Breitenbrunn, Saxony
Encyclopedia
Breitenbrunn is a community in the Ore Mountains
in the district of Erzgebirgskreis
in the Free State of Saxony
in Germany
.
, the health resort of Oberwiesenthal
and the town of Schwarzenberg
, all in the Erzgebirgskreis.
As the highest village in the lordly domain of Schwarzenberg, Breitenbrunn was likely founded only in the 13th century. With the help of vast meadows and sites it can be ascertained that no more than ten families settled here at first. The village had its first documentary mention as “breitinprun” in 1380 in a chronicle of the mountain counts of Leisnig
when the mining rights for a tin
mine had just been granted. Even before Breitenbrunn’s founding there was over the site of the later settlement a wall with a watchtower, a moat and a small outer defence to defend the Schwarzenberg lordly domain at its southernmost point. Since a spring was found within the moat, the moat was called a “broad spring”, or breiten Brunnen in German, and soon this description was taken up as the place’s name.
Of special historic importance is the Breitenbrunn Papermill found in the town, from which, among others, Johann Sebastian Bach
got his notepaper.
The village at last got its ecclesiastical independence in 1559, in which same year St. Christopher’s Church (St.-Christophorus-Kirche) was built. Chosen as the location was the village’s upper end to make the walk for churchgoers from the neighbouring, parochially united community of Rittersgrün somewhat easier, especially in the winter months.
Today, alongside the Evangelical Lutheran community of St. Christopher is an Evangelical Methodist community.
Ore Mountains
The Ore Mountains in Central Europe have formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for many centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest of the mountain range...
in the district of Erzgebirgskreis
Erzgebirgskreis
Erzgebirgskreis is a district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is named after the Erzgebirge , a mountain range in the southern part of the district which forms part of the Germany–Czech Republic border...
in the Free State of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Constituent communities
The community consists of Breitenbrunn with Breitenhof, Carolathal, Halbemeile and Rabenberg, Antonsthal with Antonshöhe, Erlabrunn, Steinheidel and Fällbach as well as Rittersgrün and Tellerhäuser.Neighbouring communities
Bordering on Breitenbrunn are JohanngeorgenstadtJohanngeorgenstadt
Johanngeorgenstadt is a mining town in Saxony’s Ore Mountains, 17 km south of Aue, and 27 km northwest of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, and right on the border with the Czech Republic, is a state-recognized health resort , and calls itself Stadt des...
, the health resort of Oberwiesenthal
Oberwiesenthal
Oberwiesenthal is a town and a ski resort in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in Saxony in Germany. It is situated in the Erzgebirge 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...
and the town of Schwarzenberg
Schwarzenberg
- People :* House of Schwarzenberg, Frankish and Bohemian aristocratic family which was first mentioned in 1172** Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg , Field Marshal in Austrian service during the Napoleonic Wars...
, all in the Erzgebirgskreis.
Location
Breitenbrunn lies on a mountain ridge stretching from the Schwarzwasser Valley on east. It is surrounded by, among other mountains, the Rabenberg and the Sauberg.History
Leisnig
Leisnig is a small town in the district of Mittelsachsen, federal Free State of Saxony in Germany.-History:A settlement in this location was first mentioned in 1046. The town features Mildenstein Castle which is over 1000 years old. The house Markt 13 shows the coat of arms of the family...
when the mining rights for a tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
mine had just been granted. Even before Breitenbrunn’s founding there was over the site of the later settlement a wall with a watchtower, a moat and a small outer defence to defend the Schwarzenberg lordly domain at its southernmost point. Since a spring was found within the moat, the moat was called a “broad spring”, or breiten Brunnen in German, and soon this description was taken up as the place’s name.
Of special historic importance is the Breitenbrunn Papermill found in the town, from which, among others, Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
got his notepaper.
Religion
In Catholic times, Breitenbrunn first belonged to the Parish of Schwarzenberg. Later, a chapel consecrated to Saint Peter was built, making Breitenbrunn into a Schwarzenberg branch parish. Even after the Reformation, a dependent relationship was maintained for the time being. Now, however, Breitenbrunn was a daughter community of the newly established parish of Grünstädtel.The village at last got its ecclesiastical independence in 1559, in which same year St. Christopher’s Church (St.-Christophorus-Kirche) was built. Chosen as the location was the village’s upper end to make the walk for churchgoers from the neighbouring, parochially united community of Rittersgrün somewhat easier, especially in the winter months.
Today, alongside the Evangelical Lutheran community of St. Christopher is an Evangelical Methodist community.
Population development
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- Data from 1999 on: Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen
Mayor
The community’s mayor (Bürgermeister) Ralf Fischer, born in 1955, was elected in the latest mayoral contest on 10 June 2001 with 98.4% of all the votes. The other 1.6% was shared by other candidates who each received one vote.Culture and sightseeing
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 |
- St. Christoph visitors‘ mine
- Silberwäsche Technical Museum in the constituent community of Antonsthal
- Christophoruskirche from 1559
- Memorial to the Plague Minister Wolfgang Uhle at cemetery entrance
- Hunting lodge ruins
Natural memorials
- “Himmelswiese” protected nature area near the constituent community of Halbemeile
- Preißhausbuche, a famous beech tree
Education
Breitenbrunn is also known for its Staatliche Studienakademie Breitenbrunn (Breitenbrunn State Academy). Here roughly 300 students are taught by the dual principle in the fields of tourism economics, industry and welfare.Sport
- Rabenberg Sport and Education Centre (with indoor swimming pool and cross-country ski run)
Regular events
- Church consecration festival (kermis) in the upper village on the last weekend of August
Famous people
- Wolfgang Uhle (1512–1594), known as the “Plague Minister” of AnnabergAnnaberg-BuchholzAnnaberg-Buchholz is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, in the Erzgebirge, capital of the district Erzgebirgskreis.The town is located in the Ore Mountains, at the side of the Pöhlberg . It has three Protestant churches, among them that of St...
, was minister in Breitenbrunn from 1569 to 1594. - Christian Gottlob Wild, minister and dialect poet, died here in 1839.