The Ore Mountains - the Christmas Land

The Erzgebirge is well-known in particular for its living traditions and customs during the Christmas season, which have a reputation all over the world. To watch the gigantic pyramids on the market places, the processions through the streets of old mining villages, and the bright lights illuminating even the smallest towns, is an experience which you will never forget.

The splendidness of the festively decorated Erzgebirge towns and villages are an unforgettable sight. Stars of Bethlehem, Schwibbögen, Pyramids, light angels and miners, nutcrackers, incense smokers, Christmas cribs – every window is illuminated, streets and squares are decorated. A traditional Erzgebirge Christmas lasts until "Hochneujahr" (i.e.: 6th January). The highlight is, of course, Christmas eve, when the "Neunerlei" is served. This meal is made up of 9 courses, each having its own symbolic meaning, which brings luck for the year to come. The Christmas Stollen is (or rather should be) only cut on Christmas day after Mass.

Have you ever heard of a "Hutzenohmd"? This is when people met each other during Christmas time in one place where they carved wood, made lace, sang and played music. While today the Hutzenohmd is a social gathering held in order to preserve the dialect, in past times the reason was to save heating and light by sitting together in one room to do one's handiwork.

The Annaberg Christmas market

The Annaberg Christmas market is considered as on of the most beautiful in the Ore Mountains and in Germany. The traditional "Pyramide anschieben" on the Friday before the 1st Sunday in Advent from 5 pm marks the beginning. At the market place, there is a Pyramid with unique carvings relating to the town's history. Once a year, the figurines come alive, step down from their pedestals and introduce themselves to the visitors. Enjoy this unique spectacle in miners' style.

Saturday 10 am: Opening of the Santa Claus Workshop - Experience the entrance of Santa Claus and his busy helpers; let the gnomes show you around their training workshops which are equally impressive in the form of Wichtelkalenders (showcases wherein workshops of potters, smiths, etc. are recreated in miniature). Visit the Santa Claus Workshops. Here, you can look over the shoulders of Santa's friendly helpers as they do their work; you can have well-loved Christmas articles repaired, and you can even build little presents on your own or bake some biscuits. Everybody is allowed to have a taste of the famous 2 m butter Stollen when it is cut. Our Stollens are shipped world-wide.

More dates related to the Annaberg Christmas market can be found here.

 ^{Foto:© Wolfgang Thieme}

Christmas markets in the Ore Mountains

The Ore Mountains are well known by their living traditions and customs in Christmas time. Worldwide. You will forever enjoy remembering the ceremonial push that sets the Christmas pyramid in motion, the miners' parades on the streets of old mining towns and all villages ablazing with light.

Here the most important Christmas markets in the Ore Mountains

Zwickau Christmas market
Monday before 1. Advent till 4. Advent
Miners' parade on 3. Advent Sunday

Annaberg Christmas market
opening Freitag before 1. Advent till 4. Advent
Grand miners' parade on 4. Advent Sunday

Chemnitz Christmas market
1. till 4. Advent, miners' parade on 1. Advent

Freiberg Christ market
1. till 4. Advent
miners' parade in torchlight always on 2. Advent Saturday

Thum Christmas market
1. Advent weekend with miners' parade on 1. Advent

Schwibbogenfest in Wolkenstein
always on 1. Advent weekend

Fairytale Christmas in Eibenstock
always on 1. Advent weekend

Seiffen Christmas market
1. till 4. Advent
miners' parade on 3. Advent Saturday

Schneeberg Christmas market
1. till 4. Advent
Lichtelfest and miners' parade always on 2. Advent Sunday

Pobershau Mountain Advent
2. Advent weekend
miners' parade on 2. Advent Saturday

Marienberg Christmas market
1. till 4. Advent
miners' parade on 3. Advent

Schwarzenberg Christmas market
2. till 3. Advent weekend
miners' parade on 3. Advent Saturday

Stollberg Christmas market
2. till 3. Advent
miners' parade on 2. Advent Saturday

Original Johanngeorgenstädter Schwibbogemfest
3. Advent weekend

Augustusburger Männelmarkt
3. Advent weekend

Auer Raachermannlmarkt
3. till 4. Advent

We look forward for your visit in this special time!

Skiing in the Ore Mountains

Snow, snow, snow! Experience skiing in the Ore Mountains, where winter wonderland becomes true! Numerous groomed ski runs, many of which are fitted with floodlights and artificial snowmaking, more than 70 drag lifts and chair lifts, and more than 1000 kilometres of cross-country ski trails await you in the Erzgebirge. Oberwiesenthal is the hub of winter sports activities; at the Fichtelberg you are at a height of 1215m on the roof of Saxony. Where altitude is concerned, Oberwiesenthal is number one.

The Fichtelberg skiing area has the following features to offer

• Best conditions for alpine skiers, snowboarders, bobsleigh riders, cross-country skiers and snow kiters
• 75 km cross-country ski tracks and ski trails
• 10 classified slopes for downhill skiing with an overall length of 18 km
• Snowboard park with halfpipe
• Germany's oldest aerial cableway leads up to the Fichtelberg
• Night skiing between 5 pm and 2 am
• Open-air New Year's Eve party on the open-air stage at the ski slope
• Traditional Ski carnival with ice bathers from all over Germany
• Bobsleigh tracks of more than 1000m length on the slopes of the Fichtelberg

» Snow report Wetteronline
» Skiing area Fichtelberg

Ski schools for the young and the young at heart

• Skischule Fichtelberg, Vierenstraße 14, Phone 037348 232374
• Ski-Snowboardschule Lori Greiner, Phone 037348 23297 or 0172 6430676
• Snowboardcenter Oberwiesenthal, by the summer bobsleigh track, Phone 0175 1600552
• Vereinigte Skischule Oberwiesenthal / Katja Süß, Vierenstraße 10 A, Phone 037348 8619

 Ski rental in Oberwiesenthal

• Sport Gahler (Phone 037348 / 8586)
• Ski school / rental Fichtelberg (Phone 037348 / 232374
• Ski- and Snowboardcenter Oberwiesenthal (Phone 0175 / 1600552)
• Vereinigte Skischule Oberwiesenthal / Katja Süß (Phone 037348 / 8619)
• FF-Sport- und Freizeitzentrum / Frank Fudel, (Phone 0172 / 7411853)
• Ski Shop Kowarik (Phone 037348 / 8305)
• Sport Olympia / Reinhard Gütlein (Phone 037348 / 7539)
• Schwebebahn-Shop (Phone 037348 / 20292)

By the way, the Hotel Sachsenbaude is situated right at the entrance to the cross-country ski track network. What more can you want: From the doorstep to the track. And what could be better than, after a day of sports activities, to relax in the wellness area or have a massage. You're on holiday! So indulge yourselves!