Waldkirchen is a village and former municipality in the district of

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

, in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Since 1 March 2009 it has been part of the municipality of

Grünhainichen Grünhainichen is a municipality in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony, Germany. On 1 March 2009, Grünhainichen and the neighboring municipality Waldkirchen were merged. On 1 January 2015, the former municipality Borstendorf became part of ...

.Gebietsänderungen vom 02. Januar bis 31. Dezember 2009

Statistisches Bundesamt The Federal Statistical Office (german: Statistisches Bundesamt, shortened ''Destatis'') is a federal authority of Germany. It reports to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The Office is responsible for collecting, processing, presenting and ...

Waldkirchen grew outwards in the direction of

from a church erected at the end of the village, from which the name of the village is derived ("forest church"), along an unnamed side valley of the river Zschopau. With

the Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

in 1539 Waldkirchen became an independent parish. The settlement of Zschopenthal (mentioned in church records for the first time in 1663) was established on the river

Zschopau Zschopau (), is a town in the Erzgebirgskreis district of Saxony, Germany. Geography The town is located on the northwestern slopes of the Ore Mountains, on both Bank (geography), banks of the Zschopau (river), Zschopau River, about south-east ...

itself where, in 1687, a

paintworks Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

was built. File:Kirchewaldkirchen1.jpg, St. George's Church File:Waldkirchen3.jpg, View of Waldkirchen File:Waldkirchen13.jpg, St. George's Church File:Waldkirchen20.jpg, Cemetery chapel, old church

References

Former municipalities in Saxony Erzgebirgskreis {{Erzgebirgskreis-geo-stub