Photo’s of Erzgebirge Hotel
Erzgebirge is a beautiful region situated along the Eastern portion of the German-Czech border. Imagine the scenery if you will: a generous dot of mountains and valleys, time-honoured crafts, delightful villages and ancient towns steeped deep in history.
The region derives its name from the ore that was discovered there back in the 12th century. Erzgebirge literally means Metal Ore Mountain Range (though it’s also commonly known as the Ore Mountains).
Before ore was discovered in Erzgebirge, its landscape was densely covered in forests, such that one bishop referred to the region as Miriquidi which means Dark Forest in Latin. However, it didn’t stop a small group of earlier settlers who chose to live there in the early 6th century, or the rush of settlers who came to mine ore after it was discovered. As a consequence, the thick dense forest landscape was changed somewhat by the second larger group of settlers as there was a lot of mining involved from the 12th to the 19th century.
When mining started to dwindle, craft making took its place such as weaving and wood carving. Erzgebirge gained notoriety for producing exquisite wooden toys and put it back on the map especially where Christmas was concerned. They are now known experts at creating Christmas pyramids, wooden arcs and Nutcrackers.
And though the Erzgebirge Mountains (Erzgebirge) are no longer mined for ore, they are used as popular skiing haunts for novices and old hands alike. Miner parades are also held as a way of honouring and remembering a very important part of the region’s history.
It is all the above (and so much more) that one steps into when they visit Hotel Erzgebirge Mountains (Hotel für Erzgebirge).
One can imagine that when one visits Erzgebirge, it might be a bit of a challenge for them to tear their cameras away from the beauty and history that surrounds them. However, there are hotels that are just as beautiful and historical, that look like they were moulded out of the landscape itself. One such hotel is the outstanding rustic four-star Landhotel Altes Zollhaus. This hotel dates back to the 17th century (1658). Can you imagine how much of the region’s history that hotel has seen? How much history it holds within its walls? And to think that one can stand near the spot where a miner probably walked past, or where the first guests ate, or where a 19th century gentleman stood as he washed and shaved. Are you walking through the same door that he held open for his lady? Are you staring out of the same window that she stared out of – admiring the landscape?
Taking pictures of such a hotel would be wow-inducing — its history, its architecture — it would be an honour, a pleasure and a curiosity for many amateur and professional photographers. For photographers who are frequent travellers and who take pictures of hotels, it would also be interesting to lay some pictures side by side to note if there any similarities in the architecture across countries (and if so, to find out why. Is there a time in history where these countries crossed paths?)
Another hotel of note is the five-star Hotel Sachsenbaude. Located on a plateau on the south side of Mount Fichtelberg, it looks unbelievable when the sun sets and rises. It would make for an amazing set of pictures if the hotel was snapped particularly during those times. National Geographic, eat your heart out!
A photo’s mountains are nowhere near seeing the real thing. Neither is the rest of its landscape or pictures of its hotels. But we take them anyway. Because we feel compelled to. Because we must revisit the photos to convince ourselves that the beauty and the history of what we saw …was true.