From Osterburg to Auma reservoir

Poor as a church mouse, who does not know this saying? There is much truth to it, and yet the Schömberg church mouse is doing quite well thanks to its famous relatives. And thanks to a special encounter with the son of the smith from the Weida Eisenhammer. Anyone walking the circular route from Osterburg to the Auma reservoir and back to Osterburg passes the historic Eisenhammer twice, the oldest hammer mill in the northern Vogtland. In earlier times, besides many useful tools for house and farm, clappers for church bells were forged here. Famous are the three "Güntherschen Klöppel" clappers for bells in the Jerusalem Redeemer Church, which were cast in 1896 at the Hof bell foundry Schilling in Apolda. Long before these events, one day offspring was expected in the family of the hammer smith. The wife was expecting twins. Soon after, two boys – Georg and Friedrich – were born, who could not have been more different. Already as the brothers grew up, their parents wondered about their different sons. Georg was strong and was interested in his father's profession early on. He liked being near the smithy fire and watched the flames. The noise did not bother him. Father Richard had likely already found his successor. Friedrich, on the other hand, suffered from the noise. He preferred to be in the kitchen with his mother, listening to her stories. Friedrich was a slim, sensitive boy who soon learned to read and write. He developed sympathy for other creatures, which brought him not only mockery from his brother but also contempt from his father. However, his mother loved him very much because he had such a soft heart. One day, mice were running in broad daylight in the smithy again. Georg hit them with pieces of iron or simply crushed them. Tears ran down Friedrich's cheeks, and he tried to protect the little animals. He succeeded in catching one of the little rodents. Because he wanted to save its life, he hid the mouse in Schömberg Church. According to legend, the church mice of the Naumburg, Erfurt, and Magdeburg cathedrals learned about the story. In any case, the hammer smith had a good income in the following years. There and in many other churches, clappers from the Weida Eisenhammer let the bells ring. Think of the church mouse when you visit Schömberg Church on this circular route.

(Author: Weida city administration, Erkan-Joachim Müller)