Klingenthal - History

History

In 1591, Sebastian Köppel established a hammer mill near the border to Bohemia on the banks of the Zwota in order to capitalize on the rich deposits of iron ore and the region's vast supplies of wood, both for building and charcoal production. On February 1, 1602, there was the first documented mention of the "Höllhammer" (in English approximately: "Hell Hammer" or "Hollow Hammer") in the neighboring town of Schöneck's church register. At that time, blacksmiths, miners and charcoal makers were living there. In 1628, the hammer mill burned down and was only partly rebuilt.

In mid-17th century, Bohemian emigrants fleeing the Counter-Reformation brought the luthier's craft to Klingenthal, which - after the Peace of Westphalia - was a safe haven for Protestants.

In 1716, the foundation of a luthiers' guild was celebrated. Towards the end of the 18th century, bow makers' and string makers' crafts came to Klingenthal, but also the production of wood and brass wind instruments. In 1829, mouthharp production followed and in 1852, accordion production began. In the second half of the 19th century, the production of mouthharps, accordions and other more complex instruments had mostly displaced older branches of musical instrument production.

In 1875, Klingenthal was connected to railway services.

On October 1, 1919, Klingenthal received its town charter; On July 1, 1950 Sachsenberg-Georgenthal were incorporated into the town.

On July 25, 1952, parts of the former districts of Auerbach and Oelsnitz were cut off to form the district of Klingenthal. From 1949-1990, Klingenthal was home to the Klingenthaler Harmonikawerke, a state-owned company that was the main producer of accordions, harmonicas, and electronic instruments in East Germany.

On April 1, Mühlleiten, a settlement on the north-western crest of the Aschberg, was incorporated.

Since 1996, Klingenthal is part of the newly-formed Vogtlandkreis. In contrast to Klingenthal, Bas-Rhin, this towns name was Klingenthal/Sa. (Sa. standing for Saxony). By decision of the town government, the Sa. appendix was annulled in January 2007. Ever since, the town's name is just Klingenthal.