Today, almost 6,000 people live in the small town of Thalheim/Erzgebirge in the Erzgebirge district, which was founded in the 12th century as a village of woodland hooves and was first mentioned in a document in 1447. Originally, the valley of the Zwönitz river was settled, but later the surrounding slopes were also settled. Since 1730, Thalheim has been a centre of hosiery production, with 52 companies at its peak and the ESDA Thalheim combine during the GDR era. From 1799, arsenopyrite was mined in the "Unvermuthet Glück samt Wille Gottes" mine, which was given the name Thalheimit due to its special quality. The restored "Wille Gottes" mine has been open to visitors since 1998.
Other landmarks of the town include the Evangelical Lutheran Church and, in particular, the town hall, which was built in 1906 and features Rochlitz porphyry, Art Nouveau elements and a venerable council chamber with leaded windows and walls designed using the chamber train technique. The cultural centres of the small town are the "Neukirchner Villa", named after its owner and built in 1902, with a wide variety of events and a wedding hall, as well as the "Heimateck Rentners Ruh", where hikers on the "Pionierweg" nature trail can stop and marvel at historical Thalheim buildings and water-powered figures and constructions in the miniature facility. The Thalheim sports park offers several tennis and badminton courts, shooting ranges, a fitness area with sauna and two bowling alleys - there are also idyllic pitches on the forest campsite in the immediate vicinity.
Friedrich Kunath: Include Me Out
Art and sculpture trail PURPLE PATH
The bronze sculpture group Include Me Out by Friedrich Kunath in Buntsockenpark Thalheim comprises seven stylised spruces. The installation, located in the former stocking factory area, humorously reflects our position in the world and current environmental problems. Friedrich Kunath was born in 1974 in Karl-Marx-Stadt, now Chemnitz, and now lives in Pasadena, USA.
