Thum - History

History

Thum was first mentioned 1389 in historic records of the archdiocese of Prague. From the 14th century, mining in the once densely forested Erzgebirge steadily increased, and a history book of 1445 describes Thum as a small mining town. Several placer deposits, two stamp mills and 27 mines were in the area of Thum. Considerable amounts of Axinite were found, which initially was given the name Thumit. In 1469 the citizens of Thum acquired township.

The last battle of the Thirty Years' War in Saxony was fought on January 15, 1648 near Thum. The destruction caused by the war resulted in mining no longer being sustainable. With the run-down of ore-mining in the area, Thum (like many other towns and villages in the Erzgebirge) turned to wooden toy manufacture - such as Schwibbogen and Christmas pyramids - as well as "klöppeln" as a matter of economic survival. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the textile industry was the main source of income for Thum.

In 1886, a narrow gauge railway connected Thum to Wilischthal. This Thumer Netz was part of the narrow gauge railways in Saxony and was expanded throughout the early 20th century.

The Rittergut (manor) of Dorfthum was incorporated into Thum in 1879. With the zoning reforms in the 1990s, the neighbouring Reihendorf villages of Jahnsbach and Herold were incorporated into Thum.

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