Ore Mountains
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The Ore Mountains (German: Erzgebirge, Czech: Krušné hory) are a mountain range in Germany and the Czech Republic. They form the border between both countries for 150 km, extending from the western border of Saxony to the Elbe river.
The western portions of the Ore Mountains have the highest peaks. Klínovec (1244 m) on the Czech side and Fichtelberg (1214.6 m) on the German side are the highest mountains of this range. In the west the Ore Mountains adjoin the lower Bavarian Fichtelgebirge. In the east, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains on both banks of the Elbe river may be regarded as the easternmost extension of the Ore Mountains. East of the Elbe, the mountain chain continues as the Lusatian Mountains. The Ore Mountains slope gently away to the north, where the cities of Zwickau and Chemnitz are located in the foothills, but the southern incline is extremely steep.
The Ore Mountains were virtually unsettled during the Middle Ages and covered with dense forests. In the 15th century the discovery of silver and tin deposits led to the settlement of the mountains and the foundation of cities. The name is derived from the richness in mineral resources. Segmented Erz-gebirge, the name takes Erz- from the German word "Erz" for metal ore. "Gebirge" means "mountain range". Similarly, the word "krušec" used to mean "ore" in the Czech language, "krušné" being its adjective, and "hory" means "mountains". Today the mountains are also a popular winter sports resort.
The Ore Mountains are famous for many Christmas traditions. As the silver and tin deposits declined, former miners had to look for new ways to feed their families. In addition to lace making and weaving, the inhabitants went into wood carving. Nutcrackers, "smoking men", "pyramids" (carousels with figures of the Christmas story or from mining) and Schwibbogen (wooden arcs with candles in the windows, representing a mine entrance) are some of many Christmas goods made in the Ore Mountains. Seiffen in the East Ore Mountains is a centre of the wooden toy industry.
