Schneeberg, once an important silver-mining town, lies in the western Erzgebirge on the hill (470m/1,542ft) from which it takes its name. The hills around the town rise to almost 600m/2,000ft (Gleesberg, 593m/1,946ft; Griesbacher Höhe, 578m/1,896ft). The silver mines of Schneeberg brought wealth to the Dukes of Saxony. It is now a considerable industrial town and a center of Erzgebirge folk traditions, as well as a popular winter sports resort.
Schneeberg has a long tradition of folk art. The House of Erzgebirge Folk Art was established in 1953, and wood and textile designers are trained in the School of Applied Art.
Schneeberg is dominated by Late Gothic St Wolfgang's Church (1515-40), one of the largest hall-churches in Saxony, is restored to its former glory after its destruction during the Second World War. The altarpiece by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1539), one of his finest works, has been returned to the church.
Notable among Schneeberg's many Baroque buildings are two houses in Ernst-Schneller-Platz (Nos. 1 and 2) with stucco-decorated facades. The Fürstenplatz (1721) at Ernst-Schneller-Platz 4 has a middle section articulated by pilasters. The Bortenreuther-Haus (1724-25) in Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz also has pilasters and a handsome doorway.
In the Neustädtel district of Schneeberg stands the Late Gothic Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), with two-story galleries and a finely decorated interior.
The Museum of Folk Art in Schneeberg, in a Baroque house in Obere Zobelgasse, illustrates the development of carving in the Erzgebirge from its beginnings to the present day; also silhouettes, pillow lace and pewterware.
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