Annaberg-Buchholz: Silver Mining Capital of the Erzgebirge, Christmas Traditions, and Adam Ries
Annaberg-Buchholz was the centre of Saxon silver mining during the 16th century, when the Erzgebirge produced much of Europe's silver supply. The St. Annenkirche, a late Gothic hall church with a remarkable painted ceiling and a mining-themed altar, dates from this boom period. The mathematician Adam Ries, whose arithmetic textbooks taught generations of Germans to calculate, lived and worked in Annaberg from 1523 until his death in 1559. His Rechenmeister school is preserved as a museum. About 23,100 inhabitants live in this Erzgebirgskreis town in Sachsen.
The Erzgebirge Christmas tradition of carved wooden figures, Schwibboegen candle arches, and Rauchmaenner incense smokers originates in this mining region, and Annaberg-Buchholz is one of the main centres. The Manufaktur der Traeume museum showcases these crafts. The Frohnauer Hammer, a historic hammer mill in the Frohnau district, demonstrates medieval metalworking techniques.
Chemnitz is about 40 kilometres north. The Czech border lies roughly 15 kilometres south. Marienberg and Oberwiesenthal, the highest town in Germany, are nearby in the Erzgebirge. The UNESCO inscription of the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region as a World Heritage site in 2019 included several locations in and around Annaberg-Buchholz.
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Annaberg-Buchholz was the centre of Saxon silver mining during the 16th century, when the Erzgebirge produced much of Europe's silver supply. The St. Annenkirche, a late Gothic hall church with a remarkable painted ceiling and a mining-themed altar, dates from this boom period. The mathematician Adam Ries, whose arithmetic textbooks taught generations of Germans to calculate, lived and worked in Annaberg from 1523 until his death in 1559. His Rechenmeister school is preserved as a museum. About 23,100 inhabitants live in this Erzgebirgskreis town in Sachsen.
The Erzgebirge Christmas tradition of carved wooden figures, Schwibboegen candle arches, and Rauchmaenner incense smokers originates in this mining region, and Annaberg-Buchholz is one of the main centres. The Manufaktur der Traeume museum showcases these crafts. The Frohnauer Hammer, a historic hammer mill in the Frohnau district, demonstrates medieval metalworking techniques.
Chemnitz is about 40 kilometres north. The Czech border lies roughly 15 kilometres south. Marienberg and Oberwiesenthal, the highest town in Germany, are nearby in the Erzgebirge. The UNESCO inscription of the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region as a World Heritage site in 2019 included several locations in and around Annaberg-Buchholz.
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