Oberwiesenthal (; officially Kurort Oberwiesenthal) is a town and a ski resort in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in Saxony in Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, on the border with the Czech Republic, 19 km south of Annaberg-Buchholz, and 23 km northeast of Karlovy Vary. At , it is the highest town in Germany.Official web site (in German) The Olympic and World Championships goldmedalist in ski jumping Jens Weißflog competed for SC Tractor Oberwiesenthal and Oberwiesenthaler SV.
Geography Oberwiesenthal lies in the county of Erzgebirgskreis, on the border with the Czech Republic that follows the course of the Pöhlbach stream as far as Bärenstein (10 km northeast). The highest elevation in the borough is the Fichtelberg (sometimes called the Großer Fichtelberg or Great Fichtelberg) which, at , is the highest mountain in Saxony.
Other important mountains in the region around Oberwiesenthal are the: Keilberg (Klínovec) (; the highest summit in the Ore Mountains) Kleiner or Hinterer Fichtelberg () ("Little or Farther Fichtelberg") Eisenberg ()
Owing its elevation and relatively northern latitude, Oberwiesenthal has a subalpine respectively subarctic climate (Dfc).
Neighbouring municipalities On the Czech side is the municipality of Loučná pod Klínovcem (Böhmisch Wiesenthal) and, further west, is Boží Dar (Gottesgab). Adjacent municipalities in Germany are Bärenstein, Crottendorf, Sehmatal, Breitenbrunn/Erzgeb. and Raschau-Markersbach.
Subdivisions Oberwiesenthal Unterwiesenthal Hammerunterwiesenthal Rotes Vorwerk Neues Haus
History The "new town in the Wiesen valley" ("Neustadt am Wiesenthal") was founded in 1527 by the lords of Schönburg as a mining town because, one year earlier, silver ore had been found in the region. By 1530 the new settlement had been granted town rights and, in 1559, its ownership passed to the House of Wettin.
Mining operations finally wound up in the 19th century and tourism increasingly took its place during the 20th. However, after the Second World War, there were attempts by the Russians to mine uranium for the nuclear arms race in the Zechengrund, today a nature reserve. Traces of their activity are still visible. On 1 September 1921 Oberwiesenthal was merged with the town of Unterwiesenthal further down the valley,Das Sachsenbuch, Kommunal-Verlag Sachsen KG, Dresden, 1943, page 241 which had first been mentioned in the records in 1406 and had town rights by 1510. From 1952 to 1990, Oberwiesenthal was part of the Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt of East Germany.
Historical population Year Population1559 95 villeins (besessene Mann)1748 190 villeins1834 12781871 19801890 19671910 1729 Year Population1925 24251939 24461946 29451950 46031964 25531971 2611 Year Population1990 16211998 33811999 32732000 31632001 30692002 3015 Year Population2003 29252004 28282005 27352006 26752007 25922009 2501 Data source to 1990: Data source from 1998: Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen
Politics
Town council The town council of Oberwiesenthal consists of 14 councillors and the directly elected mayor or Bürgermeister, who presides over the council. The local elections of 7 June 2009, which had a voter participation of 62.5%, the following result: Party FDP CDU BfW Die Alternative Die Linke Total Seats 5 5 2 2 0 14 Stimmenanteil 35.1% 33.4% 13.5% 12.6% 5.4%
Mayor Heinz-Michael Kirsten (CDU) was elected mayor (Bürgermeister) in January 2002. By February 2002 the Annaberg district office (Landratsamt Annaberg) had declared this result void due to unpermitted election advertising. This resulted in a five-year legal battle by all sides that ended with a decision in 2007 by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, that confirmed the decision in February 2007 by the administrative appeals tribunal (Oberverwaltungsgericht) of Bautzen as legal. Heinz-Michael Kirsten was then sent on leave by the regional authority (Regierungspräsidium). On 4 November 2007 a new election took place in which no party achieved an absolute majority. In the second round of elections on 18 November the independent (now FDP) candidate, Mirko Ernst, was elected mayor. The current mayor is Jens Benedict, elected in September 2021.
Twinnings Fichtelberg, town "friendship" (Städtefreundschaft) since 3 October 1990 Lauf an der Pegnitz, town friendship since 3 October 1990 Schonach im Schwarzwald, town friendship since 3 October 1990 Hakuba, twin town since 18 August 2002
Culture and sights Fichtelberg Railway Fichtelberg Cable Car (the oldest cable car in Germany) Oberwiesenthal post coach in the style of the Deutsche Reichspost of 1939
Museum Ski and local history museum, Karlsbader Straße 3
Structures St Martin Luther's Church with its Hertelt crib Distance post on the market square (Marktplatz); whole milepost on the footpath to the "New House" (Neues Haus) in the Zechengrund and remnants of a half-milepost from the village of Hammerunterwiesenthal Royal Saxon station stone from the market square at the Neues Haus border crossing Anton Günther Way, a cross-border trail
Sport Currently the leading sports club in the town: WSC Erzgebirge Oberwiesenthal Leading former East German Alpine and Nordic ski club, disbanded in 1990: SC Traktor Oberwiesenthal Sportfördergruppe der Bundeswehr, armed forces sports centre
Notable people Franz Ströher (1874-1936), German hairdresser and businessman
References