One of the most memorable stops in IUSB’s 2018 visit to Germany was found in visiting Arzberg, a small village near the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. Arzberg was coming up on a celebration of 750 years of proven existence. The people of Arzberg were very proud that they could trace back to the first mention of their town. Arzberg, South Bend’s sister city is a beautiful place that does share some parallels with South Bend.
For example, Arzberg was once a prosperous mining community with a factory dedicated to producing china dinnerware and tea service items just as South Bend was once known for manufacturing Studebaker automobiles before industry changed and other producers of such items excelled where South Bend and Arzberg were left behind to pick up the pieces of their former economic powerhouse. Because of this, Arzberg did not have much in the way of hotels to host a large group like IUSB’s students so we were hosted at Pension Egerstau located in the nearby village of Hohenberg an der Eger.
The village and the hotel get their names from the Eger river on which they can be found. It was a beautiful sleepy little cottage to call home for the days we visited Arzberg and perhaps more what one pictures when they imagine Germany in a classic sense. Arzberg and Egerstau were wonderful breaks from the hustle and bustle of the city life of Berlin. The view at every angle was simply breath taking. I would definitely recommend visiting Arzberg and staying at Pension Egerstau for the views alone.
So if Hohenberg an der Eger and Pension Egerstau were named for the Eger river, then what does the name Arzberg mean? Berg means mountain and arz means ore, so the name Arzberg literally translates to Ore Mountain. This is actually very apt seeing as how aside from the china factory, mining has been a big part of Arzberg’s history. It is so much a part of the town’s history that a mining tool is part of the town’s crest, along with the lion which represents Bavaria in which Arzberg is located.
A highlight within a highlight of the visit to Arzberg was the visit to Arzberg’s mining museum. The museum stands over a former mine that was closed and abandoned. The property had become overgrown and the buildings there had fallen into dilapidation. That was until the people of Arzberg decided to preserve and rebuild the site as a tribute to the mining history of their town. So stands the museum now, with a collection of items related to the history of mining from many neighboring areas.
This particular part of the trip was a personal point of interest for me as a bit of a geologist. There were whole rooms in the museum dedicated to geological samples. The mining artifacts were a great new experience but the geological samples were an exciting visit with old friends in somewhere new and strange. For example Tremolit is a type of asbestos mineral. The mineral samples were not mined in Arzberg, they were donated from neighboring areas as examples of various minerals and ore that were mined in the region.
Berlin may have been the major part of the trip but Arzberg was the special treat that made the trip well worthwhile. If you have a chance to go on and adventure to Germany, please consider adding Arzberg to your list of places to visit. The people there are so welcoming to visitors and especially if you mention that you are from South Bend. They will want to use their English with you and will be more than glad to help you practice your German without judgment.
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