The Erzgebirge, the Ore Mountains, got their name for a good reason. In 1168, according to tradition, silver was found near Freiberg, and a rush followed that turned a forested ridge on the border between Saxony and Bohemia into one of the richest mining districts in Europe. For eight centuries, miners dug silver, tin, cobalt and iron from the hills, and later uranium, and the landscape is full of the traces: spoil heaps, pits, water channels, stamp mills and miners' towns. UNESCO listed the Ore Mountain mining region in 2019, in a property that spans Germany and the Czech Republic.
At Schneeberg, not far south, miners found cobalt, and the blue pigment made from it was exported across Europe to colour glass and porcelain. After the Second World War, the Soviet-German company Wismut mined uranium on a huge scale in this district, leaving scars on the land that have been landscaped in recent decades, and the story of the Cold War is part of the mining heritage.
The mountains also gave rise to a craft tradition, because miners used the long winters to carve wooden figures, and the Erzgebirge is the home of the nutcracker, the smoking man, the pyramid and the Schwibbogen, an arched candle-holder with a mining scene that stands in windows at Christmas. The Christmas markets of the region, with their gingerbread, mulled wine and lights, are among the most charming in Germany.
For a rider, the hills are a joy, with a network of quiet roads along ridges and valleys, through small mining towns with slate-clad houses. The Silver Road, the Silberstraße, links many of the historic towns, and the roads around Schwarzenberg and Annaberg offer winding climbs, forest views and mist in the mornings. The surface is mostly good, but winter ice and snow can close high roads, and fog is common.