MINING TIME

Glashütte sprung up thanks to a rush for silver but it was watchmaking that would come to define the name, and give it hope for a brighter future

- SUMIT NAG

Hope drew people together to establish a village nestled within the Erzgebirge mountain range in 1450. More precisely, it was the discovery of silver within the mountains, so there was a literal silver lining to the new village in the Holy Roman Empire. The settlers named their new home, Glashütte, meaning glass hut in German. A name, no doubt, inspired by the sparkle of the raw metal that spurred business and growth. The village was formally recognised and christened the city of Glashütte, in 1509; calling Glashütte a city at this point was also quite hopeful.

Contained within the state of Saxony, just about 30 kilometres outside of the city of Dresden, Glashütte’s sparkling days, however, did not last long. Wars and the falling price of silver made it such that towards the final days of the 18th century, the city’s population dwindled. People started moving their families to Dresden where the terrain is a lot easier to manage compared with Glashütte’s mountainous surroundings.

But while the fortunes of Glashütte spiralled, Saxony overall was on the upswing and was leading the way on many industrial fronts. Glashütte eventually had to reach out to the Saxon government for help, in 1831. Help — monetary help — however did not come swiftly. Regardless, what came next, and who came next, played a radical part in bettering the fortunes of Glashütte and forever set the city towards a path of immortal horological greatness.