It was bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the Czech Republic and the districts of Vogtlandkreis, Zwickauer Land, Stollberg and Annaberg.

The Ore Mountains were virtually unsettled in the early Middle Ages.

Most of the towns in the mountains were founded in the 16th century, after the discovery of deposits of silver and tin.

At this time the region was purchased by the aspiring state of Saxony (1533).

Media related to Landkreis Aue-Schwarzenberg at Wikimedia Commons