DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Freistaat Sachsen	Saxony
Landkreis: Erzgebirgskreis

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Marienberg is situated at an elevation of 617 m o an elevated plain in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) region of Germany's state of Saxony. The municipality has a population of about 15,000 (2011).

The oldest written document referring to Sletyn, today the village of Wüstenschletta, dates from 1323. Silver was found in this area as earliy as 1519 and mining for silver began already in the following year. The city was founded in 1521 by Duke Heinrich (Henry) the Pious of Saxony. The city and mining priviledges were granted in 1521 and in 1523 the city became the seat of the mining authorities for the local region. Wüstenschletta became part of the judicial district of Marienberg in 1533. The devastating fire of 1610 destroyed almost all of the buildings in Marienberg, in those times numbering 550. After the discontinuing of silver mining, mining for copper and tin began in 1612. Barracks for soldiers were founded in 1696, and from 1753 until 1858 Marienberg was a garrison town for the cavalry. In 1843 Marienberg became the seat of a church district. The mining authorit was dissolved in 1847. From 1858 until 1873 Marienberg was a garrison town for the infantry. In 1875 the town was connected to the railroad system. The last mine (Rudolf-Schacht) closed in 1899. From 1874 until 1939 Marienberg was the seat of an Amtshauptmannschaft which became the district Marienberg in 1939. This district was incorporated into the district Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis in 1994, retaining Marienberg as the district town. In 2008 the district Marienberg was merged with the districts Aue-Schwarzenberg, Annaberg and Stolberg (with Annaberg-Buchholz as district town).

The church Sankt Marien [left, no. 2722: top picture: background right] was built in 1558–1564 for the Protestant community in Marienberg. It is the youngest of the three famous hall churches of the Erzgebirge region (the others are the churches of St. Anne in Annaberg-Buchholz, the oldest one, consecrated in 1521, and St Wolfgang in Schneeberg). The large fire of 1610 destroyed almost all of this church with the exception of the exterior walls, the tower and the later sacristy. In 1611–1616 the church received a new wooden ceiling resting on wodden pillars which were replaced by a stone pillars and cross-shaped vaults in 1669–1675.

The Royal Saxon School for non-commissioned officers (Königlich-Sächsische Unteroffiziers-Schule) [left, no. 2722: bottom picture] was founded in 1873. The barracks were opened in 1874. The school was closed in 1920.

The Zschopauer Tor was built between 1541 and 1566. Together with the Red Tower it is the only surviving part of the old town's fortifications which have been torn down in 1835. From 1966 to 2005 the Gate was home of the museum of local history.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marienberg, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Marien_(Marienberg); http://www.ins-erzgebirge.de/ausflugsziel.php?id=76]