Great District Town Zschopau - History, Part 1

Framed by wildly romantic woods, steep rocks and open fields there is Zschopau, an old town in the middle of the Ore Mountains.

The roots of the place name can be found in the river of the same name. Slavic settlers designated their surroundings by their characteristics. The stem of the word "skapp" from Zschopau with its meaning "rock, cliff" as well as "crack, dig" shows the characteristic feature of the river. The reason for transferring the name to the subsequent place was, that exactly at this point one of the "three Bohemian paths" crossed the river. It was a trade route between Leipzig and Prague, where merchants transported their "white gold". That is why the path was called "salt street". Along the paths the settlement and cultivation of the thick "Miriquidi forest" followed.

The first documentary mentioning of Zschopau goes back to the year 1286. But for the town the documentary evidence of 1292 was of more importance because this document named Zschopau as "civitas" (fortified city). But even before a tower had been built up on a hill to protect the street and the river. This former watchtower, which was also used for living, was the oldest building of Zschopau (second half of the 12th Century). Its height at that time measured 20 metres and the entrance was in 14 metres height, because of Strategie reasons. Since 1992 it has been an observation tower. Because of its central location, one can have a wonderful view over the city and the surroundings.

While working with the excavator at the castle grounds, an old ring wall deriving of the founding time of the castle was found. Archaelogists are absolutely sure that it was built in 1170.

Later a castle was built around the tower. This construetion protected the young town .

In 1494/95 the town church St. Martin, the town hall and the town wall were built. The church and the town hall both feil victims to a fire twice. St Martin was rebuilt in 1751 as a baroque hall-construction on gothic ground. Parts of the town wall can still be seen today.

Apart from trade and cloth-manufacturing, mining started in Zschopau at the beginning of the 15th Century. In the local pits galena with a small amount of silver concentration as well as iron ore were mined.

Zschopau got the Privileges of a "Große Bergstadt" in 1493. But the big finds and so the big success, called "Berggeschrei" did not oeeur for Zschopau, because it was not able to compete with the newly founded mountain towns such as Schneeberg, Annaberg and Marienberg.

One may get a general idea of mining as its most traditional kind, in geology and mineralogy by visiting the today's mine of Zschopau including a mining trail.