Renaissance for the Only Mountain Church in Saxony
Located directly on the Annaberg market place, the St. Marien Mountain Church was erected from 1502 to 1511. In 1863, the house of prayer served exclusively as a place for miners to pray, which was especially important since the decision to take the costs for construction mainly from the weekly wages of the miner's union was controversial. Severely damaged by a substantial city fire in 1604, the mountain church was rebuilt in the Renaissance style between 1614 and 1616 while still retaining the triple nave design established for the original late Gothic construction. Following the fire of 1731, the house of prayer received a new roof in 1734 and a new tower in 1737. After an extensive renovation, there was a celebratory reopening of the mountain church on September 25, 2005 with a new concept for use. With its uniqueness, it has thus become a testament to the mining of the Middle Ages in the Ore Mountains mountain region and houses a very special treasure - the miner nativity.
