Lauter
Ortsteil of Lauter-Bernsbach
Coat of arms
Location of Lauter
Lauter Show map of Germany Lauter Show map of Saxony
Coordinates: 50°34′N 12°44′E / 50.567°N 12.733°E / 50.567; 12.733
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Erzgebirgskreis
Town	Lauter-Bernsbach
Area
• Total	21.55 km2 (8.32 sq mi)
Elevation	480 m (1,570 ft)
Population  (2011-12-31)
• Total	4,707
• Density	220/km2 (570/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	08312
Dialling codes	03771
Vehicle registration	ERZ

Lauter (German: [ˈlaʊ̯tɐ] ^ⓘ) is a town in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in Saxony, Germany. It lies between the two towns of Aue and Schwarzenberg. It lies in the Ore Mountains, 4 km southeast of Aue, and 4 km northwest of Schwarzenberg, has about 4,700 inhabitants in an area of 21.55 km² and belongs to the Town League of Silberberg (Städtebund Silberberg). Since 1 January 2013, it is part of the town Lauter-Bernsbach.

Through the town runs the Silver Road, the B 101. Lauter has a station on the Zwickau–Schwarzenberg railway and is served by Regionalbahn trains, operated by Erzgebirgsbahn (a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn) between Zwickau and Johanngeorgenstadt.

History

The town arose from a forest village (Waldhufendorf) established in the late 12th century on the western ridge of the Schwarzwasser Valley. The name is recorded over the centuries as Lawther (1460), Lawte (1501) and Lauttera (1590). The town draws this name from a brook called die Lauter, although this name is now no longer used for any waterway.

Besides agriculture and log driving, mining and basket making afforded the population livelihoods. When industrialization began in the 19th century, many machine factories, and metal- and woodworking businesses as well as an enamel factory set up shop in town. From 1952 to 1990, Lauter was part of the Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt of East Germany. Town rights were conferred in 1962.

In the early 1950s, the BSG Empor Lauter football club played successfully in the DDR-Oberliga, until it was delegated to Rostock in 1954. Its successor club Hansa Rostock played in the Bundesliga.

Population development

The following figures refer to 31 December in each given year.

Source: Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen

Notable people

• Steffi Martin (1962–2017), luger, Olympic medalist; lived here