Ore Mountains

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Ore Mountains
Erz Mountains Krušné Mountains
Reservoir near Myslivny
Highest point
Peak	Klínovec
Elevation	1,244 m (4,081 ft)
Coordinates	50°23′46″N 12°58′04″E / 50.39611°N 12.96778°E / 50.39611; 12.96778
Naming
Native name	Erzgebirge (German) Krušné hory (Czech) Rudne horiny (Upper Sorbian)
Geography
Location in Germany Location in the Czech Republic Physical map
Countries	Czech Republic and Germany
Regions/States	Karlovy Vary, Ústí nad Labem and Saxony
Range coordinates	50°30′N 13°00′E / 50.500°N 13.000°E / 50.500; 13.000
Geology
Orogeny	Variscan
Age of rock	Paleozoic
Type of rock	sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region
Type	Cultural
Criteria	(ii), (iii), (iv)
Designated	2019
Reference no.	1478
Region	Western Europe/Eastern Europe

The Ore Mountains (German: Erzgebirge, Czech: Krušné hory) lie along the Czech–German border, separating the historical regions of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany. The highest peaks are the Klínovec in the Czech Republic (German: Keilberg) at 1,244 metres (4,081 ft) above sea level and the Fichtelberg in Germany at 1,215 metres (3,986 ft).

The Ore Mountains have been intensively reshaped by human intervention and a diverse cultural landscape has developed. Mining in particular, with its tips, dams, ditches and sinkholes, directly shaped the landscape and the habitats of plants and animals in many places. The region was also the setting of the earliest stages of the early modern transformation of mining and metallurgy from a craft to a large-scale industry, a process that preceded and enabled the later Industrial Revolution.

The higher altitudes from around 500 m above sea level on the German side belong to the Ore Mountains/Vogtland Nature Park – the largest of its kind in Germany with a length of 120 km. The eastern Ore Mountains are protected landscape. Other smaller areas on the German and Czech sides are protected as nature reserves and natural monuments. On the ridges there are also several larger raised bogs that are only fed by rainwater. The mountains are popular for hiking and there are winter sports areas at higher elevations. In 2019, the region became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[1]