When the country was still covered with forest completely, only seam path pulled the Bohemia forests. lieke the ore mountains were called up to 16th century. From the gentleman seats in the valley of the river Mulde to the black water out began the rural settlement of forest land sice the center of 12th century. After donatation of the monastery "little monastery" 1173 in todays Aue everywhere forest hoof villages were founded.

Soon miners followed the rural settlers. They scratched the ores near the surface and supplied the huts. Thus the earliest mention of the "Erla hammer" goes back to the year 1380.

Hands silver find at the end of the 15th century brought an enormous upswing of the mining industry, one spoke of "mountain crying" and "silver gene". Since many miners came from other regions the mountains marks increased strongly. Mountain cities were foundet (Snow mountain 1479, Anna mountain 1497, disc mountain 1521, Oberwiesenthal 1521). In numerous pits also cobalt, nickel, arsenic, bismuth, lead, tin and other ores were were scratched.