Annaberg is a former district 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 ...

. It was bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and the districts of

Aue-Schwarzenberg Aue-Schwarzenberg is a former district in Saxony, Germany. It was bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the Czech Republic and the districts of Vogtlandkreis, Zwickauer Land, Stollberg and Annaberg. History The Ore Mountains (German: '' ...

Stollberg Stollberg is a town in Saxony, Germany, in the district Erzgebirgskreis. It is situated 20 km east of Zwickau and 17 km southwest of Chemnitz. It was the site of the Hoheneck women's prison Hoheneck Women's Prison (German: ''Frauengef� ...

and

Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis The Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis is a former district in Saxony, Germany. It was bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts of Annaberg, Stollberg, the district-free city Chemnitz, and the district Freiberg. To the south it borders the C ...

. Its colors are pink, green, and blue.

History

In the Middle Ages the Ore Mountains were virtually unsettled and covered by dense forests. The towns of Annaberg and Buchholz (merged in 1945 to form

Annaberg-Buchholz Annaberg-Buchholz () is a town in Saxony, Germany. Lying in the Ore Mountains, it is the capital of the district of Erzgebirgskreis. Geography The town is located in the Ore Mountains, at the side of the ''Pöhlberg'' ( above sea level). ...

) were founded by the turn of the 16th century due to the discovery of

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

and

tin Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured 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, t ...

deposits. Now men from the Saxon lowlands moved into the mountains and founded many small towns and villages. The district of Annaberg was established in 1874. By the late 19th century, mining, formerly of great importance, had been diverted to other localities, and the government department relating to it had moved to

Marienberg Marienberg is a town in Germany. It was the district capital of the Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis (Central Ore Mountains district) in the southern part of Saxony, and since August 2008 it has been part of the new district of Erzgebirgskreis. As of ...

in 1856. Annaberg, however, continued to be an important center for the manufacture of lace and fringes, which latter industry was introduced about 1590 by

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

refugees from

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

oppression in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

. The district of Annaberg became a part of the new district

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 ...

on 1 August 2008. The district Erzgebirgskreisconsists of the former districts of Annaberg, Stollberg, Aue-Schwarzenberg and Mittlerer Erzgebirgskeis (Marienberg).

Geography

The district was located in the western Ore Mountains on the Czech Republic–Germany border. It extended from the highest mountains on the border to more gentle hilly country in the north. The town of Oberwiesenthal is the highest located city of Germany. It is situated on the foot of the Fichtelberg, the second highest peak of the Ore Mountains at .

Coat of arms

Towns and municipalities

References

External links

Official website
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Unofficial website
{{Coord, 50, 34, 48, N, 13, 00, 00, E, region:DE-SN_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki, display=title Former districts of Saxony States and territories disestablished in 2008