Schwarzenberg is a town in the Erzgebirgskreis district of Saxony, Germany, in the Ore Mountains near the border with the Czech Republic. Founded in the 12th century to protect a trade route, it became the largest producer of washing machines in Eastern Europe during the Cold War. Writer Stefan Heym gave it wider recognition in 1987 by using the phrase Free Republic of Schwarzenberg for the brief gap between Soviet and American occupation zones that existed there in 1945. Known as the Pearl of the Erzgebirge for its historic center, castle, and St.-Georgen-Kirche built between 1690 and 1699, the town had a population of 15,475 as of December 2024.
Facts
Area (sq km) Founding Year Founding Year Population Estimate Year Elevation (m) Latitude50.545278 degrees north 1 FAQs
What territory was Schwarzenberg the centre of?
It was the centre of Herrschaft Schwarzenberg and later Amt Schwarzenberg.
Schwarzenberg was founded in the 12th century to protect a trade road. The small mountain town became the centre of a territory known as Herrschaft Schwarzenberg and later Amt Schwarzenberg.
Sources
1. Schwarzenberg, Saxony (Wikidata)
P1082 (population)
population 15,158 (2025)
P625 (coordinate location)
latitude 50.545278, longitude 12.779167
P2044 (elevation above sea level)
elevation 468 m
P2046 (area)
area 46.33 sq km
P1082 (population), P585 (point in time)
population 15158 (2025)
View the Source2. Schwarzenberg, Saxony (Wikipedia)
Lead section
Founded in the 12th century to protect a trade road, the small mountain town became the centre of a territory known as Herrschaft Schwarzenberg and later Amt Schwarzenberg.
Source text, founding-year: 1150
Schwarzenberg was first documented in 1282 as “civitas Swartzenberg”, but potsherds excavated in 1977 date back somewhat further to c.1200 and the official year of establishment has been fixed at 1150.
- In Group: Cities of Western Europe (World), Wikipedia; part-of country and UN M49 subregion
On Continent: Europe, Lead paragraph names Germany; continent follows from the atlas record for Germany
Herrschaft Schwarzenberg and later Amt Schwarzenberg. During the division of Germany
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