Economy
Traditionally, Saalfeld was known for its silver mines. Today, Saalfeld has a number of prosperous industries, including the manufacture of machinery, bricks, paint, malt, cigars, hosiery and vinegar. Other industries are brewing, printing and iron-founding, and there are ochre and iron mines in the area.
Tourism and recreation-related activities make up a significant part of the local economy. Due to its picturesque setting between the mountains and lakes of the Saale Valley, there is a wealth of outdoor options including hiking, skiing, fishing, hunting, rock climbing, sailing and many other sports. Saalfeld is a popular base for hikers taking on the mountainous 168 km Rennsteig ridge, Germany's most famous hiking trail.
Thuringia, despite being one of the smallest states in Germany, is well known for its winter sports. Within an hour's drive of Saalfeld, there are multiple options for skiing, Nordic skiing, skating and indoor winter sports. In the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, more than half the gold medals taken by overall medal table winner Germany came from Thuringia athletes. In the Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver, half of Germany's gold medals came from Thuringia athletes. Over the last decade, Thuringia has won as many or more Winter Olympic gold medals than Switzerland, Russia, France or China.
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Famous quotes containing the word economy:
“Quidquid luce fuit tenebris agit: but also the other way around. What we experience in dreams, so long as we experience it frequently, is in the end just as much a part of the total economy of our soul as anything we “really” experience: because of it we are richer or poorer, are sensitive to one need more or less, and are eventually guided a little by our dream-habits in broad daylight and even in the most cheerful moments occupying our waking spirit.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“The counting-room maxims liberally expounded are laws of the Universe. The merchant’s economy is a coarse symbol of the soul’s economy. It is, to spend for power, and not for pleasure.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much the more abundant. Economy is idealism in its most practical terms.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)