In the Erzgebirge, the Ore Mountains of Saxony, a handful of workshops once produced a colour that conquered Europe. Schindlers Werk, at Zschorlau near Aue, was a smalt works, where cobalt ore from the surrounding mines was ground, roasted and fused with sand and potash into a deep blue glass, then milled into pigment. Smalt coloured Dutch tiles, German porcelain and painters' blues, and Saxony held an almost complete monopoly on it for generations. The works was founded in the seventeenth century and has been preserved as a museum.
It belongs to the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region, which UNESCO added to the World Heritage List in 2019, a shared German and Czech landscape shaped by silver, tin, cobalt and later uranium mining. That last chapter, the Wismut uranium industry of the Cold War era, left its own scars not far away, around Schlema. The contrast between the small, hand-operated pigment mill and the huge Soviet-run operation is extraordinary.
The nearest town of size is Zschorlau, with almost six thousand people, and Bockau is a smaller neighbour. Aue, a few kilometres off, is bigger and has more services. Fuel and food are easy enough in this part of Saxony, and bakeries serve Eierschecke, a custard cake, and local sausages. In the winter season, shops and markets sell wooden Christmas decorations, such as nutcrackers, candle arches and smokers, which are the Erzgebirge's trademark craft.
For riders the surrounding mountains are excellent: roads climb and twist between spruce forests and small villages, with long, readable bends and good surfaces. Traffic is light on weekdays, though weekends bring day-trippers. Spring and early autumn are best, with clear air and colour in the woods, while winter brings snow and ice, and the higher roads can be treacherous. The museum is small, so check opening times, and allow an hour or two to see the blue pigment workshops.