Silver was found near Freiberg in 1168, and within a few decades the town had become one of the richest in Saxony. For eight centuries, miners dug ever deeper into the hills, and the wealth they brought up paid for churches, palaces and the splendours of Dresden. Freiberg's Bergakademie, founded in 1765, is the oldest mining university in the world still operating, and its mineral collection is one of the finest anywhere. The town and its mining landscape are part of the Erzgebirge mining region listed by UNESCO, shared between Germany and the Czech Republic.
The old town is beautiful, with a medieval street plan, Renaissance houses and the cathedral of St Mary, whose Golden Gate, a richly carved Romanesque portal, and tulip pulpit are masterpieces. The cathedral also has two organs built by Gottfried Silbermann, the great organ builder of the eighteenth century. Visitors can go underground in the mines, such as Reiche Zeche, where the university still trains students, and see the tunnels and workings of centuries.
The riding in the Ore Mountains is very good. South of Freiberg, the roads climb toward the Czech border, with curves, forests and mining villages, and the Silver Road, a tourist route, links the mining towns of the region. The B101 runs through the area, and minor roads offer quieter alternatives. The asphalt holds up well, but there are cobbles in old towns. Weather in the mountains can be cool and wet, with snow in winter. Traffic around Freiberg can be heavy at peak times, but the mountain roads are calm.
Freiberg covers fuel, food and a bed for the night. Saxon food is hearty: sauerbraten, marinated beef, potato soup, dumplings and cakes, such as Eierschecke, a layered cake with custard and quark. Freiberger beer is a local brand. Visit the cathedral to hear the Silbermann organ if a recital is on, then go underground in a mine. Riding out of town, you will see the old mining heaps and shafts in the landscape, the traces of a story that shaped the region for eight hundred years.