Schneeberg, Saxony
Encyclopedia
Schneeberg is a town in Saxony
’s district of Erzgebirgskreis
. It has roughly 16,400 inhabitants and belongs to the Town League of Silberberg (Städtebund Silberberg). It lies 4 km west of Aue
, and 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) southeast of Zwickau
.
. Visible from afar is its prominent St. Wolfgangskirche (church). The town core lies on the Schneeberg, which reaches 470 m above sea level
and is also the town’s namesake. Among the surrounding peaks are the Gleesberg (593 m) to the east and the Keilberg (557 m) to the north.
more than anything else, laying the very groundwork for the town’s founding. The original silver
mining also yielded cobalt
and bismuth
mining by the mid 16th century. When uranium
mining was being undertaken between 1946 and 1958, the town’s population quickly rose, leading to Schneeberg’s status as a district-free town
(kreisfreie Stadt) between 1952 and 1958. Afterwards it once again belonged to the district of Aue.
1 29 October
2 31 August
church construction. Inside are found works by Lucas Cranach the Elder
and the Crodel family of painters, whom the Krodel-Brunnen (fountain), demolished in late 2005, commemorated.
Among the other sights to be seen are the neo-Gothic Town Hall, newly built in the mid 19th century, various Baroque
buildings and mining memorials.
(Federal Highway) 93 from Leipzig
, which once led further, across the border, to Karlsbad (now Karlovy Vary
in the Czech Republic
). Furthermore, Bundesstraße 169 runs through the town from Plauen
to Chemnitz
.
From 1859 to 1952, the town had a railway connection afforded by a 5-km-long spur
leading to Niederschlema on the Zwickau
-Schwarzenberg
-Johanngeorgenstadt
-Karlsbad railway line.
’s Gebirgsjägerbataillon (“Mountain Rangers’ Battalion”) 571 and Versorgungskompanie (“Supply Company”) 370.
. Moreover, the town was home to a lace tatting school, an art school
, a vocational Gymnasium and a teachers’ college
. Schneeberg’s Johann-Gottfried-Herder Gymnasium was chosen in 2004-2005 as “Saxony’s best Gymnasium” in the course of a study by the magazine "Capital
". It enjoys an outstanding reputation even beyond Germany’s borders.
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
’s district of Erzgebirgskreis
Erzgebirgskreis
Erzgebirgskreis is a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after the Erzgebirge , a mountain range in the southern part of the district which forms part of the Germany–Czech Republic border...
. It has roughly 16,400 inhabitants and belongs to the Town League of Silberberg (Städtebund Silberberg). It lies 4 km west of Aue
Aue
Aue is a small town in Germany at the outlet of the river Schwarzwasser into the river Mulde in the Ore Mountains, and has roughly 18,000 inhabitants. Aue was the administrative seat of the former district of Aue-Schwarzenberg in Saxony, and is part of the Erzgebirgskreis since August 2008...
, and 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) southeast of Zwickau
Zwickau
Zwickau in Germany, former seat of the government of the south-western region of the Free State of Saxony, belongs to an industrial and economical core region. Nowadays it is the capital city of the district of Zwickau...
.
Location
Schneeberg lies on the Silver Road in the upper western Ore MountainsOre Mountains
The Ore Mountains in Central Europe have formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for many centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest of the mountain range...
. Visible from afar is its prominent St. Wolfgangskirche (church). The town core lies on the Schneeberg, which reaches 470 m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
and is also the town’s namesake. Among the surrounding peaks are the Gleesberg (593 m) to the east and the Keilberg (557 m) to the north.
History
Schneeberg’s more than 500-year-long history has been shaped by miningMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
more than anything else, laying the very groundwork for the town’s founding. The original silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mining also yielded cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
and bismuth
Bismuth
Bismuth is a chemical element with symbol Bi and atomic number 83. Bismuth, a trivalent poor metal, chemically resembles arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth may occur naturally uncombined, although its sulfide and oxide form important commercial ores. The free element is 86% as dense as lead...
mining by the mid 16th century. When uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
mining was being undertaken between 1946 and 1958, the town’s population quickly rose, leading to Schneeberg’s status as a district-free town
Urban districts of Germany
This is a list of urban districts in Germany. Germany's sixteen states are further subdivided into 402 districts of which 107 are urban districts – cities which constitute a district in their own right. A similar concept is the Statutarstadt in Austria...
(kreisfreie Stadt) between 1952 and 1958. Afterwards it once again belonged to the district of Aue.
Amalgamations
- 1939 Bergstadt Neustädtel, near which lies the popular outing destinations Gleesberg and Filzteich
- 1952 Community of Griesbach, northwest of Schneeberg
- 1999 Community of Lindenau
Population development
Development of population figures (as of 1960 on 31 December):
|
|
|
1 29 October
2 31 August
Culture and sightseeing
The St. Wolfgangskirche is one of the biggest and architecturally most mature churches built in the Late Gothic style, and is an earlier type of ReformationProtestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
church construction. Inside are found works by Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Elder , was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving...
and the Crodel family of painters, whom the Krodel-Brunnen (fountain), demolished in late 2005, commemorated.
Among the other sights to be seen are the neo-Gothic Town Hall, newly built in the mid 19th century, various Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
buildings and mining memorials.
Transport
In Schneeberg ends BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
(Federal Highway) 93 from Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, which once led further, across the border, to Karlsbad (now Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
). Furthermore, Bundesstraße 169 runs through the town from Plauen
Plauen
Plauen is a town in the Free State of Saxony, east-central Germany.It is the capital of the Vogtlandkreis. The town is situated near the border of Bavaria and the Czech Republic.Plauen's slogan is Plauen - echt Spitze.-History:...
to Chemnitz
Chemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
.
From 1859 to 1952, the town had a railway connection afforded by a 5-km-long spur
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
leading to Niederschlema on the Zwickau
Zwickau
Zwickau in Germany, former seat of the government of the south-western region of the Free State of Saxony, belongs to an industrial and economical core region. Nowadays it is the capital city of the district of Zwickau...
-Schwarzenberg
Schwarzenberg, Saxony
Schwarzenberg is a town in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in Saxony’s Ore Mountains, near the German–Czech border. The town lies roughly 15 km southeast of Aue, and 35 km southwest of Chemnitz....
-Johanngeorgenstadt
Johanngeorgenstadt
Johanngeorgenstadt is a mining town in Saxony’s Ore Mountains, 17 km south of Aue, and 27 km northwest of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, and right on the border with the Czech Republic, is a state-recognized health resort , and calls itself Stadt des...
-Karlsbad railway line.
State institutions
Schneeberg is until 31 March 2008 headquarters of the BundeswehrBundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
’s Gebirgsjägerbataillon (“Mountain Rangers’ Battalion”) 571 and Versorgungskompanie (“Supply Company”) 370.
Education
Schneeberg had at its disposal a lyceum, out of which grew a GymnasiumGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
. Moreover, the town was home to a lace tatting school, an art school
Art school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
, a vocational Gymnasium and a teachers’ college
Teacher education
Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community....
. Schneeberg’s Johann-Gottfried-Herder Gymnasium was chosen in 2004-2005 as “Saxony’s best Gymnasium” in the course of a study by the magazine "Capital
Capital (German magazine)
The Capital is a German-language business magazine published by Gruner + Jahr. It was established in 1962.Since 1970 it has published annually a hierarchy of mainstream artists and their ranking within the art market and mainstream art world, called Kunstcompass...
". It enjoys an outstanding reputation even beyond Germany’s borders.
Honorary citizens
- 2002 - Werner Unger (b. 1922), HeimatforscherHeimatforscherHeimatforscher, also called Heimatkundler, is a German language description for somebody researching his homeland, home town or region.Most of them are amateurs and autodidacts, covering history-related fields like genealogy, archaeology, geography, meteorology, zoology or botany.See...
(“homeland researcher”) - 1992 - Walter Rau (1909-1992), educator
- 1991 - Gerhard Heilfurth (1909-2006), folklorist
- 1985 - Werner Kempf (1925-1999), painter
- 1981 - Karl Schreiter (1903-2001), fireman
- 1965 - Artur Günther (1885-1974), Heimatforscher and municipal politician
Sons and daughters of the town
- Hans Schenck (about 1500- about 1566), sculptor in Berlin
- Andreas MusculusAndreas MusculusAndreas Musculus was a German Lutheran theologian. The name Musculus is a Latinized form of Meusel.Musculus was born in Schneeberg, Saxony, "generally called only Musculus" and educated in Leipzig and Wittenberg. He became professor in university of Frankfurt an der Oder...
(1514-1581), professor at the University of Frankfurt an der Oder and Generalsuperintendent of the Margraviate of BrandenburgMargraviate of BrandenburgThe Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe.... - Ambrosius Lobwasser (1515-1585), humanistic writer and translator
- Kaspar Eberhard (1523-1575), Lutheran theologian and educator
- Petrus Albinus (1543-1598), vice chancellor of the University of Wittenberg and Electorate of Saxony historian
- Veit Hans Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1644-1715), ironworker and founder of Carlsfeld
- Karl Gottlob Hofmann (1703-1774), Lutheran theologian and historian
- Christian Friedrich Brendel (1776-1861), mining engineer
- Heinrich StölzelHeinrich StölzelHeinrich David Stölzel was a German horn player who developed some of the first valves for brass instruments. He developed the first valve for a brass instrument, the Stölzel valve, in 1814, and went on to develop various other designs, some jointly with other inventor musicians...
(1777-1844), musician - Christoph Friedrich Otto (1783–1856), gardener and botanist
- Christian Friedrich Röder (1827-1900), headmaster, Ore Mountain poet and singer
- Otto Schill (1838-1918), jurist and municipal politician in Leipzig
- Prof. Christian Hermann Walde (1855-1906), vocational school headmaster in Saxony and Silesia, textbook author
- Edwin Bauersachs (1893-1948), Ore Mountain dialect poet
- Armin Günther (1924-2003), footballer with SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt
- Egon Günther (* 1927), German film director
- Enrico KernEnrico KernEnrico Kern is a German Football player currently playing for Erzgebirge Aue.-Career:Kern began his football career as a youth player with FC Erzgebirge Aue before moving to Tennis Borussia Berlin for 1000000 DM in the summer of 1998...
(b. 1979), German footballer with FC Hansa RostockFC Hansa RostockF.C. Hansa Rostock is a German association football club based in the city of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. They have emerged as one of the most successful clubs from the former East Germany and have made several appearances in the 1. Bundesliga. Rostock currently compete in the 2. Bundesliga...
Famous people who have worked locally
- Peter Weidenhammer (about 1480–about 1540), alchemist, introduced blue dye making into the Ore Mountains
- Andreas Reinhard (1571–1613), master arithmetician and writer of a textbook for mathematical instruction
- Johann Böhme (1623-1663), sculptor
- Christoph Gottlieb Grundig (1707–1780), clergyman, naturalist, writer
- Ernst August Geitner (1783–1852), chemist, physician and inventor of German silverNickel silverNickel silver, also known as German silver, Argentann, new silver, nickel brass, albata,, or alpacca, is a copper alloy with nickel and often zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver is named for its silvery appearance, but it contains no elemental silver...
- Julius Paufler (1834-1901), town councillor, head of the lace tatting model school, royal lace tatting school inspector for Saxony’s municipal lace tatting schools
- Carl Schumann (1801-1849), book printer and publisher, composer Robert SchumannRobert SchumannRobert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
’s brother - Adam Siber (1516-1584), German humanist and educator
Partner towns
Schneeberg’s partner towns are:- HertenHertenHerten is a town and a municipality in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated in the industrial Ruhr Area, approx...
in North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the... - VeresegyházVeresegyház- Location :This village appeared as Vesereghatz first in Lazarus Secretariu's maps made between 1510 and 1520. The town lies in Gödöllő-Hills near the Cserhát, in the south with Mogyoród hornbeam and the Foth Somlyó csomádi high hill, in the east and north with the Margita, and is surrounded by...
in HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...