Pirna celebrates its first indoor Christmas market and starts lithium mining!

Pirna celebrates its first indoor Christmas market and starts lithium mining!

It's getting festive in Pirna! The first indoor Christmas market will open on November 7th, 2025 in the special cultural site “Komplex 45” on Rottwerndorfer Straße. In the former vehicle halls of the former barracks, a diverse market with handcrafted works of art and tasty culinary offerings will delight visitors. This new traditional event promises a very special ambience in the cold season and wraps the city in a pre-Christmas atmosphere.

In the shadow of the festive preparations, however, another topic is causing discussion: the planned lithium mining in the Eastern Ore Mountains. From November 10th, interested parties, including residents, associations and companies, can view the documents on the environmental and social impact assessment. An important conversation among citizens is expected, as critical voices are already being raised. The feasibility study for lithium production in Zinnwald, a suburb of Altenberg, shows promising results – both technically and economically. From 2030 onwards, lithium will be mined here, a key raw material for the batteries of electric vehicles and other devices.

Strategic importance of lithium

But what makes lithium so important? The raw material is essential for making batteries, and although 74% of the world's lithium comes from Australia and Chile, Europe relies almost entirely on imports. Zinnwald Lithium GmbH describes the planned mining as sustainable and low-risk, but the Bärenstein citizens' initiative expresses concerns about possible environmental damage and the size of the project. The development costs are estimated at around one billion euros, and the project is considered the third largest lithium project in Europe.

With a production volume of up to 18,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium hydroxide per year, the mine could provide the batteries for around 800,000 electric vehicles. The plan is for surface-friendly extraction to a depth of around 100 to 400 meters. The production facility is powered by renewable energy, which should benefit the ecological sustainability of the project.

Ecological challenges

However, it remains to be seen how local residents will react to the project. Concerns about environmental damage caused by industrial settlement are not unjustified. The method for extracting lithium is energy-intensive, and the chemical processes used to process it result in a lot of waste, which is not particularly good for the ecological footprint. The discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of lithium mining is open and will certainly continue for some time.

One thing is certain: the events in Pirna and the developments in the Eastern Ore Mountains are closely related. The holidays begin as plans for the future of energy storage and electromobility become concrete. Let us be surprised to see how the situation will develop further.

For more information on the background of lithium mining and the upcoming tests, read more at Saxon, about the criticism from residents MDR and the global context Wiley.