Wood, folk art and fog in the Ore Mountains

The area around the Zollhaus is a beautiful region in the Eastern Ore Mountains and a paradise for nature lovers. Here you will find a unique flora and fauna that has developed as a result of the mixture of Atlantic and continental climate. The landscape is characterised by wide meadows and fields, dense forests and small streams that meander through the area.

Guests who come to Neuhermsdorf are often impressed by how the trees are green and how low the bark beetle infestation is compared to many forests in other parts of Germany. This, explains Felix FörsterThe reason for this is, among other things, the higher amount of precipitation than in the lowlands.

Cooler climate makes trees grow slower and the wood stronger

The climate is also cooler here. The average annual temperature is around 7°C - significantly cooler than in the lowlands such as Dresden, which is only around 33 kilometres away as the crow flies. There it is around 6 degrees warmer with an average annual temperature of 13°C. Due to the lower temperatures, trees grow more slowly in the Eastern Ore Mountains than in the lowlands. According to Felix, spring comes about 4-5 weeks later and the trees "shoot up" less quickly during this time. This creates valuable, homogeneously strong wood: the annual rings are tighter, the pores in the wood are smaller and the wood is therefore more stable than in regions with a warmer spring.

This led to the development of musical instrument making and domestic music

The availability of such high-quality wood has culturally supported the development of musical instrument making, domestic music and folk art, among other things. More and more instrument makers have been found in the Vogtland region in particular; and music plays a conspicuously large role throughout the entire region, says Felix. Whether in domestic music, in churches or among children - playing musical instruments is particularly widespread in the region.

Folk art is still an important Important economic sector in the region

With the wood available, folk art also developed as a sideline during the long winters. This meant that the time when farming could not be actively practised and a lot of time was spent indoors was used sensibly and creatively for carving. For many centuries, Erzgebirge craftsmen have been making artistic figurines and decorations from wood. Whether angels, miners or nutcrackers - the variety of carvings is large and fascinating.

The figures are often painstakingly handcrafted from lime or spruce wood and can sometimes take several weeks to complete. The colouring of the figures also plays an important role. Natural materials such as beetroot or safflower are often used for this. Today, there are numerous workshops in the Erzgebirge where you can look over the carvers' shoulders and be inspired by their art.

Nebel lässt malerischen „Eisanhang“ an Bäumen entstehen

Felix also points out other climatic peculiarities that occur at this altitude. Due to its location on the Bohemian Basin climatic divide, for example, periods of fog can still occur for up to 3 days at a time. In the past, these could even last for 10 days to 2 weeks at ridge altitudes. However, this has now changed, partly because of the gradually warmer temperatures and partly because smoke and exhaust fumes from the Bohemian Basin no longer contribute significantly to the fog. If you catch a foggy day, you may feel that the atmosphere becomes mystical and fairytale-like - the landscape reminded me of Shakespeare's MacBeth.

In connection with fog, wind plumes or ice build-up can also form on the trees. These form when fog, a light frost and wind come together. First, droplets on the trees turn to ice; then the wind pushes more droplets onto the windward side of the branch. This creates ice paths, explains Felix, so that trees look increasingly "sugared over" with ice. Even if thesesometimes become so heavy that trees can collapse and even cause extensive damage to the forests; they are beautiful to the naked eye, especially when viewed from close up.

Mehr Informationen zur Natur und Geschichte der Region erhalten Sie auf den Wanderungen mit Felix Förster und unseren Kollegen, zum Beispiel in den Wellnesspaketen „Yoga and hiking“ und „Fasting hike„; oder wenn Sie vor Ort eine geführte Wanderung buchen.