When ‘The Edge’, the guitarist from Irish band U2, lays into the strings, few know that he’s holding a piece of Vogtland in his hands. But Vogtland isn’t just considered the cradle of instrument-building. It is also home to the world’s two largest masonry arch bridges in the form of the Göltzsch Viaduct and the Elster Viaduct. In winter, meanwhile, it boasts one of Germany’s longest and most snow-sure cross-country ski runs in the Kammloipe. And the Plauen lace once dismissed as dowdy has made it all the way to the world’s top catwalks. Vogtland is full of surprises. Will it surprise you too?