Altenberg, Saxony

Altenberg
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Coat of arms of Altenberg Coat of arms
Altenberg
Location of Altenberg within Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge
Municipal assoc.	Altenberg
Government
• Mayor	Thomas Kirsten
Area
• Total	145.81 km2 (56.30 sq mi)
Population (2014-12-31)
• Total	8,143
• Density	56/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	01773
Dialling codes	035056
Vehicle registration	PIR
Website	www.altenberg.de

Altenberg (German pronunciation: [ˈaltənbɛɐ̯k]) is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, close to the border with the Czech Republic, 15 km northwest of Teplice, and 32 km south of Dresden.

Municipal subdivisions

Hirschsprung (1965) Rehefeld-Zaunhaus (1994) Zinnwald-Georgenfeld (1994) Kipsdorf (1996) Bärenburg with Ober- und Waldbärenburg (1996) Schellerhau (1996) Bärenfels (1999)

Falkenhain (1999) Waldidylle (1999) Bärenstein (2004) Geising (2011) Löwenhain (2011) Fürstenau (2011) Gottgetreu (2011)

Müglitz (2011) Fürstenwalde (2011) Rudolphsdorf (2011) Kratzhammer (2011) Liebenau (2011) Lauenstein (2011)

Sport

It is home of the Altenberg bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track that has been in use since 1987.

The FIBT World Championships 2008 ran February 11–24, 2008 in Altenberg, Saxony, for the fifth time, having done so in 1991 (bobsleigh), 1994 (skeleton), 1999 (skeleton), and 2000 (men's bobsleigh). It was the first time Altenberg has hosted all of the events at one championship

Points of interest

• The Great Pinge (Große Pinge) of Altenberg is a giant pinge or collapsed mineshaft above old mining excavations (mainly tin ore digging) throughout the last centuries. Today this 12 ha area (150 m deep and 450 m in diameter), bordering the town area, is considered to be one out of 77 of the most important geotopes in Germany.

Look-out from the rim of the Great Pinge across the town of Altenberg

Look-out from the rim of the Great Pinge across the town of Altenberg

• DKB-Eiskanal: The Altenberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track venue (official name until 2012: Rennschlitten- und Bobbahn Altenberg (RSBB)).
• The basalt mountain Geisingberg (824 m) with mountain hut, tower and look-out. On the flanks of the hill, at the Geisingberg Meadows preserve area, there are important populations of globe-flowers and wild orchids, blooming in spring and early summer.
• Botanischer Garten Schellerhau, a botanical garden