NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Fichtelberg

The Fichtelberg is a mountain with two main peaks in the middle of the Erzgebirge (English: ore mountains) in south-eastern Germany, in Saxony near the Czech border. At 1,214.6 meters above sea level, the Fichtelberg is the tallest mountain in Saxony. It was the tallest mountain of the German Democratic Republic. The second, shorter peak of of the mountain is only 1,206 meters tall. In the 19th century the Erzgebirge mountains were a centre for lace making. ... The Free State of Saxony (German: Freistaat Sachsen; Sorbian: Swobodny Stata Sakska) is at a land area of 18,413 kmÂ² and a population of 4. ... East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR), German Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), was a socialist country that existed from 1949 to 1990. ...

The Fichtelberg towers above the holiday destination of Oberwiesenthal, where the cablecar system is located. The cablecar system was opened in 1924, is 1,175 meters long, and has a vertical climb of 305 meters. The cablecar system takes six minutes to travel from the valley to the peak of the mountain. The cablecar system is the most important form of transportation for the mountain area and is the oldest cablecar system of its sort in Germany. The only other form of transportation to Oberwiesenthal is a bus system. The lower half of the mountain peak has parking lots, while the upper parking lot has only limited parking spaces. For visitors, a hiking excursion, the journey with a bus or the cablecar system is highly recommended.

On the peak of the mountain is the Fichtelberghaus (a restaurant, cafeteria-style restaurant and a hotel) with it's 31-meter-tall viewing tower. The newer portion of the building was opened in 1999, as the former Fichtelberghaus was torn down in 1967. The original Fichtelberghaus was built in 1888, but burnt down on 25 February 1963.

On clear days, one can see to the mountains in the northern Czech Republic (the České středohoří) and into the moutains shared by Poland and the Czech Republic.

Links

[Fichtelberghaus after the expansion in 1912]
[A view from the peak]
[A panoramic view of Oberwiesenthal with the Fichtelberg in the background]

Results from FactBites:

KulTour-Pfad Franken : Fichtelberg (262 words)
	In 1609 another blast furnace was constructed in the Fichtelberg area.
	Starting with the industrialization during the 19th century the situation for Fichtelberg as mining city became more difficult.
	The miners who stayed in the Fichtelberg area began working in the quarries, sawmills or in the forests of Fichtelberg forestry office.

CRÈVECOEUR (3315 words)
	The paradox is created because the individuals who are to accomplish this are also, themselves, situated in a social world that affects the way they approach these texts.
	Fichtelberg develops his ideological critique thesis, as a way of explaining the apparent change in mood that occurs in Letter 12.
	Fichtelberg notes, correctly, I think, the weaknesses of the conventional explanation of Jamess behavior described by Crèvecoeur in Letter 12 (Fichtelberg 88).

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