Ore Mountains, Saxony, Germany Dec 21, 2024

Ore Mountains, Saxony, Germany

Today"s image takes us to Saxony in Germany. Here we can see a halo—an optical phenomenon caused by ice crystals in the atmosphere—around the sun, photographed in the Ore Mountains. These mountains stretch along the Czech–German border, dividing the historic regions of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany. Towering over the landscape are two peaks: Klínovec in the Czech Republic, standing at 1,244 metres and Germany"s Fichtelberg at 1,215 metres. Centuries of human activity have left their mark here, creating a rich cultural landscape. Mining has shaped the terrain with its tips, dams, ditches and sinkholes, altering habitats for plants and animals. Remarkably, this region was also the birthplace of the transformation of mining and metallurgy from small-scale craftsmanship to large-scale industry—a crucial prelude to the Industrial Revolution.

© Martin Ruegner/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dec 21, 2023Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dec 21, 2025Dawn light through frosty trees, Sweden

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 28, 2024Chausey Islands
Oct 20, 2025Hoffmanns two-toed sloth
Apr 2, 2026Wildflower bloom, Central Valley, California, United States
Jun 21, 2024Reticulated giraffes
Mar 31, 2026Paradise Cave, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam
Jan 13, 2026Vale of Clwyd, Wales
Oct 8, 2025Octopus cyanea
Aug 8, 2024Spotted owlet, Bangkok, Thailand
Nov 21, 2024Lion cubs, South Africa
Apr 10, 2024Burrowing owl chicks, Wyoming, USA
Oct 22, 2024Palazzo Zuccari, Rome, Italy
Aug 23, 2023Skógafoss waterfall, Iceland
Dec 17, 2025Eurasian red squirrel
Oct 2, 2023Verdon Gorge, France
Apr 6, 2025The Shard, London, England
Oct 7, 2024Bora Bora in French Polynesia
Apr 15, 2025Castillo de La Calahorra, Granada, Spain
Nov 12, 2023Mallard ducks
Feb 1, 2025Königstein Fortress, Saxon Switzerland, Germany
Nov 11, 2023Val di Funes, South Tyrol, Italy
July 5, 2026Lavender rows, Plateau de Valensole, Provence, France
June 27, 2026Boneyard Beach, Hunting Island, South Carolina, United States
Jun 18, 2024Lupine fields, Snæfellsnes, Iceland
Jun 30, 2024Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Oct 13, 2023Vieste, Apulia, Italy
Sep 17, 2025A young bull moose
Dec 10, 2023Llyn Padarn lake, Snowdonia, Wales
Nov 10, 2023Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA
Jan 17, 2025Brown pelican, San Diego, California, United States
Dec 22, 2023Castlerigg Stone Circle, Cumbria, United Kingdom