Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The grand Zwinger museum complex is an example of the opulence of Dresden thanks to the mining of the Ore Mountains Courtesy of Masood Aslami/Unsplash Germany is full of picturesque towns and historic cities The Ore Mountains region has the added distinction of its living folk-art tradition the mountain landscapes with all the adventurous and tranquil ways to enjoy them southern Saxony’s Ore Mountains have been one of Europe’s key centers for the mining of metals—primarily silver and tin mine workers have contributed to technological and scientific innovations in the extraction as well as inventing crucial systems for pumping water UNESCO added the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region to its roster of World Heritage Sites Without the valuable metals from these mines the rulers of Saxony could never have funded a city of such baroque splendor as Dresden; Leipzig’s prominence as a center for European trade would likely have been substantially diminished; and all the thriving mountain towns born during the earliest silver boom might never have come into existence as silver and tin deposits started to run out miners turned to the carving of wooden toys and Christmas artifacts inspired by local traditions bringing prosperity and commercial benefits to the Ore Mountains A visit to the area offers many delights including the mines themselves Most experiences are suitable for everyone and the New and Historic Green Vault within the Residenzschloss (Royal Palace) The property is also a great place to unwind and live well especially at the Vis-à-Vis café set along Brühl’s Terrace—affectionately known as “the Balcony of Europe”—overlooking the Elbe River By using kaolin clay mined from the Ore Mountains, Dresden and its neighboring town, Meissen, were able for the first time to create porcelain (“white gold”) in the West on par with China’s finest. The evidence is on display at the Royal Dresden Porcelain Collection at the Zwinger the world’s largest treasury of Meissen and other ceramics Close by and stretching more than 100 yards along the wall of the Residenzschloss Stallhof a mural consisting of over 24,000 Meissen porcelain tiles The work is notable for having survived the 1945 bombing that leveled the city Pfunds Molkerei is frequently called “the most beautiful dairy shop in the world.” This is no exaggeration since hand-painted tiles cover the floors For an even more immersive porcelain experience opt for a cruise to Meissen along the Elbe River If you’re looking to start or add to your personal collection porcelain shops are in abundance or you can consult the expertise of the Hilton concierge You may want to ask your Hilton concierge about the Ore Mountains too as Dresden is the ideal jumping-off point for visiting Several gateway cities in North America offer connecting flights to the city through Frankfurt or Munich If you’re flying to Dresden out of New York you can choose a nonstop flight to Berlin and take a train directly from the airport For centuries this was the traditional greeting among miners when entering and leaving the mines It has a double meaning: a wish for luck in making a rich strike and a safe return you’ll see the words emblazoned everywhere throughout the Ore Mountains especially in cities and villages along the Silberstrasse (Silver Road) that was once the main artery for transporting silver and other ores from Saxony’s mines into the greater world The Silver Road runs 170 miles from Zwickau to Dresden Along its path are more than 30 show mines many adjacent to educational hiking and walking trails across the historic landscapes Most towns along the route are as old as the mines and have retained all the charm of bygone eras that you can have a close encounter with the hand-carved wooden folk art for which the region is famous Keep reading for a few favorite choices to get you started on your journey making it the first mining town in the Ore Mountains it’s a university city with 500 listed buildings that bear witness to its medieval origins Terra Mineralia in the Freudenberg Castle is a dazzling showcase of 3,500 minerals and gemstones gathered from five continents. The Freiberg City and Mining Museum is set to reopen later in 2024 at the same time as the annual Christmas market The distinguished organ builder and Freiberg resident, Gottfried Silbermann, was a friend and respected colleague of Johann Sebastian Bach in nearby Leipzig. Visitors to the Cathedral of St. Mary will find two of the finest examples of Silbermann’s artisanship there Not far from the city, Reiche Zeche (Rich Mine) is an 800-year-old silver mine and one of the region’s largest Visitors to the mine first suit up with helmets while the cage elevator makes its nearly 500-foot descent into the mine to embark on an informative guided exploration of the underground tunnels It’s still considered a working mine as a research facility for students and scientists ©Tourismusverband Erzgebirge e.V./Dennis Stratmann where an important exhibit shows the technique of making bobbin lace a lucrative source of income for the region there’s direct access to the Im Gössner silver mine At the Markus-Röhling-Stolln Visitor Mine hop on board the mining train which will transport you a third of a mile deep inside The guided tours provide a taste of what it’s really like to be a miner It’s hard to pick one highlight of a visit to Ehrenfriedersdorf, but a good starting point is the Zinngrube Ehrenfriedersdorf tin mine; it’s worth booking a special tour preferably one that includes an underground train ride and a chance to see the replicated medieval wheel pump and a “mountain parade” consisting of 1,025 hand-carved and painted wooden figures in the Bergschmiede (Mountain Forge) the carving and painting of wooden figures and Christmas decorations was something in which the whole family could participate and thus an authentic folk-art tradition was born affectionately known as the “Toy Village,” is the ideal starting point to witness how these quaint wooden artifacts evolved into full-fledged works of art The Toy Museum has a collection of more than 25,000 pieces Seiffen is also the site of the Erzgebirge Open Air Museum Its top attraction is a demonstration of the Seiffen-specific art of ring turning where a series of decorative figures is created simultaneously from a segment of tree trunk It’s no exaggeration to call Seiffen a shopper’s paradise at least 50 shops burst with hand-crafted toys and Christmas collectibles as well as working studios selling their own wares As the highest mountain in eastern Germany, the Fichtelberg is a magnet for downhill and cross-country skiers, hikers, mountain bikers, and nature lovers. Consider traveling there the old-fashioned way aboard a train drawn by steam locomotive The scenic route runs from Cranzahl to the spa-resort town of Oberwiesenthal at the mountain’s base ©Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH/Philipp Kirschner Essentially a small, self-contained village, die Spinnerei is a planned arts community that sits on the site of what was once the largest cotton mill in continental Europe members of Leipzig’s contemporary art scene realized that the former factory building and grounds would be the ideal spot to create a hub for artists the current complex contains more than 100 studios Members of the public are welcome to visit the galleries Nearby, another industrial landmark, a 100-year-old power station was recently reinvented as Kunstkraftwerk-Leipzig and is now a showplace for contemporary and digital art—especially the latter. At least one international immersive art show is always on the program, with an abundance of ambitious projects in the pipeline. AFAR participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a commission if you purchase an item featured on our site.© 2025 AFAR LLC Christmas is celebrated as a festival of lights which have been maintained for generations originated in the days when silver was mined in the region.Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W ThiemeRinging in the festive seasonChristmas is big deal in Germany but even more so in Saxony's Ore Mountains Locals ring in the festive season by setting up large Christmas pyramids They have become an instantly recognizable symbol of this region in southeastern Germany A common miners' greeting translates to "keep hold of what's good." Christmas illuminations today still reflect the yearning of those working underground for light From the first Sunday of Advent until January 6 candles and candle arches decorate many windows The region is famous for its Christmas decorations most of which are made of wood and carved by hand in small workshops Holiday decorations lean heavily on the mining motif show a horse-driven apparatus used to bring stone and ore from the mine to the surface When the first mining crisis struck in 1650 the local population turned to wood carving to earn a living The village of Seiffen is known for its large number of wooden toy makers and workshops making it among the most visited tourist destination in the state of Saxony during the Christmas season "The smoking men" are very much part of the Ore Mountain Christmas lineup These locally crafted incense holders are dispatched around the world and can be filled with incense smelling of pine Anyone who wants to know more about the tradition of wood carving should head to Burg Scharfenstein The medieval castle towers above the village of the same name and houses one of the most important collections of traditional Ore Mountain wood carving art Christmas is also celebrated in the castle compound with a romantic festival The Mettenschicht is an old German mining custom in the Ore Mountains It's the name given to the last shift worked before Christmas which ends early with a celebration and meal Many exhibition mines offer a Mettenschicht as a Christmas celebration with elements of mining tradition including a miners' meal The discovery of silver nearby in the late 15th century marked the start of Annaberg-Buchholz's heyday Anne's Church and the market square with the town hall and magnificent town houses testify to that UNESCO declared the Ore Mountain region and its mining traditions a World Heritage Site The annual Saxon Miners' Association parade in Annaberg-Buchholz is the highlight of the Christmas season in the Ore Mountains Some 1,000 miners from Saxony and other German mining regions parade through the streets There are 30 parades and processions in the run-up to Christmas the last taking place on the fourth Sunday of Advent At 1,214 meters (3,982 feet) above sea level Fichtelberg is the highest point in the Ore Mountains who doesn't want to burn a few calories after all that scrumptious Christmas food For the first time Scania delivered hybrid buses in Germany The transport operator which received this premiere was Regionalverkehr Erzgebirge (RVE) very close to the border with Czech Republic RVE put the five Scania Citywide Hybrid Low Entry buses into service as early as December 2019 but the delivery was officially celebrated in February 2020 The twelve-meter buses are now in service on various routes throughout the Erzgebirge region known for the Ore Mountains The Scania Citywide Hybrid buses delivered to RVE are based on the parallel hybrid concept have a diesel engine and electric motor and can switch to fully electric mode when needed The vehicles were purchased with the contribution of a grant from the State of Saxony covering 70 per cent of the additional costs for hybrid technology All Scania hybrid buses are equipped with Scania telematics to monitor consumption and savings at all times is the link to Scania Fleet Management Services RVE has all the data immediately available in real time it doesn’t always have to be a fully electric city bus Buses with hybrid technology can also help save fuel and improve a company’s carbon footprint – explains Luc Moulin Director Sales Buses at Scania Germany and Austria - we have put a pioneering alternative for intercity transport on the road We are pleased to have won a tender for the first hybrid buses in Germany Although the buses are slightly more expensive to buy they can save fuel costs of up to 20 percent and more» “The hybrid buses have a lighthouse character for us save fuel and improve our ecological footprint,” said RVE Managing Director Roland Richter at the handover in Zschopau “We have invested in Scania hybrid technology mainly for economic reasons The buses are to be more than 20 percent more economical than conventional diesel vehicles Tests with a Scania Citywide Hybrid on our routes have confirmed fuel savings of this percentage,” sums up Sören Wünsche © Copyright 2012 - 2025 | Vado e Torno Edizioni | All rights reserved | P.I This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Looking to access paid articles across multiple policy topics Interested in policy insights for EU professional organisations German Chancellor Angela Merkel was greeted with shouts of “traitor” by a rowdy group of right-wing protesters in east Germany yesterday (17 August) as she defended her decision to allow hundreds of thousands of refugees into the country Protesters holds banner that reads 'not my Chancellor' and shout slogans against Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party chairwoman and German Chancellor Hölle für Merkel in Annaberg-Buchholz https://t.co/2F3EI5sef0 pic.twitter.com/ZC7xl5suyS Angela Merkel is met with jeers, boos and whistles of protest at a campaign rally in eastern German town of Annaberg-Buchholz pic.twitter.com/9zwl538fbS 🆘‼️😎🔥 #Germany: Election campaign of #Merkel in #Heilbronn. Here too she is not welcome: "Go away! Go away! ... Merkel must go!" pic.twitter.com/nSYp9Y6alI Experts from the SRCC rail research campus want to help the switch from diesel to battery-powered trains get off the ground with a new type of charging station The "wallbox" for trains will be tested for a year in Annaberg-Buchholz and will then be available to trains in regular operation in 2024 SRCC Managing Director Sören Claus told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur individual battery trains on the Leipzig-Chemnitz line will continue to Annaberg and be charged there Just over 60 percent of Germany's rail network is electrified Diesel vehicles have been rolling on the remaining lines without overhead lines up to now they are to be replaced in the future by trains powered by batteries or hydrogen Battery-powered trains can usually be charged via current collectors on existing overhead lines He estimates that a high double-digit number of separate charging stations will be needed nationwide The researchers' task is to create an interface between the railroad's power grid and the rest of the power grid without overloading that grid when charging the trains The railroad's power grid operates at a frequency of 16.7 instead of 50 hertz A symmetry converter in the new station ensures that the outgoing power grid is used evenly over three phases This is the first charging station of its kind in Europe several million euros have gone into the development The facility was to be presented to the expert audience on Thursday at the "Digital Rail Convention" conference and officially go into operation school groups and interested citizens will then also be able to find out about the work on the research campus Lectures on the mobility of the future are planned as well as simulated rides on the TGV and presentations of current rail vehicles by companies classes with more than 200 students have already signed up for this © 2009 - 2025 DieSachsen.de | Alle Rechte vorbehalten | Entwickelt mit publizer in Sachsen um Ihr unglaubliches Erlebniss auf DieSachsen.de weiter verbessern zu können