Annaberg-Buchholz () is a town in

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

, in eastern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Lying in the

Ore Mountains The Ore Mountains (, or ; ) lie along the Czech–German border, separating the historical regions of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany. The highest peaks are the Klínovec in the Czech Republic (German: ''Keilberg'') at ab ...

, it is the capital of the district of

Erzgebirgskreis Erzgebirgskreis is a district ('' Kreis'') in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after the Ore Mountains (German: ''Erzgebirge''), a mountain range in the southern part of the district which forms part of the Germany–Czech Republi ...

Geography

The town is located in the

, at the side of the ''

Pöhlberg Pöhlberg is a mountain of Saxony, southeastern Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixt ...

'' ( above sea level).

History

The previously heavily forested upper

were settled in the 12th and 13th centuries by

Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...

n farmers. Frohnau, Geyersdorf, and Kleinrückerswalde—all now part of present-day town—have all been attested since 1397. In 1491, silver deposits were discovered in the area, and Annaberg soon developed under the patronage of

George, Duke of Saxony George the Bearded ( Meissen, 27 August 1471 – Dresden, 17 April 1539) was Duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539 known for his opposition to the Reformation. While the Ernestine line embraced Lutheranism, the Albertines (headed by George) were ...

and

Barbara Jagiellon Barbara Jagiellon (, ; 15 July 1478 – 15 February 1534) was a princess of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, member of the Jagiellonian dynasty and by marriage Duchess of Saxony. Born in Sandomierz, she was the sixth ...

. George and Barbara founded the landmark St. Anne's Church and a Franciscan monastery (dissolved in 1539), and Barbara donated a

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

Saint Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christianity, Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's Gosp ...

to the church, which thus became a regional

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

destination.

Barbara Uthmann Barbara Uthmann (born around 1514 in Annaberg in the Ore Mountains in Germany; died 14 January 1575, also in Annaberg) was considered to be one of the greatest supporters of bobbin lace making (probably incorrectly, as explained by Reinhart Unge ...

introduced braid and lace-making to the town in 1561 and the craft was further developed in the 1590s by Belgian refugees fleeing the policies of

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba (29 October 150711 December 1582), known as the Grand Duke of Alba (, ) in Spain and Portugal and as the Iron Duke () or shortly 'Alva' in the Netherlands, was a Spaniards, Spanish noblema ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

's governor over the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

. The industry was further developed in the 19th century, when Annaberg and Buchholz were connected by rail to

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt (); ; ) is the third-largest city in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden, and the fourth-largest city in the area of former East Germany after (East Be ...

and to each other, with both settlements having specialized schools for lace-making. The population of Annaberg in the 1870s was 11,693. This had risen to 16,811 by 1905, with another 9,307 in Buchholz. The town's mines formerly produced

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

, and

cobalt Cobalt is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. ...

, but ceased production before the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After the

Reunification of Germany German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic and the integration of i ...

in 1989, some were restored for viewing by tourists. In 1945, the two towns Annaberg and Buchholz merged into the new town Annaberg-Buchholz. From 1952 to 1990, Annaberg-Buchholz was part of the

Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt The Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt, also known as Bezirk Chemnitz, was a district (''Bezirk'') of East Germany. The district existed from 1952 until the Reunification of Germany in 1990. The administrative seat and the main town was Karl-Marx-Stadt, ren ...

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

Historical population

At the start of the 16th Century, Annaberg was one of the largest towns in Germany with an estimated 8,000 inhabitants. In 1834 Annaberg had a population of 5,068 and Buchholz with 1,424. In 1875, 11,693 people lived in Annaberg, in 1890 11,725, in 1925 18,204, and in 1933 19,818. The figures in the table are for Annaberg-Buchholz. Historical population ''(from 1960, on 31 December)'': : Before 1945: Sum of population of towns Annaberg and Buchholz
Data source 1998: Statistical Office of Saxony ¹ 29 October
² 31 August

Main sights

The area is a tourist destination and ski resort. The Ore Mountains are referred to as Land of Christmas and famous for the

Christmas Markets A Christmas market is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany, but are now held in many countries. Some in the U.S. have adapted the German name to qu ...

and the carved

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. Annaberg has a Roman Catholic church and three Protestant churches, among them St. Anne's (built 1499-1525), which is the largest of its kind in Saxony. There are public monuments to Luther, the famous mathematician

Adam Ries Adam Ries (17 January 1492 – 30 March 1559) was a Germans, German mathematician. He is #Name, also known by the name Adam Riese. He is known as the "father of modern calculating" because of his decisive contribution to the recognition that Roma ...

, and Barbara Uthmann. Buchholz had another Gothic Protestant church and monuments to

Frederick the Wise Frederick III (17 January 1463 – 5 May 1525), also known as Frederick the Wise (German: ''Friedrich der Weise''), was Prince-elector of Saxony from 1486 to 1525, who is mostly remembered for the protection given to his subject Martin Luther, t ...

and Bismarck. Annaberg is well known for its historical old town and market square; the house Markt 2 shows the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of the family Apian-Bennewitz.

Museums

Museum and Annaberg School of Accountancy (''Rechenschule'') * Ore Mountain Museum and ''Im Gößner'' visitor mine *

Manufaktur der Träume Craft production is manufacturing by hand, with or without the aid of tools. The term "craft production" describes manufacturing techniques that are used in handicraft trades. These were the common methods of manufacture in the pre-industrialized ...

* ''Markus-Röhling-Stolln'' visitor mine at Frohnau * '' Dorothea-Stolln'' visitor mine at Cunersdorf

Frohnauer Hammer

The

Frohnauer Hammer The Frohnauer Hammer is an historic hammer mill in Frohnau, a village in the municipality of Annaberg-Buchholz in the Ore Mountains of southeast Germany. The mill is an important witness to proto-industrial development in the Ore Mountains. Of ...

is a historic and fully working preserved

hammer mill A hammer mill, hammer forge or hammer works was a workshop in the pre-industrial era that was typically used to manufacture semi-finished, wrought iron products or, sometimes, finished agricultural or mining tools, or military weapons. The featur ...

in the village of

Frohnau Frohnau () is a locality in the Reinickendorf borough of Berlin, Germany. It lies in the extreme northern part of the city. Frohnau is an affluent area characterized by many patrician villas from the early 20th century. History Founded in 1910, ...

within the municipality. In 1907, it was declared a technical monument and, since then, has been open to the public. In addition to the actual hammer mill itself, there is an exhibition of forged items and the former master hammersmith's house (''Hammerherrenhaus'').

Regular events

* An annual high point in early summer is the largest

folk festival A folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music. This list includes folk festivals worldwide, except those with only a partial focus on folk music or arts. Folk festivals may also feature folk dance or ethnic foods. Handicra ...

in the region, the Annaberger Kät. * Every two years in August the Abbey Festival takes place in the ruins of Annaberg Abbey. * The Annaberg Christmas Market is widely known outside the region and closes on the fourth week in advent with the world's biggest miners' parade (''Bergparade'').

Twin towns – sister cities

Annaberg-Buchholz is twinned with: *

Chomutov Chomutov (; ) is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 47,000 inhabitants. There are almost 80,000 inhabitants in the city's wider metropolitan area. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected as ...

, Czech Republic *

Paide Paide is a town in Estonia and the capital of Järva County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia. Etymology Paide's German name (originally or in Low German) means 'white stone'. This name was derived from the limestone used for the constru ...

, Estonia *

Weiden in der Oberpfalz Weiden in der Oberpfalz (, ; official abbreviation: Weiden i.d.OPf.; Northern Bavarian: ''Weidn in da Owapfalz'') is a district-free city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located east of Nuremberg and west of the Czech border. Weiden is the second b ...

, Germany

Notable people

Gabriel Zwilling Gabriel Zwilling, also known as Gabriel Didymus ( – 1 May 1558), was a German Lutheran and Protestant Reformer born near Annaberg, Electorate of Saxony. He was educated in Wittenberg and Erfurt. He, like Martin Luther, was a member of the ...

(1487–1558), Lutheran theologian and reformer *

Erasmus Sarcerius Erasmus Sarcerius (19 April 1501 in Annaberg-Buchholz, Annaberg – 18 November 1559 in Magdeburg) was a German Protestant Gnesio-Lutherans, Gnesio-Lutheran theologian and reformer. He was the father of Lutheran philosopher Wilhelm Sarcerius. Li ...

(1501-1559), Lutheran theologian and reformer *

(1514–1575), born of Elterlein, entrepreneur * Paul Jenisch (1551–1612), educator and theologian *

Gottfried Arnold Gottfried Arnold (5 September 1666 – 30 May 1714) was a German Lutheran theologian and historian. Biography Arnold was born at Annaberg in Saxony, Germany, where his father was schoolmaster. In 1682, he went to the Gymnasium at Gera and ...

Irenaeus called (1666–1714), poet *

Christian Felix Weiße Christian Felix Weiße (1726–1804) was a German writer and pedagogue. Weiße was among the leading representatives of the Enlightenment in Germany and is regarded as the founder of German children's literature. Life Weiße was born as twin o ...

(1726–1804), founder of the German Children's Literature * Bernhard Eisenstuck (1805–1871), entrepreneur and politician * Peter Gast alias Peter Guest (1854–1918), composer, writer, associate of

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

and dialect poet * Theodor Korselt (1891–1943), lawyer and Nazi victim *

Frank Wiegand Frank Wiegand (born 15 March 1943) is a German former swimmer, Olympic medalist and world record holder. He participated in the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics, winning a total of four silver medals. He won eight medals at two European cha ...

(born 1943), swimmer * Matthias Herget (born 1955), football player *

Evelin Jahl Evelin Jahl ( Schlaak and later Herberg, born 28 March 1956) is a German former discus thrower, who won two Olympic gold medals representing East Germany. In 1976 she won the women's discus throwing event at the Montreal Summer Olympics defeat ...

(born 1956), discus thrower *

Ute Noack Ute Noack (born 27 December 1961) is a former East German cross-country skier who competed during the 1980s. Noack was born in Annaberg-Buchholz, Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt. She won a bronze medal in the 4 × 5 km relay at the 1985 FIS Nord ...

(born 1961), cross-country skier * Yvonne Mai-Graham (born 1965), middle-distance runner *

Kathrin Weßel Kathrin Wessel (née Ullrich; born 14 August 1967) is a retired German long-distance runner who specialized in the 10,000 metres. She was the 1987 World Championship bronze medallist, the 1990 European Championship silver medallist, and won the ...

(born 1967), long-distance runner *

Viola Bauer Viola Bauer (born 13 December 1976) is a retired German cross-country skier who competed from 1995 to 2007. She has won a complete set of medals at the Winter Olympics with a gold (2002) and a silver (2006) in the 4 × 5 km relay, and a bron ...

(born 1976), cross-country skier *

Anke Wischnewski Anke Wischnewski (born 5 January 1978 in Annaberg-Buchholz, Saxony) is a German former luger who has competed since 2001 to 2014. She won two medals in the women's singles at the FIL World Luge Championships with a silver in 2007 and a bronze in ...

(born 1978), luger *

Christel Loetzsch Christel Lötzsch (born 20 June, 1986, in Annaberg-Buchholz, known as Christel Loetzsch, is a German mezzo-soprano opera singer. Life and career Loetzsch was born Christel Lötzsch in Annaberg-Buchholz in 1986, at the time still in the German ...

(born 1986), mezzo-soprano *

Eric Frenzel Eric Frenzel (born 21 November 1988) is a German former nordic combined skier and current discipline coach for the German nordic combined team. Career One of the most successful nordic combined athletes of all time. He won the Olympic gold medal ...

(born 1988),

Nordic combined Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympics in ...

skier *

Felix Uduokhai Felix Ohis Uduokhai (born 9 September 1997) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Süper Lig club Beşiktaş, on loan from Bundesliga club FC Augsburg. Club career Uduokhai was born to a Nigerian father and German mo ...

(born 1997), professional footballer

Gallery

File:StAnnenKircheAnnabergBuchholz.jpg, St. Anne's Church File:Annenkirche_Kirchturm.jpg, St. Anne's Church File:BergkircheStMarienAnnabergBuchholz05.jpg, St. Mary's Church File:B uthmann brunnen.jpg, Uthmann Monument File:FrohnauerHammerSchmiede.jpg, Frohnauer Hammer File:Markus-Röhling-Stolln (01) 2006-11-04.jpg, ''Markus Röhling Stolln'' File:Annaberg HausC vorn.jpg, School building File:AdamRiesDenkmalAnnabergBuchholz.jpg, Adam Ries Monument File:St-Annen-am-Berge 1244-1245.jpg, Panoramic view of the city silhouette File:Annaberg-Buchholz chirch detail.jpg, Annaberg-Buchholz church detail File:Annaberg-Buchholz chirch entrance.jpg, Annaberg-Buchholz church entrance File:Annaberg-Buchholz toys museum item doll house.jpg, Annaberg-Buchholz toys museum item doll house File:Annaberg-Buchholz toys museum item classroom.jpg, Annaberg-Buchholz toys museum item classroom File:Annaberg-Buchholz monument anc church.jpg, Annaberg-Buchholz monument and church File:Annaberg-Buchholz main place.jpg, Annaberg-Buchholz main place File:Annaberg-Buchholz main place - mair house.jpg, Annaberg-Buchholz main place - main house