Fichtelberg

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The Fichtelberg is a mountain with two main peaks in the middle of the Erzgebirge (English: Ore mountains) in south-eastern Germany, in Saxony near the Czech border. At 1,214.6 meters above sea level, the Fichtelberg is the tallest mountain in Saxony. It was the highest mountain of the German Democratic Republic. The second, shorter peak of the mountain is only 1,206 meters tall.

The Fichtelberg towers above the holiday destination of Oberwiesenthal, where the cablecar system is located. The cablecar system was opened in 1924, is 1,175 meters long, and has a vertical climb of 305 meters. The cablecar system takes six minutes to travel from the valley to the peak of the mountain. The cablecar system is the most important form of transportation for the mountain area and is the oldest cablecar system of its sort in Germany. The only other form of transportation to Oberwiesenthal is a bus system. The lower half of the mountain peak has parking lots, while the upper parking lot has only limited parking spaces. For visitors, a hiking excursion, the journey with a bus or the cablecar system is highly recommended.

On the peak of the mountain is the Fichtelberghaus (a restaurant, cafeteria-style restaurant and a hotel) with it's 31-meter-tall viewing tower. The newer portion of the building was opened in 1999, as the former Fichtelberghaus was torn down in 1967. The original Fichtelberghaus was built in 1888, but burnt down on 25 February 1963.

On clear days, one can see to the mountains in the northern Czech Republic (the České středohoří) and into the moutains shared by Poland and the Czech Republic.

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