"Drham is' drham": how Anton Günther shapes the Ore Mountains

After all, anyone traveling in the Ore Mountains will find the dialect poet's name in abundance: streets, restaurants and viewpoints are named after him. And there are also memorial stones in many places, not just in Saxony. Böhm says that he knows of more than 50. There are also memorials in the Czech Republic, Austria, Hesse, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony. After the Second World War, many Germans had to leave their villages and towns in what was then Czechoslovakia and put down new roots elsewhere. Anton Günther's songs helped them to cherish the memories of their homeland.

"German and free" - as a poet a child of his time

However, some of the lyrics raise questions today. In 1914, Günther joined in the jubilation at the outbreak of the First World War and wrote the song "Hurra! 's gieht lus". A few years earlier, he had already formulated the verses to "Deitsch on frei wolln mr sei" - one of his best-known songs. It says: "The last drop of blood goes to our old German homeland." The song is repeatedly appropriated by right-wing extremists. The NPD once even advertised with the slogan: "Our Anton would vote NPD."

However, he wrote the lines decades before Hitler's Germany plunged the world into the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century and had six million Jews murdered, among other things. "He should be read from the time in which he was arrested," says Günther expert Richard Glöckner on the reception of Anton Günther. "He was a relatively simple man who was not made for world politics."

Glöckner, 31, grew up in the Ore Mountains and knows Günther's songs from children's choirs and school, he says. He is a trained tenor and works at the Eduard-von-Winterstein-Theater in Annaberg-Buchholz. He has been on stage there since 2022 with the Anton Günther evening "Mei Harz braucht Lieder" - a hit with audiences. In the play, he conducts a dialog with the poet, who is present on stage as a puppet.

Günther's texts invite nationalistic interpretations, Glöckner knows. He wants to critically reflect on this and also show the philanthropic and cosmopolitan ideas behind the songs. "Although they are quite simple songs musically, they have a wide range of lyrics," enthuses the singer. "They deal with great themes of longing, as can also be found in art songs by Schubert or Brahms."

In 1937, the poet ended his own life. He suffered from depression. At the funeral, around 7,000 people are said to have bid him farewell in Gottesgab.

Anton Günther - the "Bob Dylan of the Ore Mountains"?

On the 150th anniversary, the dialect poet is experiencing a new hype. He is being honored with song recitals in many places and a new memorial stone is also being dedicated. "So geht sächsisch" - the umbrella brand of the Free State of Saxony - even named him the "Bob Dylan of the Ore Mountains".

His lyrics reflect the deep connection many people have with the landscape and traditions, says Glöckner, explaining his enduring popularity. "The lyrics manage to express this love incredibly well."

Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved