The Ore Mountains (called Krušné hory in the Czech Republic) form the border between Saxony and the Czech Republic over a length of 150 kilometres. The highest peak in Saxony is the Fichtelberg (1215 m), but the nearby Klínovec/Keilberg in the Czech Republic is slightly higher (1245 m). So don't expect Alpine giants - the mountains of the Ore Mountains are much older, eroded into friendly round shapes, but still too high to be called hills. It owes its name to the wealth of ores that were mined there for a long time. Since 2019, the mining area in this mountain range (the Montanregion) has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Copper, tin and silver have been mined here since the 12th century. The miners created an endless labyrinth of mines and mine shafts.
When the ore resources became increasingly scarce, people looked for alternatives for income, such as the production of wooden toys and furniture. Water mills, which until the 18th century served as stamp mills for tin ore, were converted and then powered simple wood turning machines. The mining past has been preserved in the form of industrial heritage in various mining museums and museum mines.
In the GDR era, uranium was mined by order of Russia, which also released radon. For hundreds of years, people in this area have suffered from the "Schneeberger Disease". This has a direct relationship with the uranium and radon present in the soil. During the more recent mining of uranium in the GDR era, this has worsened.

Vast hills stretch across the landscape and dense forests, wide-angle views and a dense network of trails attract people to become active here again. In the foothills of the mountains you will also find historic towns and spas.

Your tour starts in Johanngeorgenstadt on the Czech border and ends in Freiberg.
Johanngeorgenstadt, located in the western part of the Ore Mountains, is a special town, because it no longer has a city center. Years ago it did have one, but when the Russians took possession of the city after the Second World War, they started mining uranium. Because of the instability that mining brought with it, they demolished the entire city center. The result was a huge exodus of residents and an influx of Russians who mined uranium in the mines. It is hard to imagine, but in 1953 around 45,000 people lived there, in the early sixties that had dropped to 10,000 inhabitants and today only a little over 5,000 live there.

The nearby Auersberg is worth a visit; this mountain is 1019 meters high, has a lookout tower with beautiful views and a mountain hotel. In the past there was a lot of mining here, because the area is rich in silver, uranium and tin. As a popular hunting ground of the Saxon lords, there was already a wooden lookout tower. In 1860, the current stone tower was built, which offers a beautiful view as far as the Vogtland and the Czech part of the Ore Mountains.

Eibenstock also originated from mining around the year 1400. Later the “Stickerei” came into being, which can best be translated as embroidery, but then in large-scale production and also in terms of product, think of tablecloths etc. The fairly quiet town of Eibenstock has around 8000 inhabitants with a beautiful church in the centre of the town and the town hall is also a magnificent building. Both are located next to each other in the attractive centre with a beautiful view of the ski slope.
The nearby idyllically situated reservoir (Talsperre) is the largest reservoir in Saxony with a capacity of 75 million cubic metres of water and a wall height of 65 metres. The Zwickauer Mule river is dammed here before the water reaches the North Sea via the Elbe and Hamburg. The reservoir was primarily built as a drinking water supply and to prevent high water.

Between Schönheide and nearby Stützengrün lies a four kilometre long narrow gauge railway on which the steam trains of the local museum railway regularly make their journey and where enthusiastic train enthusiasts also work on preserving old wagons and steam locomotives. Schönheide station is open to the public and the beautifully restored wagons and other antique trains are displayed outside. In the locomotive shed there are four old steam locomotives that can also be admired. In general there are always people walking around who can tell something and there is also a small museum in an old freight wagon. Something for train enthusiasts!

Schneeberg is also called the “Baroque City of the Ore Mountains” and another nickname is the silver heart of the Ore Mountains, this name the city owes to the silver mines with which Schneeberg became famous in the 15th century. More than five hundred years of mining form the basis for the history and development of the city where also the crafts such as woodcarving and lace making have a great tradition. In the city you will also find a museum, “Das Museum für bergmännische Volkskunst” where you can learn more about these traditions.
The most important building in Schneeberg is the late Gothic St. Wolfgang Church, which rises above the town on a hill. The town centre was rebuilt in Baroque style after the great city fire of 1719 and has been beautifully preserved to this day. The entire town centre is therefore also a listed building.
The first town hall was built in 1527 and rebuilt again in 1852. Special features of the town hall are the beautiful porcelain carillon and the image below it of the Bergmannen that refer to the history of this particularly beautiful town. That is why it is a good idea to have coffee here.

Especially the finds of tin once attracted thousands of people to this part of the Erzgebirge and made Schwarzenberg a prosperous town. Today, the monumental old town, with its picturesque alleys and shops, invites you to take a stroll. The town's history goes back more than 850 years and the St. Georgen Church and Schwarzenberg Castle stand out in the skyline.
The underground mine train of the Besucherbergwerk Pöhla takes you through the corridors of the former tin mine. Train and technology fans can marvel at the shiny locomotives in the Schwarzenberg railway museum or take a ride on the 'Erzgebirge observation train'. The Waldbühne, the largest open-air stage in Saxony, offers a great concert programme.

On your journey through the Ore Mountains you will then drive up the Fichtelberg. At 1214 metres, it is the highest mountain in Saxony and is a wonderful destination for a day trip. The hiking trails are endlessly beautiful, the views over the Ore Mountains are unique and there is plenty to do, such as a cable car to Oberwiesenthal and fantastic skiing opportunities in the winter sports. It is a snow-sure area and it rarely happens that there is no snow here in the winter. From here you can also take a walk to the Keilberg (1244m), which is located in the Czech Republic. The weather station is located next to the Fichtelberg Hotel, which was rebuilt in 1999. The flora is also special, due to the high location, alpine plant species grow here. A visit to the Fichtelberg is highly recommended and especially in the winter with sunshine and a blue sky it is wonderful there. That is why it seems a good idea to have lunch here at the hotel.

Today Oberwiesenthal is a winter sports resort par excellence and also the end point of the nostalgic Fichtelberg railway. An interesting detail is that Oberwiesenthal is the highest town in Germany at 914m. In addition to being a winter sports resort, Oberwiesenthal is also a (air) health resort with many facilities such as salt caves, infrared cabins, massages and saunas.

The village of Cranzahl is the starting point of the nostalgic Fichtelberg Baan, the steam railway to Oberwiesenthal. The steam locomotive-powered train leaves Cranzahl (654m) daily between 10:00 and 18:00 and takes an hour to reach Oberwiesenthal station at 893m. Along the way, the train stops at Unterneudorf, Neudorf, Vierenstraße, Kretscham-Rothensehma, Niederschlag, Hammerunterwiesenthal and Unterwiesenthal.
The train first ran on this route on 19 July 1897 and since then quite a few changes have been made. For example, a new loco shed was recently built in Oberwiesenthal and in 2007 the track came into the hands of the “SDG Sächsische Dampfeisenbahngesellschaft mbH”. The length of the track is just over 17km and the average speed is around 25km/h.

The village of Cranzahl is the starting point of the nostalgic Fichtelberg Baan, the steam railway to Oberwiesenthal. The steam locomotive-powered train leaves Cranzahl (654m) daily between 10:00 and 18:00 and takes an hour to reach Oberwiesenthal station at 893m. Along the way, the train stops at Unterneudorf, Neudorf, Vierenstraße, Kretscham-Rothensehma, Niederschlag, Hammerunterwiesenthal and Unterwiesenthal.
The train first ran on this route on 19 July 1897 and since then quite a few changes have been made. For example, a new shed for the locomotives was recently built in Oberwiesenthal and in 2007 the track came into the hands of the “SDG Sächsische Dampfeisenbahngesellschaft mbH”. The length of the track is just over 17 km and the average speed is around 25 km/h. The Fichtelberg track runs daily, all year round. A visit to the website in advance (see the link) is recommended.

The beautiful town of Annaberg Buchholz with about 20,000 inhabitants in the “Oberen Erzgebirges” is secretly seen as the capital of the Ore Mountains. Like many towns and villages, Annaberg-Buchholz also originated from mining. The museum opposite the St. Anna church, the “Ore Mountains Museum” shows in an interesting exhibition how this all came about. The museum also discusses wood carving and kloppeln (a type of embroidery). The romantic city center, the “Altstadt”, is beautiful and is the central place in the city. One of the most beautiful Christmas markets in the Ore Mountains is also held here during the Christmas season. Another important festival is the “Annaberger Kät”, pronounced Kett in Dutch. This large folk festival takes place every year 14 days after Pentecost. More than 100 funfair attractions can be admired and the gastronomy is also extensively covered. The festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from the entire region and is one of the oldest folk festivals in Germany. Around the market place, the streets run up and down and there is much to discover, such as intimate cafés, special shops, beautiful facades, churches and beautiful vistas.
There are a few special churches in Annaberg, especially the St. Anna Church that literally towers above the town is well worth a visit. This late Gothic hall church with a tower of 78 meters high was built in 1499 and has become the symbol of the town. The church and tower can be visited. The view from the tower is fantastic.

Marienberg, your next stop, is best known for its historic old town built in the Renaissance style and founded by Duke Heinrich von Frommen because of a large silver ore find. The entire historic city center is listed, the famous buildings are the “St. Marienkirche”, the “Rote Turm”, the historic town hall and the “Zschopauer Tor”.
The Zschopauer Tor is the only remaining of the original five gates that provided access to the city. Here you can also see a piece of the city wall and a tower. Right next to it is a beautiful 18th century post milestone. These functioned as a kind of signpost and were apparently correct to within 15 minutes. On the other side of the city is the Red Tower (Roter Turm), another remnant of the city wall. It originally served as an arsenal and ammunition depot. Zschopau in the Ore Mountains is known for the brand MZ motorcycles that were built here and still are. An annual meeting takes place under the name “Rund um Zschopau”.

The Kalkwerk Lengefeld, a former limestone mine, is located southwest of Lengefeld in the Saxon town of Pockau-Lengefeld, nestled in the Ore Mountains. The mine was in operation until 2016 when it was closed. Despite the closure, the site remains an important part of the region's industrial history.

The eye-catcher of Augustusburg is the Renaissance castle Schloss Augustusburg. The castle is located on a mountain above the city and cannot be missed. Here you will not only find a beautiful view, but also a museum with one of the most important motorcycle collections in Europe.

In Oederan you can travel virtually through the entire Ore Mountains for one day. With more than 200 miniature buildings, around 1,300 hand-made figures and impressive special exhibitions, the Ore Mountains are presented to you in miniature form.
The 17,000 square meter park displays more than 200 detailed wooden models depicting buildings from the Erzgebirge region.

Your final destination is Freiberg, a historic city with beautiful architecture and a rich history. Here you can visit the famous Freiberg Cathedral and the Mineralogical Museum, where you can learn more about the mining tradition of the area. But perhaps it is high time to take a breather after so much intoxication at a drinking establishment.