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:

Jun 7, 2025Summit of Pine Mountain, Angeles National Forest, California, United States
Mar 7, 2024Roques de Benet, Catalonia, Spain
Nov 21, 2025Harbour seals
Jan 5, 2025Plum-headed parakeet
Dec 16, 2024Salzburg, Austria
Jan 31, 2025Plains zebras, South Africa
Aug 20, 2024Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
Jun 24, 2024Kelimutu, Flores, Indonesia
Feb 9, 2024Pegadung Rock, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia
Aug 21, 2024Nazca boobies
May 16, 2025Great green macaw, Mexico
Dec 6, 2024Helsinki, Finland
Sep 15, 2024Varenna on Lake Como, Italy
Jul 28, 2025Yurts in Mongolia
Jul 31, 2025Kalalau Beach on the Nā Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, United States
Oct 8, 2025Octopus cyanea
Nov 21, 2023Grey seal pup
Dec 27, 2024Lake Bled, Slovenia
Sep 9, 2024Iguazu Falls at the border of Argentina and Brazil
Aug 4, 2024Impala and red-billed oxpecker, South Africa
Nov 2, 2023Death Valley National Park, California, USA
Aug 30, 2023Whale shark, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
Nov 11, 2025Externsteine, Teutoburg Forest, Germany
May 18, 2025Pont St-Pierre across the Garonne River, Toulouse, France
Jul 5, 2024Daintree Rainforest and Noah Beach, Queensland, Australia
Aug 15, 2025Spotted eagle rays
Sep 7, 2024Annas hummingbird
Aug 31, 2025Scotts Bluff National Monument
Jan 13, 2025Cottage and Tŵr Mawr lighthouse, Ynys Llanddwyn, Wales, United Kingdom
Jan 24, 2024Diamond Beach, Iceland