Ore Mountain passes
Encyclopedia
The Ore Mountain passes are crossings and passages over the crest of the Ore Mountains
in Central Europe, over which tracks, roads, railway lines and pipelines run from the Free State of Saxony
in the Federal Republic of Germany
to Bohemia
in the Czech Republic
and vice-versa.
and the climate
are the most important physical-geographic conditions that exert an influence on the course and the design of routes across the Ore Mountains, even today. Geomorphologically, the mountains form a fault block, sharply uplifted in the south and sloping gradually away to the north. The appearance of the mountains in the Saxon part is characterised less by their absolute height, but by deep and sometimes winding valleys that have cut notches up to 200 metres deep into the terrain. The area between the valleys comprises gently rolling plateau
s that from an early time enabled favourable transportation routes to be developed, often with gentle inclines. In fact such communications only became a problem where one of the deep valleys had to be crossed. Significantly less easy to negotiate, however, is the steep descent to the south towards Bohemia, where the Ore Mountains drop up to 700 metres in less than 10 kilometres. Even today, the upgraded transit roads in this section have gradients of over 10%.
The Ore Mountain crest itself forms a series of plateaus and individual peaks, interrupted by saddles
. From the Vogtland
the ridge climbs to about 1,000 metres in height and then falls to about 900 metres near Johanngeorgenstadt
(Platten Pass). The ridge rises again to the Fichtelberg/Klínovec (Keilberg) summits that are over 1,200 metres high. Between the two mountains, the crest sinks down to the Wiesenthal Pass at 1,080 metres. By Deutscheinsiedler Saddle
, the lowest crossing over the mountains, the ridgeline drops by 750 metres to the Reitzenhain Pass (820 m). To the north-east the crest reaches 900 metres again at the Kahleberg
before descending to about 500 metres to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
.
Due to the lack of a water gap
through the mountains, the mountain passes are relatively high. Thus, the middle ridge of the Ore Mountains is about 880 metres high and the average saddle height is only slightly lower at 810 metres. Because the fault block is uplifted on one side along the Eger trough and the border diverges away from the ridge line, the Ore Mountains reach their greatest height on the Bohemian side. Thus most of the passes are already in Bohemia. They reach an average altitude of 700-900 m above sea level. The highest pass, at 1,083 m above sea level, is the Wiesenthal Pass. The lowest-lying is the Nollendorf Pass at 680 m.
On the upper slopes of the Ore Mountains the climate may quite clearly be described as harsh. For that reason, the Upper Ore Mountains was also referred to in the past as Saxon Siberia
. The annual rainfall on the high ridges is up to over 1,100 millimetres, with the majority falling as snow. The annual average temperatures reach values of only 3 to 5°C. At Oberwiesenthal
, located 922 m above sea level, there are on average only about 140 frost-free days a year. These winter temperatures and snowfalls during the winter months, especially on the mountain passes, lead to traffic problems, congestion and closures, even today. According to reports by historians in the past, winters in previous centuries in the upper Ore Mountain regions must have been even harder than today. Prolonged periods of frost and continuous snow cover, metre-high snowdrifts and snow storms often made roads and passes impassable for weeks. Reports by the State Post Office on the road to the mining town of Sayda
on the Deutscheinsiedler Saddle dated February 1855, state that "... because of the immense masses of snow, progress [is] almost impossible, just as impossible are the conditions during snowfalls". Post had to be transported by sledge and messengers, because "two horses side by side cannot not wade through the piles of snow".
Mention should also be made of the danger of flooding during the snow melts in summer and thunderstorms. Floods have occurred repeatedly in the past, most recently in August 2002, when considerable destruction was caused to access roads in the valleys to the Ore Mountain passes.
The Ore Mountain passes are crossings and passages over the crest of the Ore Mountains
in Central Europe, over which tracks, roads, railway lines and pipelines run from the Free State of Saxony
in the Federal Republic of Germany
to Bohemia
in the Czech Republic
and vice-versa.
The shape of the terrain
and the climate
are the most important physical-geographic conditions that exert an influence on the course and the design of routes across the Ore Mountains, even today. Geomorphologically, the mountains form a fault block, sharply uplifted in the south and sloping gradually away to the north. The appearance of the mountains in the Saxon part is characterised less by their absolute height, but by deep and sometimes winding valleys that have cut notches up to 200 metres deep into the terrain. The area between the valleys comprises gently rolling plateau
s that from an early time enabled favourable transportation routes to be developed, often with gentle inclines. In fact such communications only became a problem where one of the deep valleys had to be crossed. Significantly less easy to negotiate, however, is the steep descent to the south towards Bohemia, where the Ore Mountains drop up to 700 metres in less than 10 kilometres. Even today, the upgraded transit roads in this section have gradients of over 10%.
The Ore Mountain crest itself forms a series of plateaus and individual peaks, interrupted by saddles
. From the Vogtland
the ridge climbs to about 1,000 metres in height and then falls to about 900 metres near Johanngeorgenstadt
(Platten Pass). The ridge rises again to the Fichtelberg/Klínovec (Keilberg) summits that are over 1,200 metres high. Between the two mountains, the crest sinks down to the Wiesenthal Pass at 1,080 metres. By Deutscheinsiedler Saddle
, the lowest crossing over the mountains, the ridgeline drops by 750 metres to the Reitzenhain Pass (820 m). To the north-east the crest reaches 900 metres again at the Kahleberg
before descending to about 500 metres to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
.
Due to the lack of a water gap
through the mountains, the mountain passes are relatively high. Thus, the middle ridge of the Ore Mountains is about 880 metres high and the average saddle height is only slightly lower at 810 metres. Because the fault block is uplifted on one side along the Eger trough and the border diverges away from the ridge line, the Ore Mountains reach their greatest height on the Bohemian side. Thus most of the passes are already in Bohemia. They reach an average altitude of 700-900 m above sea level. The highest pass, at 1,083 m above sea level, is the Wiesenthal Pass. The lowest-lying is the Nollendorf Pass at 680 m.
On the upper slopes of the Ore Mountains the climate may quite clearly be described as harsh. For that reason, the Upper Ore Mountains was also referred to in the past as Saxon Siberia
. The annual rainfall on the high ridges is up to over 1,100 millimetres, with the majority falling as snow. The annual average temperatures reach values of only 3 to 5°C. At Oberwiesenthal
, located 922 m above sea level, there are on average only about 140 frost-free days a year. These winter temperatures and snowfalls during the winter months, especially on the mountain passes, lead to traffic problems, congestion and closures, even today. According to reports by historians in the past, winters in previous centuries in the upper Ore Mountain regions must have been even harder than today. Prolonged periods of frost and continuous snow cover, metre-high snowdrifts and snow storms often made roads and passes impassable for weeks. Reports by the State Post Office on the road to the mining town of Sayda
on the Deutscheinsiedler Saddle dated February 1855, state that "... because of the immense masses of snow, progress [is] almost impossible, just as impossible are the conditions during snowfalls". Post had to be transported by sledge and messengers, because "two horses side by side cannot not wade through the piles of snow".
Mention should also be made of the danger of flooding during the snow melts in summer and thunderstorms. Floods have occurred repeatedly in the past, most recently in August 2002, when considerable destruction was caused to access roads in the valleys to the Ore Mountain passes.
The Ore Mountain passes are crossings and passages over the crest of the Ore Mountains
in Central Europe, over which tracks, roads, railway lines and pipelines run from the Free State of Saxony
in the Federal Republic of Germany
to Bohemia
in the Czech Republic
and vice-versa.
The shape of the terrain
and the climate
are the most important physical-geographic conditions that exert an influence on the course and the design of routes across the Ore Mountains, even today. Geomorphologically, the mountains form a fault block, sharply uplifted in the south and sloping gradually away to the north. The appearance of the mountains in the Saxon part is characterised less by their absolute height, but by deep and sometimes winding valleys that have cut notches up to 200 metres deep into the terrain. The area between the valleys comprises gently rolling plateau
s that from an early time enabled favourable transportation routes to be developed, often with gentle inclines. In fact such communications only became a problem where one of the deep valleys had to be crossed. Significantly less easy to negotiate, however, is the steep descent to the south towards Bohemia, where the Ore Mountains drop up to 700 metres in less than 10 kilometres. Even today, the upgraded transit roads in this section have gradients of over 10%.
The Ore Mountain crest itself forms a series of plateaus and individual peaks, interrupted by saddles
. From the Vogtland
the ridge climbs to about 1,000 metres in height and then falls to about 900 metres near Johanngeorgenstadt
(Platten Pass). The ridge rises again to the Fichtelberg/Klínovec (Keilberg) summits that are over 1,200 metres high. Between the two mountains, the crest sinks down to the Wiesenthal Pass at 1,080 metres. By Deutscheinsiedler Saddle
, the lowest crossing over the mountains, the ridgeline drops by 750 metres to the Reitzenhain Pass (820 m). To the north-east the crest reaches 900 metres again at the Kahleberg
before descending to about 500 metres to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
.
Due to the lack of a water gap
through the mountains, the mountain passes are relatively high. Thus, the middle ridge of the Ore Mountains is about 880 metres high and the average saddle height is only slightly lower at 810 metres. Because the fault block is uplifted on one side along the Eger trough and the border diverges away from the ridge line, the Ore Mountains reach their greatest height on the Bohemian side. Thus most of the passes are already in Bohemia. They reach an average altitude of 700-900 m above sea level. The highest pass, at 1,083 m above sea level, is the Wiesenthal Pass. The lowest-lying is the Nollendorf Pass at 680 m.
On the upper slopes of the Ore Mountains the climate may quite clearly be described as harsh. For that reason, the Upper Ore Mountains was also referred to in the past as Saxon Siberia
. The annual rainfall on the high ridges is up to over 1,100 millimetres, with the majority falling as snow. The annual average temperatures reach values of only 3 to 5°C. At Oberwiesenthal
, located 922 m above sea level, there are on average only about 140 frost-free days a year. These winter temperatures and snowfalls during the winter months, especially on the mountain passes, lead to traffic problems, congestion and closures, even today. According to reports by historians in the past, winters in previous centuries in the upper Ore Mountain regions must have been even harder than today. Prolonged periods of frost and continuous snow cover, metre-high snowdrifts and snow storms often made roads and passes impassable for weeks. Reports by the State Post Office on the road to the mining town of Sayda
on the Deutscheinsiedler Saddle dated February 1855, state that "... because of the immense masses of snow, progress [is] almost impossible, just as impossible are the conditions during snowfalls". Post had to be transported by sledge and messengers, because "two horses side by side cannot not wade through the piles of snow".
Mention should also be made of the danger of flooding during the snow melts in summer and thunderstorms. Floods have occurred repeatedly in the past, most recently in August 2002, when considerable destruction was caused to access roads in the valleys to the Ore Mountain passes.
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 Central Europe, over which tracks, roads, railway lines and pipelines run from 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 the Federal Republic of 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...
to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and vice-versa.
Upper Ore Mountains from a transport perspective
The shape of the terrainGeomorphology
Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them...
and the climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
are the most important physical-geographic conditions that exert an influence on the course and the design of routes across the Ore Mountains, even today. Geomorphologically, the mountains form a fault block, sharply uplifted in the south and sloping gradually away to the north. The appearance of the mountains in the Saxon part is characterised less by their absolute height, but by deep and sometimes winding valleys that have cut notches up to 200 metres deep into the terrain. The area between the valleys comprises gently rolling plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
s that from an early time enabled favourable transportation routes to be developed, often with gentle inclines. In fact such communications only became a problem where one of the deep valleys had to be crossed. Significantly less easy to negotiate, however, is the steep descent to the south towards Bohemia, where the Ore Mountains drop up to 700 metres in less than 10 kilometres. Even today, the upgraded transit roads in this section have gradients of over 10%.
The Ore Mountain crest itself forms a series of plateaus and individual peaks, interrupted by saddles
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
. From the Vogtland
Vogtland
The term Vogtland refers to a region reaching across the German free states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia and into the Czech Republic . The name of the region contains a reference to the former leadership by the Vögte of Weida, Gera and Plauen, which translates approximately to advocates or lord...
the ridge climbs to about 1,000 metres in height and then falls to about 900 metres near Johanngeorgenstadt
Johanngeorgenstadt
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...
(Platten Pass). The ridge rises again to the Fichtelberg/Klínovec (Keilberg) summits that are over 1,200 metres high. Between the two mountains, the crest sinks down to the Wiesenthal Pass at 1,080 metres. By Deutscheinsiedler Saddle
Deutschneudorf
Deutschneudorf is a municipality in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony, Germany.Deutschneudorf is also the site of a recent dig in search of Nazi gold. This site, an abandoned copper mine in the Ore mountains, was identified by radar scans as having a large amount of dense metal...
, the lowest crossing over the mountains, the ridgeline drops by 750 metres to the Reitzenhain Pass (820 m). To the north-east the crest reaches 900 metres again at the Kahleberg
Kahleberg
Kahleberg is a mountain of Saxony, southeastern Germany.-History:Kahleberg is located 2 kilometres south-west of the mining town Altenburg, which is on the border of the Czech Republic....
before descending to about 500 metres to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Elbe Sandstone Mountains
The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe sandstone highlands is a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, with about three-quarters of the area lying on the German side...
.
Due to the lack of a water gap
Water gap
A water gap is an opening or notch which flowing water has carved through a mountain range. Water gaps often offer a practical route for road and rail transport to cross mountain ridges.- Geology :...
through the mountains, the mountain passes are relatively high. Thus, the middle ridge of the Ore Mountains is about 880 metres high and the average saddle height is only slightly lower at 810 metres. Because the fault block is uplifted on one side along the Eger trough and the border diverges away from the ridge line, the Ore Mountains reach their greatest height on the Bohemian side. Thus most of the passes are already in Bohemia. They reach an average altitude of 700-900 m above sea level. The highest pass, at 1,083 m above sea level, is the Wiesenthal Pass. The lowest-lying is the Nollendorf Pass at 680 m.
Saxon Siberia
Saxon Siberia is a term referring to the higher regions of the Western Ore Mountains and the Vogtland in Central Europe. The term was first coined in the 18th century....
. The annual rainfall on the high ridges is up to over 1,100 millimetres, with the majority falling as snow. The annual average temperatures reach values of only 3 to 5°C. At 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...
, located 922 m above sea level, there are on average only about 140 frost-free days a year. These winter temperatures and snowfalls during the winter months, especially on the mountain passes, lead to traffic problems, congestion and closures, even today. According to reports by historians in the past, winters in previous centuries in the upper Ore Mountain regions must have been even harder than today. Prolonged periods of frost and continuous snow cover, metre-high snowdrifts and snow storms often made roads and passes impassable for weeks. Reports by the State Post Office on the road to the mining town of Sayda
Sayda
Sayda is a town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated 24 km south of Freiberg, and 28 km north of Chomutov....
on the Deutscheinsiedler Saddle dated February 1855, state that "... because of the immense masses of snow, progress [is] almost impossible, just as impossible are the conditions during snowfalls". Post had to be transported by sledge and messengers, because "two horses side by side cannot not wade through the piles of snow".
Mention should also be made of the danger of flooding during the snow melts in summer and thunderstorms. Floods have occurred repeatedly in the past, most recently in August 2002, when considerable destruction was caused to access roads in the valleys to the Ore Mountain passes.
The Ore Mountain passes are crossings and passages over the crest of the Ore Mountains
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 Central Europe, over which tracks, roads, railway lines and pipelines run from 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 the Federal Republic of 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...
to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and vice-versa.
Upper Ore Mountains from a transport perspective
The shape of the terrain
Geomorphology
Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them...
and the climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
are the most important physical-geographic conditions that exert an influence on the course and the design of routes across the Ore Mountains, even today. Geomorphologically, the mountains form a fault block, sharply uplifted in the south and sloping gradually away to the north. The appearance of the mountains in the Saxon part is characterised less by their absolute height, but by deep and sometimes winding valleys that have cut notches up to 200 metres deep into the terrain. The area between the valleys comprises gently rolling plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
s that from an early time enabled favourable transportation routes to be developed, often with gentle inclines. In fact such communications only became a problem where one of the deep valleys had to be crossed. Significantly less easy to negotiate, however, is the steep descent to the south towards Bohemia, where the Ore Mountains drop up to 700 metres in less than 10 kilometres. Even today, the upgraded transit roads in this section have gradients of over 10%.
The Ore Mountain crest itself forms a series of plateaus and individual peaks, interrupted by saddles
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
. From the Vogtland
Vogtland
The term Vogtland refers to a region reaching across the German free states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia and into the Czech Republic . The name of the region contains a reference to the former leadership by the Vögte of Weida, Gera and Plauen, which translates approximately to advocates or lord...
the ridge climbs to about 1,000 metres in height and then falls to about 900 metres near Johanngeorgenstadt
Johanngeorgenstadt
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...
(Platten Pass). The ridge rises again to the Fichtelberg/Klínovec (Keilberg) summits that are over 1,200 metres high. Between the two mountains, the crest sinks down to the Wiesenthal Pass at 1,080 metres. By Deutscheinsiedler Saddle
Deutschneudorf
Deutschneudorf is a municipality in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony, Germany.Deutschneudorf is also the site of a recent dig in search of Nazi gold. This site, an abandoned copper mine in the Ore mountains, was identified by radar scans as having a large amount of dense metal...
, the lowest crossing over the mountains, the ridgeline drops by 750 metres to the Reitzenhain Pass (820 m). To the north-east the crest reaches 900 metres again at the Kahleberg
Kahleberg
Kahleberg is a mountain of Saxony, southeastern Germany.-History:Kahleberg is located 2 kilometres south-west of the mining town Altenburg, which is on the border of the Czech Republic....
before descending to about 500 metres to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Elbe Sandstone Mountains
The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe sandstone highlands is a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, with about three-quarters of the area lying on the German side...
.
Due to the lack of a water gap
Water gap
A water gap is an opening or notch which flowing water has carved through a mountain range. Water gaps often offer a practical route for road and rail transport to cross mountain ridges.- Geology :...
through the mountains, the mountain passes are relatively high. Thus, the middle ridge of the Ore Mountains is about 880 metres high and the average saddle height is only slightly lower at 810 metres. Because the fault block is uplifted on one side along the Eger trough and the border diverges away from the ridge line, the Ore Mountains reach their greatest height on the Bohemian side. Thus most of the passes are already in Bohemia. They reach an average altitude of 700-900 m above sea level. The highest pass, at 1,083 m above sea level, is the Wiesenthal Pass. The lowest-lying is the Nollendorf Pass at 680 m.
Saxon Siberia
Saxon Siberia is a term referring to the higher regions of the Western Ore Mountains and the Vogtland in Central Europe. The term was first coined in the 18th century....
. The annual rainfall on the high ridges is up to over 1,100 millimetres, with the majority falling as snow. The annual average temperatures reach values of only 3 to 5°C. At 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...
, located 922 m above sea level, there are on average only about 140 frost-free days a year. These winter temperatures and snowfalls during the winter months, especially on the mountain passes, lead to traffic problems, congestion and closures, even today. According to reports by historians in the past, winters in previous centuries in the upper Ore Mountain regions must have been even harder than today. Prolonged periods of frost and continuous snow cover, metre-high snowdrifts and snow storms often made roads and passes impassable for weeks. Reports by the State Post Office on the road to the mining town of Sayda
Sayda
Sayda is a town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated 24 km south of Freiberg, and 28 km north of Chomutov....
on the Deutscheinsiedler Saddle dated February 1855, state that "... because of the immense masses of snow, progress [is] almost impossible, just as impossible are the conditions during snowfalls". Post had to be transported by sledge and messengers, because "two horses side by side cannot not wade through the piles of snow".
Mention should also be made of the danger of flooding during the snow melts in summer and thunderstorms. Floods have occurred repeatedly in the past, most recently in August 2002, when considerable destruction was caused to access roads in the valleys to the Ore Mountain passes.
The Ore Mountain passes are crossings and passages over the crest of the Ore Mountains
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 Central Europe, over which tracks, roads, railway lines and pipelines run from 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 the Federal Republic of 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...
to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and vice-versa.
Upper Ore Mountains from a transport perspective
The shape of the terrain
Geomorphology
Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them...
and the climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
are the most important physical-geographic conditions that exert an influence on the course and the design of routes across the Ore Mountains, even today. Geomorphologically, the mountains form a fault block, sharply uplifted in the south and sloping gradually away to the north. The appearance of the mountains in the Saxon part is characterised less by their absolute height, but by deep and sometimes winding valleys that have cut notches up to 200 metres deep into the terrain. The area between the valleys comprises gently rolling plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
s that from an early time enabled favourable transportation routes to be developed, often with gentle inclines. In fact such communications only became a problem where one of the deep valleys had to be crossed. Significantly less easy to negotiate, however, is the steep descent to the south towards Bohemia, where the Ore Mountains drop up to 700 metres in less than 10 kilometres. Even today, the upgraded transit roads in this section have gradients of over 10%.
The Ore Mountain crest itself forms a series of plateaus and individual peaks, interrupted by saddles
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
. From the Vogtland
Vogtland
The term Vogtland refers to a region reaching across the German free states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia and into the Czech Republic . The name of the region contains a reference to the former leadership by the Vögte of Weida, Gera and Plauen, which translates approximately to advocates or lord...
the ridge climbs to about 1,000 metres in height and then falls to about 900 metres near Johanngeorgenstadt
Johanngeorgenstadt
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...
(Platten Pass). The ridge rises again to the Fichtelberg/Klínovec (Keilberg) summits that are over 1,200 metres high. Between the two mountains, the crest sinks down to the Wiesenthal Pass at 1,080 metres. By Deutscheinsiedler Saddle
Deutschneudorf
Deutschneudorf is a municipality in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony, Germany.Deutschneudorf is also the site of a recent dig in search of Nazi gold. This site, an abandoned copper mine in the Ore mountains, was identified by radar scans as having a large amount of dense metal...
, the lowest crossing over the mountains, the ridgeline drops by 750 metres to the Reitzenhain Pass (820 m). To the north-east the crest reaches 900 metres again at the Kahleberg
Kahleberg
Kahleberg is a mountain of Saxony, southeastern Germany.-History:Kahleberg is located 2 kilometres south-west of the mining town Altenburg, which is on the border of the Czech Republic....
before descending to about 500 metres to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Elbe Sandstone Mountains
The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe sandstone highlands is a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, with about three-quarters of the area lying on the German side...
.
Due to the lack of a water gap
Water gap
A water gap is an opening or notch which flowing water has carved through a mountain range. Water gaps often offer a practical route for road and rail transport to cross mountain ridges.- Geology :...
through the mountains, the mountain passes are relatively high. Thus, the middle ridge of the Ore Mountains is about 880 metres high and the average saddle height is only slightly lower at 810 metres. Because the fault block is uplifted on one side along the Eger trough and the border diverges away from the ridge line, the Ore Mountains reach their greatest height on the Bohemian side. Thus most of the passes are already in Bohemia. They reach an average altitude of 700-900 m above sea level. The highest pass, at 1,083 m above sea level, is the Wiesenthal Pass. The lowest-lying is the Nollendorf Pass at 680 m.
Saxon Siberia
Saxon Siberia is a term referring to the higher regions of the Western Ore Mountains and the Vogtland in Central Europe. The term was first coined in the 18th century....
. The annual rainfall on the high ridges is up to over 1,100 millimetres, with the majority falling as snow. The annual average temperatures reach values of only 3 to 5°C. At 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...
, located 922 m above sea level, there are on average only about 140 frost-free days a year. These winter temperatures and snowfalls during the winter months, especially on the mountain passes, lead to traffic problems, congestion and closures, even today. According to reports by historians in the past, winters in previous centuries in the upper Ore Mountain regions must have been even harder than today. Prolonged periods of frost and continuous snow cover, metre-high snowdrifts and snow storms often made roads and passes impassable for weeks. Reports by the State Post Office on the road to the mining town of Sayda
Sayda
Sayda is a town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated 24 km south of Freiberg, and 28 km north of Chomutov....
on the Deutscheinsiedler Saddle dated February 1855, state that "... because of the immense masses of snow, progress [is] almost impossible, just as impossible are the conditions during snowfalls". Post had to be transported by sledge and messengers, because "two horses side by side cannot not wade through the piles of snow".
Mention should also be made of the danger of flooding during the snow melts in summer and thunderstorms. Floods have occurred repeatedly in the past, most recently in August 2002, when considerable destruction was caused to access roads in the valleys to the Ore Mountain passes.