurick, R.D. (1986).Tin in Antiquity: its Mining and Trade Throughout the Ancient World with Particular Reference to Cornwall. London: The Institute of Metals.ISBN0-904357-81-3.
^abGerrard, S. (2000).The Early British Tin Industry. Stroud: Tempus Publishing.ISBN0-7524-1452-6.
^Lo Schiavo, F. (2003). "The problem of early tin from the point of view of Nuragic Sardinia". In Giumlia-Mair, A.; Lo Schiavo, F. (eds.).The Problem of Early Tin. Oxford: Archaeopress. pp. 121–132.ISBN1-84171-564-6.
^Pulak, C. (2001). "The cargo of the Uluburun ship and evidence for trade with the Aegean and beyond". InBonfante, L.; Karageogrhis, V. (eds.).Italy and Cyprus in Antiquity: 1500–450 BC. Nicosia: The Costakis and Leto Severis Foundation. pp. 12–61.ISBN9963-8102-3-3.
Emmermann, Rolf; Tischendorf, Gerhard; Trumbull, Robert B; Möller, Peter (1994):Magmatism and Metallogeny in the Erzgebirge. Geowissenschaften;12; 337–341;doi:10.2312/GEOWISSENSCHAFTEN.1994.12.337
Harald Häckel, Joachim Kunze:Unser schönes Erzgebirge. 4th edition, Häckel 2001,ISBN3-9803680-0-9
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