Porsche Documents a Christmas Journey Along the Silberstraße

Porsche Newsroom reports on a Christmas journey along Germany’s Silberstraße in the Macan Turbo Electric, linking mining heritage, culture and electric mobility.

Porsche has published a seasonal road story on its Newsroom platform, following a Christmas journey in the all-electric Macan Turbo Electric along Saxony’s historic Silberstraße. The route through the Ore Mountains links the region’s mining heritage with contemporary electric mobility.

At the heart of the story is the Silver Road, a roughly 140-kilometre route that originated in the Middle Ages as a trading corridor for silver. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Erzgebirge became Europe’s most important source of silver ore, a legacy now recognised by UNESCO through the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region.

The journey begins in Zwickau, a city shaped by industrial history and traditionally regarded as the starting point of the Silberstraße. From there, the route passes through forests and mountain towns, skirting former mines that today operate as museums. In Schwarzenberg, the journey intersects with Porsche’s own industrial footprint at Porsche Werkzeugbau, the toolmaking division established after Porsche acquired KUKA’s toolmaking operations in 2015.

The festive character of the route comes into focus in Seiffen, widely known as Germany’s unofficial Christmas capital. In the workshops of Erzgebirgische Volkskunst Richard Glässer, traditional wooden pyramids, nutcrackers and other Christmas figures are still produced, largely by hand. Visitors can observe these processes in working show workshops, highlighting a craft tradition rooted in the region’s mining past.

The Christmas journey continues to Dresden and its Striezelmarkt. Founded in 1434 and held on the Altmarkt, it is recognised as Germany’s oldest Christmas market. The setting illustrates how the wealth generated by silver mining once shaped the cultural and architectural development of Saxony.

The route concludes in Leipzig at the Porsche factory and Porsche Experience Center, where the Panamera and the new all-electric Macan are produced. Ending the journey here underscores the transition from historical craftsmanship to modern automotive manufacturing.

Practical aspects of electric travel form a key part of the story. Along the way, Porsche Charging Lounges, including locations in Himmelkron and Estenfeld, provide 24/7 access to high-power charging and comfortable lounge areas. The Macan Turbo Electric supports DC charging of up to 270 kW, allowing the battery to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in around 21 minutes under suitable conditions.

Viewed as a whole, the Silberstraße emerges not just as a scenic route, but as a living thread of European history, where mining shaped identity, craftsmanship preserved tradition, and electric mobility now moves quietly through a landscape that connects past and present.