Did you know that Harthau was once called Klein Moskau? Imagine a small village nestled between the Harthwald forest and Pfarrhugel hill. This is Harthau a southern district of Chemnitz. Its history stretches back before 1340. The name Harthau means place at the mountain forest. It’s believed Harthau emerged from two deserted settlements around the 12th or 13th centuries. These were abandoned due to poor soil and water scarcity. The villagers moved to the Wurschnitz valley.
Harthau was owned by Chemnitz’s Benedictine monastery. A monastery register shows 13 families lived there in 1486 and 14 in 1537. Nine more families were not residents. The monastery ran a cutting mill in Harthau. After secularization Harthau became an administrative village in 1548. It belonged to a court in 1856 then to the district office. In 1875 it became part of the district administration later the county. In 1950 it finally became part of Chemnitz.
The Thirty Years’ War and the Seven Years’ War impacted Harthau’s population. Medieval regulations prevented craftspeople from working near Chemnitz. The Grimma Treaty of 1555 changed this. Harthau then got a linen weaver a tailor and a cooper.
Mining attempts began around 1422. Copper mining happened in 1708 with little success. Coal exploration between 1819 and 1848 also failed.
Harthau’s industrial revolution started with C F Bernhard’s spinning mill in 1798. In 1803 114 men women and children worked there. The mill was famous throughout Saxony. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visited in 1810. Hosiery manufacturing was another important industry. In 1857 157 masters 80 journeymen and 36 apprentices belonged to the guild.
Harthau’s population grew. In 1834 it had 1106 residents. By 1933 it had grown to 7139. Chemnitz workers chose Harthau for its beauty. A new district developed on the Wurschnitz’s left bank. The spinning mill built worker housing. More homes appeared in Alte Harth and on Richterberg.
Harthau got electricity in 1889. A railway line connected Harthau to the state network in 1895. It was connected to the city gas network in 1920. A water pipe was built in 1938.
A church in Harthau existed before 1539. It was rebuilt and expanded several times. It wasn’t big enough for the growing population. The Luther Church construction began in 1906. It was dedicated in August 1908. The old church became a memorial for World War I victims. It’s protected and used for musical events. A new cemetery and chapel opened in 1904 and 1905.
The school system also changed. Before 1846 one teacher taught all students. The 1861 school had two classrooms and two teacher apartments. The 1891 school was too small by 1901. A large school opened that year. A gym opened in 1913. The Johanneum children’s home moved to Harthau in 1926. It was a special needs home until 1992 and is now housing.
Industrialization spurred political activity. The Fatherland Association was founded in 1819. Lassalleans in 1869. A Social Democratic association in 1907. A trade union existed in 1869. The KPD local group formed in 1919. Workers proudly called Harthau Klein Moskau.
World War II affected Harthau. On February 14th and March 5th 1945 39 buildings were destroyed. 27 were severely damaged 39 moderately or slightly damaged. Harthau housed almost 800 refugees. The SPD and CDU took over the town administration. Attempts to incorporate Harthau into Chemnitz failed until July 1 1950. Harthau lost its independence.
Harthau’s industrial past left many buildings. The Bernhardsche Spinnerei’s factory and manor house remain. So does the Kammgarnspinnerei Paul Schäfer & Co complex. Oswald Schubert’s cotton factory and the Richter ironworks are there too. Many houses and villas also survive. The Harthau Town Hall the Solbrig factory school and the former Johanneum are important.
Harthau has two churches. The Luther Church’s choir is noteworthy. The Alte Kirche’s simple architecture and location are charming. The cemetery has historic family graves. A chlorite schist quarry is a lesser-known landmark. Hiking trails offer views of the Wurschnitz valley and the Erzgebirge mountains. The Lindenhöhe and Körnerhöhe are historic viewpoints. Sadly the Waldhaus restaurant is closed and dilapidated.