Amerika, Saxony

Amerika (German pronunciation: [aˈmeːʁika]) is a former company settlement in the German state of Saxony and a district of the town of Penig.

A small village of 79 residents (2010), it is known merely for its name, the German word for America, which was given to it in the 19th century.

Initially, because a bridge was only built much later, workers and visitors coming from the right bank of the river had to cross the water using stepping stones or boats to access the place.

As "crossing the pond" in those times was chiefly understood as emigrating to America, the factory was named "Amerika" by the local population.

In 1995, the town of Penig bought the buildings from the Treuhandanstalt, and new trades and a museum (including workshops of locksmiths and file cutters, powered by a refurbished water turbine) have been established since.