Annaberg-Buchholz

Annaberg-Buchholz
Coat of arms
Annaberg-Buchholz
Location of Annaberg-Buchholz within Erzgebirgskreis district
Coordinates: 50°34′48″N 13°0′8″E / 50.58000°N 13.00222°E / 50.58000; 13.00222Coordinates: 50°34′48″N 13°0′8″E / 50.58000°N 13.00222°E / 50.58000; 13.00222
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Erzgebirgskreis
Government
• Mayor	Barbara Klepsch (CDU)
Area
• Total	27.70 km2 (10.70 sq mi)
Population (2014-12-31)[1]
• Total	20,394
• Density	740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	09456
Dialling codes	03733
Vehicle registration	ERZ, ANA, ASZ, AU, MAB, MEK, STL, SZB, ZP
Website	www.annaberg-buchholz.de

Annaberg-Buchholz (German pronunciation: [ˈanabɛɐ̯k ˈbuːx.hɔlts]) is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Lying in the Ore Mountains, it is the capital of the district of Erzgebirgskreis.

Geography

The town is located in the Ore Mountains, at the side of the Pöhlberg (832 meters or 2,730 feet above sea level).

History

View of Annaberg

Annaberg from the west

The previously heavily forested upper Ore Mountains were settled in the 12th and 13th centuries by Franconian farmers. Frohnau, Geyersdorf, and Kleinrückerswalde—all now part of present-day town—are all attested from 1397.

Barbara Uthmann introduced braid- and lace-making in 1561 and it was further developed in the 1590s by Belgian refugees fleeing the policies of the Duke of Alba, Spain's governor over the Low Countries.^[2] The industry was further developed in the 19th century, when Annaberg^[3] and Buchholz^[4] were connected by rail to Chemnitz and each other and both settlements had specialized schools for lace-making.^[3][4] The population of Annaberg in the 1870s was 11,693.^[3] This had risen to 16,811 by 1905,^[2] with another 9307 in Buchholz.^[4]

The town's mines formerly produced silver, tin, and cobalt^[3] but ceased production before the First World War.^[2] After the Reunification of Germany in 1989, some were restored for tourist purposes.

In 1945 the two towns Annaberg and Buchholz merged into the new town Annaberg-Buchholz.

Historical Population

At the start of the 16th Century Annaberg was one of the largest towns in Germany with an estimated 8,000 inhabitants. In 1834 Annaberg had a population of 5,068 and Buchholz 1,424. In 1875 people lived in Annaberg, in 1890 11,725, in 1925 18,204, and in 1933 19,818. The figures in the table are for Annaberg-Buchholz.

Historical population (from 1960, on 31st December):

Before 1945: Sum of population of towns Annaberg and Buchholz
Data source 1998: Statistical Office of Saxony

¹ 29th October
² 31st August

Main sights

The area is a tourist destination and ski resort. The Ore Mountains are referred to as Land of Christmas and famous for the Christmas Markets and the carved sculptures. Annaberg has a Roman Catholic church and three Protestant churches, among them St. Anne's (built 1499-1525),^[2] which is the largest of its kind in Saxony. There are public monuments to Luther, the famous mathematician Adam Ries, and Barbara Uthmann.^[2] Buchholz had another Gothic Protestant church and monuments to Frederick the Wise and Bismarck. Annaberg is well known for its historical old town and market square; the house Markt 2 shows the coat of arms of the family Apian-Bennewitz.

Museums

• Adam Ries Museum and Annaberg School of Accountancy (Rechenschule)
• Ore Mountain Museum and Im Gößner visitor mine
• Manufaktur der Träume
• Markus-Röhling-Stolln visitor mine at Frohnau
• Dorothea-Stolln visitor mine at Cunersdorf

Frohnauer Hammer

The Frohnauer Hammer is a historic and fully working preserved hammer mill in the village of Frohnau within the municipality. In 1907, it was declared a technical monument and, since then, has been open to the public. In addition to the actual hammer mill itself, there is an exhibition of forged items and the former master hammersmith's house (Hammerherrenhaus).

Regular events

• An annual high point in early summer is the largest folk festival in the region, the Annaberger Kät.
• Every two years in August the Abbey Festival takes place in the ruins of Annaberg Abbey.
• The Annaberg Christmas Market is widely known outside the region and closes on the fourth week in advent with the world's biggest miners' parade (Bergparade).

International relations

Annaberg-Buchholz is twinned with:

• Weiden (Oberpfalz), Germany
• Paide, Estonia
• Chomutov, Czech Republic

Pictures

• 

  St. Anne's Church

• 

  St. Anne's Church

• 

  St.Mary's Church

• 

  Uthmann Monument

• 

  Frohnauer Hammer

• 

  Markus Röhling Stolln

• 

  School building

• 

  Adam Ries Monument

• 

  Panoramic view of the city silhouette

References

Citations

Bibliography

• "Annaberg", Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. II, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1878, p. 60 .
• "Annaberg", Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. II, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1911, p. 59 .
• "Buchholz", Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. IV, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1911, p. 724 .

External links

• Official website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Annaberg-Buchholz.

Towns and municipalities in Annaberg district Annaberg-Buchholz Bärenstein Crottendorf Ehrenfriedersdorf Elterlein Gelenau Geyer Jöhstadt Königswalde Mildenau Oberwiesenthal Scheibenberg Schlettau Sehmatal Tannenberg Thermalbad Wiesenbad Thum

Towns and municipalities in Erzgebirgskreis Amtsberg Annaberg-Buchholz Aue Auerbach Bad Schlema Bärenstein Bockau Börnichen Breitenbrunn Burkhardtsdorf Crottendorf Deutschneudorf Drebach Ehrenfriedersdorf Eibenstock Elterlein Gelenau Geyer Gornau Gornsdorf Großolbersdorf Großrückerswalde Grünhain-Beierfeld Grünhainichen Heidersdorf Hohndorf Jahnsdorf Johanngeorgenstadt Jöhstadt Königswalde Lauter-Bernsbach Lößnitz Lugau Marienberg Mildenau Neukirchen Niederdorf Niederwürschnitz Oberwiesenthal Oelsnitz Olbernhau Pfaffroda Pockau-Lengefeld Raschau-Markersbach Scheibenberg Schlettau Schneeberg Schönheide Schwarzenberg Sehmatal Seiffen Stollberg Stützengrün Tannenberg Thalheim Thermalbad Wiesenbad Thum Wolkenstein Zschopau Zschorlau Zwönitz

Borough of Annaberg-Buchholz Annaberg Buchholz Cunersdorf Frohnau Geyersdorf Kleinrückersdorf