The small town of Auer-Bad Schlemm rarely makes headlines in Germany. Located in the Ore Mountains near the German-Czech border in south-eastern Saxony, it is surrounded by picturesque forests and far from the hustle and bustle of big cities.
In this old mining region, people are deeply connected to their roots and take pride in preserving traditions like brass band music, nutcrackers and the famous decorated Christmas pyramids.
But the near victory of a candidate from a party officially classified as far-right extremist has had a long-lasting impact in Au-Bad Schlema.
“When you walk through the city today, you see happy people. But that can be misleading,” Jürgen Freitag told DW.
Freitag is the editor of free Press (Free Press), a newspaper covering the Ore Mountains.
“Appearances can be deceiving,” Freitag said. “I think the mood of the city is divided.”
A long tradition of Nazism in Saxony
Stephan Hartung, a far-right politician from the Freie Sachsen (Free Saxon) party, came close to being elected mayor of the city. In the election held on June 7, he received approximately 47% of the vote and narrowly lost to Markus Hofmann of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who won 53% of the vote.
Hartung hails from Bad Schlemm and has been active in local politics for many years. He was previously a member of the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), which Germany’s top court has described as similar in its ideology to Nazism.
He serves as vice-chairman of the Free Saxony party, which is considered even more radical than the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is officially classified as extremist in Saxony. The state’s domestic intelligence service describes it this way: “The Free Sachsen is a group of neo-National Socialists organized as a political party.”
The party’s campaigns against immigrants in Germany have been particularly radical. They stoke hostility toward refugees and immigrants, largely blaming them for violence in the country and calling for mass deportations.
So far the party has not achieved any notable political success. In Saxony’s most recent state elections, it received just over 2% of the vote. In the 2024 local elections, it remained below 5% across the board.
The state of democracy remains a matter of concern
The Free Sachsen Party has now attracted national attention after reaching the post of mayor of Au-Bad Schlemm – an achievement resulting from heavy investment.
“It was worse than during the federal election,” Felix Sell told DW. He works at the local level for the Competence Center for Community Action to Promote Social Cohesion in Auer-Bad Schlemm. “There was a huge campaign for Stefan Hartung,” he said, adding that it clearly influenced many people. “It scared us.”
Sale is relieved that Hoffman won the election, partly because he is not the “typical career politician”. Expectations are now pinned on him: “We have to work together and everybody has to do their job.”
The state of democracy in Germany overall remains a matter of concern. Sell said people in Oued-Bad Schlemm are becoming less concerned about who they elect, even if the candidate is a far-right extremist. “Citizens are very frustrated with politics.”
Friday shares this view. For them, the election results reflect a nationwide trend: Far-right extremists are gaining support not just in Au-Bad Schlemm, but throughout Germany. He warned, “Not all Hartung voters can be described as far-right extremists; however, this election should not be underestimated either.”
The Free Saxony Party could succeed in building up well-established far-right structures in this city and across the Ore Mountains.
The region has a long tradition not only of nutcrackers and brass bands – but also of anti-democratic movements and far-right extremists. Shortly after German reunification, in the early 1990s, neo-Nazi groups formed in the area, and members of the anti-democratic Reichsbürger movement, which rejects the current German state as illegitimate in favor of the German Reich, began to settle there.
The far-right National Socialist Underground (NSU) group, which murdered 10 people in terrorist killings across Germany that were not investigated for a long time, also found fertile ground there, with Andre Eminger becoming one of its closest associates. NSU’s motive: racism.
Despite a population of only about 19,000 people, the Ore Mountains are characterized by a vibrant civil society. Aue-Bad Schlemma boasts more than 300 associations. Félix Sale said the election has sparked change: city organizations are coming together for democracy and diversity. “In the past, the network was weak,” Sale said. “It didn’t really work. But, now, something is starting to take shape.”
This article has been translated from German.