UNESCO - World Heritage / Montanregion Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří

In order to be awarded the World Heritage title, the site's exceptional universal value is crucial. The wealth of raw materials in the Erzgebirge formed the foundation for the development of the entire region based on mining, from which a montane cultural landscape emerged over 800 years. The mining of silver, tin, cobalt, iron and uranium paved the way for science and innovation in mining and metallurgy. Under the state organization of mining, a training system for skilled workers developed for the first time in the world. These developments have been authentically passed down through mining landscapes and material testimonies with a total of 22 components on the Saxon and Bohemian side. The extraordinary universal value is only justified in the totality of all 22 components and results from the fulfillment of three cultural criteria.

The Ore Mountains/Krušnohoří mining region is representative of three decisive cultural criteria:

The technological and scientific achievements in the field of mine drainage, ore processing, metallurgy and mining science that emanated from Saxon-Bohemian ore mining between the 16th and 20th centuries. The application, further development and worldwide dissemination of these technologies and knowledge are unparalleled on a global scale.

The development of a state-organized mining industry with direct influence on the mining administration, the education system and social areas. This development, which served as a model for other mining regions on the European continent, not only revolutionized the administration, but also led to the emergence of a mining-based culture.

From the 12th to the 20th century, the region was shaped into a unique cultural landscape characterized by mining. The different stages of its development can still be seen today in the original mining landscapes, mining and smelting facilities and the generously laid out and artistically decorated mining towns.

More than 800 years of mining in the Ore Mountains have led to a unique relationship between man and nature, which has resulted in a mountainous, cross-border cultural landscape of universal value. In order to preserve this uniqueness for the future, project groups and associations as well as German and Czech sponsoring organizations, including the Altenberg-Zinnwald region, joined forces to form the Erzgebirge World Heritage Convention. Together, the application for the UNESCO World Heritage title for the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří mining region was initiated and successful inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List was achieved.

The "Ore Mountains Mining and Cultural Landscape" was inscribed on the German Tentative List, a kind of waiting list for World Heritage sites, back in 1998. After a World Heritage project group from the TU Bergakademie Freiberg confirmed the potential for the inclusion of the Erzgebirge mining region on the World Heritage List in 2002 on the basis of a study and the Förderverein Montanregion Erzgebirge e.V. was founded to provide idealistic and financial support, the project was realized step by step.

Between 2007 and 2012, the selection and description of the planned World Heritage properties on the Saxon and Czech sides was carried out by means of so-called implementation studies. With the establishment of non-profit sponsoring companies on both sides of the border, the organization and financing of the application phase was placed under the responsibility of the region. Since 2012, the project group at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg has been preparing the German-Czech World Heritage application "Montane Cultural Landscape Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří", which was submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Center in Paris in January 2014.

Following an assessment by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the World Heritage eligibility was confirmed, but a qualification of the documents was suggested in order to improve the chances of successful inscription on the World Heritage List. The application was then revised in accordance with the recommendations of the International Council on Monuments and Sites and resubmitted to UNESCO in January 2018. As a result of the new technical review, ICOMOS made a recommendation to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in May 2019 for inscription on the World Heritage List. At its 43rd session in Baku, Azerbaijan, at the beginning of July 2019, the inscription was successfully put to the vote. There was jubilation, joy and relief when this long-awaited success was achieved after more than 20 years of effort.