Olbernhau
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| Olbernhau | |
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| Coat of arms | Location |
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| Administration | |
| Country |  Germany |
|---|---|
| State | Saxony |
| Admin. region | Chemnitz |
| District | Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis |
| Mayor | Steffen Laub (CDU) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 70.41 km² (27.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 440 m (1444 ft) |
| Population | 10,716 (31/12/2006) |
| - Density | 152 /km² (394 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | MEK |
| Postal code | 09526 |
| Area code | 037360 |
| Website | www.olbernhau.de |
Olbernhau is a town in the district Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, 35 km southeast of Chemnitz, and 23 km north of Chomutov, Czech Republic.
[edit] History
[edit] Olbernhau
Presumably, the town's name arose from the old German name Albert (Albernhaw, Alberthau, Albernhau, Albretshain). Olbernhau has its origins back in the 13th century. Encouraged by Archbishop Albert I. of Meissen, the so-called White Monks (Cistercians) from Osek founded the first settlement in the upper Floeha valley, shortly after ore was found here. Olbernhau was first mentioned in records in 1434 (as „Albernaw“) in a contract documenting the sale of Olbernhau to the patritian Caspar von Berbisdorf.
Ore mining started in 1511. In the course of the Protestant Reformation Olbernhau became a Parish in 1539. A school is mentioned for the first time in 1556. The solidly built church was consecrated on November 2 in 1590. About 1684 the industrial art of Gunsmithing was introduced in Olbernhau. In 1690, Olbernhau's first barrel forge was erected int the Rungstock valley, and in 1708 the gun manufactory delivered 12,000 guns to the Saxonian Army. In 1815, a gun powder mill was founded, which was partly destroyed by explosions in the years 1835, 1850 and 1865. The last gun left the Olbernhau factory in 1854. An auxiliary fire brigade was formed in 1869. The launch of the "Floehatalbahn" in May 1875 linked Olbernhau to the railway network. A Kindergarten was built in 1878. In the 1880es, Olbernhau got a hospital, gasworks and gas street lights, and in 1892 Saxony's very first electric power station began operation in Olbernhau. Since 1895, steam trains run on the line section Olbernhau - Neuhausen. On 1 January 1902 Olbernhau got Town privileges. In 1906, the beautiful Art Deco Concert and Ball Hall „Tivoli“ was inaugurated. The Marked Bridge was widened in 1928 and a public swimming bath opened in 1930 eröffnet. In January 1932, a flooding caused considerable damage.
From August 12 to 13 in 2002, one of the worst Floeha floods in history destroyed parts of the town centre and all houses on the river's banks. Thanks to many private donations from all over Germany, most of the enormous damages (amounting to several million Euros) could be repaired within one year.
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