Mining cultural landscape Krupka

The mining cultural landscape of Krupka spreads across mountains with hundreds of shafts, sinkholes, and tunnel entrances scattered across the slopes. The terrain bears visible marks from over 700 years of extraction work.

Tin extraction began here in the 13th century, establishing Krupka as the oldest tin mining district in the Erzgebirge mountains. The region peaked in the 15th and 16th centuries when thousands of workers mined daily.

Mining families shaped the region for generations, leaving their mark on how settlements were built and organized. The towns still reflect how mining work structured daily life and community patterns.

The landscape is best explored on foot, with walking paths connecting major mining sites. A visitor center offers exhibits and information to help understand how mining operations worked here.

The Große Pinge, a massive sinkhole about 140 by 45 meters across and 75 meters deep, shows how profoundly mining changed the land. This enormous depression formed over centuries as miners extracted tin and copper below.