Raschau

Village of Raschau-Markersbach

Coat of arms

Raschau

Coordinates: 50°32′N 12°50′E / 50.533°N 12.833°ECoordinates: 50°32′N 12°50′E / 50.533°N 12.833°E

Country

Town

Area

• Total

21.20 km² (8.19 sq mi)

Elevation

429 m (1,407 ft)

Population (2006-12-31)

• Total

3,948

• Density

190/km² (480/sq mi)

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

08352

03774

ERZ

Website

www.raschau.de

Raschau is a former municipality in the district of Aue-Schwarzenberg in Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2008, Raschau and Markersbach have formed the municipality Raschau-Markersbach.

Raschau is 3.5 kilometres east of the town of Schwarzenberg in the valley of the river Mittweida, which is also known as the Raschauer Grund.

The publisher August Schumann (Vollständiges Staats-, Post- und Zeitungs-Lexikon von Sachsen. Zwickau: Schumann, 1822, S. 758ff.) described the community’s location in 1822 thus: “It lies, mostly surrounded by the Schwarzenberg Amt area, 2 hours southsoutheast of Grünhayn, ¾ to 1¼ hours eastsoutheast of Schwarzenberg, 1½ to 2 hours westsouthwest of Scheibenberg; on the Mittweide, which joins the Pöhl at the community’s lower end; along the new country road from Schwarzenberg to Annaberg; in a pleasant valley bordered on the north by the steep Raschauer Knochen, on the southeast by the gentler Ziegenberg (at which 100 years ago the mine founder Christian was active), to the southwest, however, owing to its meeting the Pöhl Valley, becomes a broad, charming and fruitful floodplain; the community’s elevation runs from 1450 to almost 1550 Parisian feet if one is looking from the lone houses; its length stretches to ⅝ of an hour, and its direction goes from west to east.”

Early in the 16th century, iron ore was found by the monks from the Grünhain Monastery at the Emmlerfelsen, which triggered the establishment of mining, foundries and ironworks in and around Raschau. By the end of the 17th century, other stone worthy of mining was found at the Raschauer Knochen (551 m), mainly tin ore, iron ore and gravel, and also small amounts of silver, whereupon new lodes began to be mined, although their yields were mostly only small. Only two of Raschau’s pits brought rich deposits to light. The Allerheiligen-Fundgrube (“All Hallows Lode”) worked, besides silver, bismuth and cobalt ores, also gravel, which served as the basis for sulphur and vitriolic acid making. The Seegen Gottes (“God’s Blessing”) Lode brought up silver and tin ores.

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Wikipedia