Starting in the Middle Ages, iron, tin, silver and other metals were mined in this region, which is known as the Erzgebirge. Therefore, people’s jobs depended directly on the environment. When all the silver in one area of the mine was collected, people would not have jobs until a new area of silver was found. After World War II, uranium was also found in the mines, which can be used for energy.
Although the region is cold in the winter and can have a lot of snowfall (depending on the year), it is actually much warmer in the mines than outside. The mine that I visited was 15° Celsius (or 59° Fahrenheit), which was really warm compared to the 32°F weather outside.
In addition to the changing levels of available metals that can be mined, this area is also very cold and dark in the winter. When I was there, it was around 27-32°F, and the 9-10 hours of sunlight per day was mostly covered by clouds. The long winter months made it especially hard for the miners, who would leave early in the morning for work when it was still dark, work in the dark mines all day, and then return in the late afternoon when the sun had already set. Therefore, they did not get to see sunlight for months – except on their days off!
In order for the miners to see light, the people of Erzgebirge created Schwibbogen, which are candle arches that sit in the windowsills of everyone in the town. Then, when the miners were on their way to or from the mine, they would see these lights in every house.
