Ore Mountains, Saxony, Germany Dec 21, 2024

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

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug 20, 2023Start Point Lighthouse, South Devon, England
Mar 30, 2024Brown-throated three-toed sloth
Jul 6, 2025Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, United States
Nov 5, 2024Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
Aug 26, 2025Trullo buildings in Alberobello, Apulia, Italy
Feb 29, 2024Eurasian red squirrel
Oct 17, 2024Kochia, Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Sep 3, 2023Skyscrapers in Manhattan
Nov 22, 2023Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
Apr 9, 2025Naxos, Cyclades, Greece
Dec 23, 2023Chinstrap penguins
Jun 22, 2025Amazon rainforest, Ecuador
Feb 7, 2024St. James Tidal Pool, Cape Town, South Africa
Feb 24, 2025Giant cuttlefish, Whyalla, South Australia, Australia
Sep 16, 2023Splügen Pass, Switzerland
Dec 24, 2023Town Hall Square, Tartu, Estonia
Oct 19, 2025Apples ready for harvest, Minnesota, United States
Feb 16, 2024Pyrrhuloxia bird
Dec 19, 2024Sibiu Christmas Market, Romania
Oct 14, 2024Coco Beach, Goa, India
Oct 3, 2024Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Jul 22, 2025Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States
Aug 29, 2025Aerial view of Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain
Mar 5, 2025Khao Sok National Park in Thailand
Apr 24, 2024White trilliums in Ontario, Canada
Mar 10, 2024Prosecco Hills, Veneto, Italy
Sep 3, 2025Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Feb 27, 2024Polar bear cubs
Nov 29, 2025Red deer stag in De Hoge Veluwe National Park, Netherlands
Jan 31, 2025Plains zebras, South Africa