Palaces of the old and new rich
Route »Palaces of the old and new rich«
Traces of Saxony’s industrial history
Until World War II, Saxony was the leading industrial region of Germany. Rich factory owners were able to build villas of such splendor that they equaled the palaces of the nobility.
Distance approx. 240 km
The center of Saxony’s industry
The Industrial Museum of Chemnitz gives its visitors the chance to experience Saxony’s industrial history at first hand, with such inventions from Saxony as the coffee filter, the single-lens-reflex camera and mild detergent, as well as an old but working steam engine. In the former monastery and later castle on the castle hill there is now a museum. Of the villas belonging to Chemnitz factory owners, the most outstanding is that of Herbert Esche, which Henry van de Velde designed as an art nouveau work of art. The moated castle of Klaffenbach on the southern outskirts of the city is also unconventional.
Fast wheels
The town of Zschopau is dominated by the castle of Wildeck, where “hot machines” have been built since 1922. The most outstanding exhibition of motorcycles in Europe can be viewed in the nearby hunting lodge of Augustusburg, with its panorama view over the Ore Mountains, whose natural resources made the industrialization of Saxony possible. In Lengefeld’s limestone museum there is an exhibition of the history of limestone quarrying, which goes back over 400 years.
Saxony’s oldest holiday route
In Olbernhau visitors can admire the famous Ore Mountains art of woodcarving, as well as the Saigerhütte smelting hut with its old installations for copperworking. Also there is the Silver Route, which extends between Dresden and Zwickau and commemorates more than 800 years of mining in Saxony. To the west is the castle of Wolkenstein, sitting majestically on its rock, and the former tin mine of Ehrenfriedersdorf, which is also worth visiting. Close by is the town of Annaberg-Buchholz, whose mining regulations were for a long time the law in the whole of Germany. In the impressive St Anne’s Church, the unique miners’ guild altar portrays the history of silver mining. 17th-century technology is shown in the iron hammer mill in the Frohnau district. Not far from Schlettau Castle visitors can still travel by steam every day between Cranzahl and Oberwiesenthal. There is a rail museum near the castle in Schwarzenberg.
Black gold
To the north of the Silver Route is Hartenstein. As well as the ruins of the stately home and Stein Castle, the former villa of a “coal baron”, Wolfsbrunn Castle Hotel, is also to be found. The history of Saxon coal mining is told in Oelsnitz’s mining museum. Lichtenstein Palace is today home to the Center for International Wood Sculpture.
Luxury on wheels
Farther west in Zwickau, August Horch built luxury cars of the brands “Horch” and later, after founding another company, “Audi”, the Latin translation of his surname. The museum, which is named after him, is located in the old Audi factory and shows a century of auto manufacture in Saxony.
Fabric of dreams
The cradle of the town of Crimmitschau is today the Schweinsburg Castle Hotel. In another castle in the Blankenhain district of the town, the Germany Agricultural Museum is well worth visiting. The West Saxon Textile Museum features a completely preserved historical material factory. The magnificent villas of the mill owners are in Lindenstrasse. Textiles were also important for Glauchau, where there are two stately homes next to each other. Lovers of two or four wheels should visit the Sachsenring near Hohenstein-Ernstthal, and not only on event days. From there it is a stone’s throw back to Chemnitz.
