Schwarzbach () is a village and a former municipality 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

. Since 1996 it is part of the town

Elterlein Elterlein () is a town in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, 10 km west of Annaberg-Buchholz. It consists of the divisions Elterlein, Hermannsdorf and Schwarzbach (Elterlein), Schwarzbach ...

Etymology

The name 'Schwarzbach' means 'Black Stream' in German. First mentioned as "Swartzpach" in a document in 1240, the background of the name is vague. One assumption is that there was a

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

-cutting site in the village that dyed the water of the stream black. Others say that in former times the forest reached until the streambank so the water appears black.

Geography

Schwarzbach is situated in a valley of the eponymous stream, that flow through the village from north to south. The town

borders on Schwarzbach in the north, Hermannsdorf in the northeast,

Scheibenberg Scheibenberg () is a town in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in Saxony in Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, 8 km southwest of Annaberg-Buchholz, and 9 km east of Schwarzenberg. History From 1952 to 1990, Scheibenberg was ...

in the southeast, Markersbach in the south, Langenberg in the southwest, Waschleithe in the west and Grünhain in the northwest.

History

File:Erste urkundliche Erwähnung Schwarzbachs aus dem Jahr 1240 in einer Schenkungsurkunde an das Zisterzienserkloster in Grünhain.jpg, First documentary evidence of Schwarzbach in 1240 File:Ortsansicht Schwarzbach.jpg, Village of Schwarzbach In the end of the 12th century, Franconian farmers came in the Schwarzbach valley and settled down. The first documentary evidence of the existence of a village called ‘Swartzpach’ was found in 1240, when Schwarzbach was given to the monastery Grünhain. After a destruction by a fire in 1322, pope

John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by the Conclave of ...

ordered a rebuild of the village. In the 16th century, many inhabitants made their money in the mining branch ( Berggeschrey). Mines and hammer mills arose around Schwarzbach. In the 19th century, the main source of income was the

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

cultivation and

lace-making Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted or ...

. In 1837, the inhabitants at last get an own church. The “Dorfkirche Schwarzbach” was built on a little hill in the village and is a classicistic building. From 1952 to 1990, Schwarzbach 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 ...

. In 1996, Schwarzbach was incorporated to Elterlein. Today, the village is characterized by old farmhouses and new one family houses.

Demography

Literature

*Waldus Nestler, Elke Kretzschmar: ''Familienbuch für Schwarzbach/Krs. Annaberg 1540–1836''. Leipzig 1993, (lückenhaft; mit einem kurzen historischen Abriss) *Gisela Gasde: ''Schwarzbach – ein Waldhufendorf''. Schwarzbach 1994. *Gisela Gasde: ''Schwarzbach – unser schönes Dorf 1945–89''. Schwarzbach 1995.

References

External links

Website of the parish Elterlein with church history of Schwarzbach

Website of the town Elterlein with presentation of Schwarzbach
{{authority control Former municipalities in Saxony Erzgebirgskreis