Erla Ironworks

The emergence of the hammer mill is closely connected to the discovery of haematite on the Rothenberg mountain, which led to the establishment of the most important iron ore mine in the Kingdom of Saxony in the mid-19th century.

His successor, George William of Tettau rented the mill in der Erl in 1517 to hammersmith, Oswald Flemigk.

Other owners were the hammer mill lords, Gregor Arnoldt (1550), Nikolaus Klinger and his son-in-law, Hans Rüdiger of Sachsenfeld (1626).

The firm of Nestler & Breitfeld, which also owned the Siegelhof in Pöhla and the Arnoldshammer in Rittersgrün, thus expanded their holdings and, under its ownership, the hammer mill in Erla boomed.

The products from the factories in Erla were now iron and steel castings, machines, household tableware and black plate.

The Herrenhof of the old hammer mill
The Erla hammer mill in the mid-19th century
Factory of the Erla Ironworks, c. 1840
Erla Iron Smeltery c. 1910