At the foot of the 1214-meter-high Fichtelberg in the Free State of Saxony lies Germany’s highest town: Oberwiesenthal, a town with a population of over 2,000 and which is even entitled to adorn itself with the title of “officially recognized climatic health resort”.
The place in the upper Ore Mountains on the border with the Czech Republic was initially known for mining, which was discontinued in the 19th century. With Fichtelberg, which was established as a destination for excursions early on, the place relied on tourism and later, due to its location, which was known to be snow-reliable long before global warming, on winter sports.
In 1894, the surveying work began for a rail connection between the village, which is almost 900 meters high, and the route from Annaberg-Buchholz to the border town of Vejprty. Three years later, the new route to Oberwiesenthal was inaugurated following the construction costs had risen by a quarter to two million Reichsmarks.
With brief interruptions, the operation of the railway with a track width of 750 millimeters was maintained for more than 120 years. After the fall of the Wall, a shutdown or privatization was pending. Since 1996 the route has been called “Fichtelbergbahn” marketed. Now the narrow-gauge railway belongs to the Saxon steam railway company, which also maintains the Lössnitzgrundbahn and the Weißeritztalbahn.
Steam locomotives of the class 99.77-79, former tank locomotives of the Deutsche Reichsbahn, are mostly used on the Fichtelbergbahn. Today the train takes 61 minutes to cover the 17.3-kilometer route from Cranzahl to Oberwiesenthal. Up to a maximum of three pairs of trains run daily in the off-season. The fare for a one-way trip is 8 euros.
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