Christmas toys from the Ore Mountains (photo) | Germany Information and Travel Tips

Seifen • For two hundred years now, such wooden animals have been made in small workshops in one of the corners of the German Ore Mountains – the Saxon region of Seifen. They can be played with all year round, and during the Christmas holidays they decorate pyramids or nativity scenes.

These toys are made – not only of various animals, but also any other figurines – in a special traditional way, which only a few artisans now own. First, a round billet of spruce wood with a diameter of 30 to 50 centimeters is processed on a special lathe – a profile is grinded, that is, the contour of future toys. It turns out a kind of wooden rim, hence the German name for this craft – Reifendrehen (from “Reifen” – hoop, rim, wheel and “drehen” – to twist). Then the rim is cut into pieces and handicrafts from the resulting blanks are completed by hand.

This technology was invented here at the beginning of the 19th century, when water mills became widespread in the region. The use of workpieces, turned on machine tools, made it possible to produce toys in large batches and at lower prices.

The Ore Mountains are famous for their folk crafts. Here, for example, the famous German nutcrackers are also made. We also note that in 2019, places associated with the history of mining in the region received the status of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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Mining region Ore Mountains
The Ore Mountains are a very interesting region on the border of Germany and the Czech Republic. Mining industries appeared in these places as early as the 12th century, when silver began to be mined here. In 2019, the sights and monuments of the Ore Mountains / Krušnohoří Mining Region (Montanregion Erzgebirge / Krušnohoří) were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List at the joint request of the two neighboring countries.

Mining region Ore Mountains
This photo was taken during the historic miners’ parade in the Saxon city of Annaberg-Buchholz. The UNESCO-listed seventeen Saxon and five Bohemian historical, cultural and natural monuments reflect the 800-year history of this mining region. Let’s introduce some of them, starting in the Czech Republic.

Mining region Ore Mountains
The Czech city of Jachymov (formerly Joachimstal) is famous for its monuments of Renaissance architecture, but entered the history of mining, thanks to the large silver coins minted here – the first attempt to replace gold counterparts in the Holy Roman Empire. The Joachimsthalers began minting in 1520. Later, the abbreviated name began to be used – thaler, from which “dollar” then came.

Mining region Ore Mountains
This photo was taken near Jachymov, where the Vykmanov II Forced Labor Camp was opened in 1951. Here, for many years, political prisoners were kept in inhuman conditions, who processed uranium ore before being sent to the USSR. The national memorial – “The Red Tower of Death” is now reminiscent of the suffering of these people.

Mining region Ore Mountains
German World Heritage Sites in the Ore Mountains also include the Frohnauer Hammer in Annaberg-Buchholz. Grain was ground in this water mill until the 15th century, but in 1621 it was rebuilt to produce blanks for minting silver coins. Later, copper and iron were also processed. Today it houses the oldest blacksmithing museum in Germany.

Mining region Ore Mountains
These 30-meter basalt pillars are located near the Saxon town of Scheibenberg. They are among the most important geological natural monuments in Germany. “Organ pipes”, as they are called here, were formed millions of years ago from solidified lava and now allow scientists to better understand the processes of formation of the earth’s surface.

Mining region Ore Mountains
Many cities located in this region were founded after the discovery of rich ore deposits here. One of them is Marienberg, founded in 1521. This photo clearly shows the symmetrical plan of the city – straight streets leading to the central Market Square in the form of a square. Renaissance architectural monuments in the center of Marienberg are protected.

Mining region Ore Mountains
One of the largest tin deposits in Europe is located near the city of Altenberg, which began to be mined in these places more than six centuries ago. Tourists can go underground by visiting the Zwitterfeld Museum Mine in the Zinwald area (Vereinigt Zwitterfeld zu Zinnwald). The local main Bünau Deep Tunnel (Tiefer-Bünau-Stollen) has exits on the German and Czech sides.

Mining region Ore Mountains
Some locals have become incredibly rich in mining. Among them, a special place was occupied by the Bunau family, after which the adit was named in the previous photo. Representatives of this family are depicted on a four-story altar – carved in full height from stone. The altar is located in the parish church of Lauenstein – one of the districts of the city of Altenberg.

Mining region Ore Mountains
The mines used water to power the mechanisms. This medieval canal was supposedly laid in the 14th century to the zinc mine in Ehrenfriedersdorf. The length is 5.5 kilometers, the difference in height is 23.5 meters. Used until 1990 to supply water to the processing plant. It was renovated in the early 2000s. There is a walking route along the canal.
Author: Ann Termesh, Maxim Nelyubin