Mining in Upper Franconia - Bergbau in Oberfranken

In Upper Franconia in the Fichtel Mountains and in Franconian Forest Mining has been an important line of business for centuries. The mountains provided the ores and the numerous forests provided the energy for smelting. Even today you can find evidence of the old mining art in many places.

history

Copper holes

Already in the early Middle Ages there was mining in the Fichtelgebirge. Above all gold, tin, iron, minerals, earth and stones were mined. From the middle of the 14th century, underground mining is documented. It reached its peak from the 15th to the 17th century. In the Thirty Years' War mining declined, the ore deposits were largely exploited for the conditions at the time. Alexander von Humboldt tried in the 18th century to revive the mining industry. Individual deposits were still exploited until the middle of the 20th century. In exceptional cases, mining continues to this day, e.g. B. in the quarries near Kupferberg.

In hammer mills (the place names often end with -hammer) on rivers and streams, in smelting furnaces and forges, the ores found were processed into metal products. The forests provided the wood required to make charcoal.

Tourist Attractions

Map of mining in Upper Franconia

Mines and tunnels

  • Visitor mines: The Schmutzler Stollen is about 35 meters that Medium day tunnels - name of God is almost 130 meters accessible, access via Gold crowners Brandholz district (signposted), opening times: from 01.05. until 30.09. Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed in winter = bat protection).
  • 1  Visitors to the mine - St. Veit colliery, Wirsberger Weg 34, 95362 Kupferberg. Tel.: 49 9227 9727833. Open: Wed to Sat 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • 2  Gleißinger Fels visitor mine. Tel.: 49 9272 848. the oldest mine in northern Bavaria, in operation for 500 years.Open: daily 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.Price: Adults: 6 €, children 5-15 years 5 €.last change: May 2020
Rebecca studs
The former mine train
  • 3 The show mine Friedrich Wilhelm Stollen in the Hell Valley is the only visitor mine in the Franconian Forest Nature Park. It is open from late March to late October. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays there are guided tours at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., during the Bavarian summer holidays also on Tuesdays. The tours last around 90 minutes and sturdy shoes and warm clothing are recommended. Adults pay € 3.50, schoolchildren € 2.50.
The tunnel was built in 1793 by Alexander von Humboldt began. From 1792 to 1795, Humboldt was commissioned by the Prussian sovereign to get mining in the Franconian Forest and Fichtel Mountains going again.
  • The Rebecca studs in the Hell Valley is an abandoned mine tunnel. It was once a part of the Friedensgrubener Ganges which reached from Lichtenberg over the Selbitz and Issigbachtal to Griesbach. Copper and iron ore were still being dug around 1800. Today the tunnel is no longer accessible, only the entrance area can be seen.
  • In the Steinachtal at Stadtsteinach one finds the so-called copper holes, they are former ore mining sites
  • Mining is still practiced today, including the large ones Quarries near Kupferberg are worth seeing (images).

Quarries

Broken diabase near amber in the forest
  • The diabass quarries at Kupferberg are worth seeing (images). The quarries are in operation and may not be entered.
  • The diabase break on Galgenberg near Bernstein am Wald, a district of Schwarzenbach am Wald is a geotope with pillow-shaped basalt lava

Museums

  • 4  Mining Museum Kupferberg, Kirchplatz 3, 95362 Kupferberg. Tel.: 49 9227 5342. The museum provides information and pictures about the mining history.Open: Tue to Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat, Sun and public holidays 1.30 p.m. to 5 p.m., closed on Saturdays from November to March.
  • 5  Gold Mining Museum, Bayreuther Str. 21, 95497 Goldkronach. Tel.: 49 9273 502026, Fax: 49 9273 96380 (City administration). Open: from April to the 3rd Advent on all Sundays and public holidays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.Price: Admission: € 2, young people € 1, free for children under 12.
  • The mining information point 7  Little Johannes, Old mine 1, 95659 Arzberg. There is also the historic iron hammer on the Rathausparkplatz. (info).Open: daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed from 5 December to 19 March.
  • 8  Pegnitz mining information point, Pegnitz Tourist Office, Hauptstr. 37.91257 Pegnitz, Contact person: Ms. Waltraud Bullinger. E-mail: . Open: Guided tours on request by a former miner, Mr. Josef Pitsch, Tel. 49 (0) 9241/1272.
  • 9  Waldhaus Mehlmeisel, Waldhausstrasse 100, 95694 Flour chisel. Tel.: 49 9272 909812. The geological structure of the Fichtelgebirge is shown, soil profiles, soil types and rocks.Open: 01.04. until 01.11. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays; 11/02 until March 31 Weekends and public holidays 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., December 24th / December 31st / January 1st closed.

nature

The Peterleinstein
  • The 589 meter high Magnetberg Peterleinstein from Kupferberg in the direction of Marktleugast protrudes prominently out of the forest. What makes the Peterleinstein special are the rare plants that can be found there. The mountain consists of greenish Serpentinite, a very basic rock on which only sparse vegetation thrives; the rock is also magnetic.
  • 10 The Weissenstein (Wikipedia) 668 m above sea level NN at Stammbach consists essentially of eclogites, a basalt rock that was formed under ultra-high pressure conditions. The observation tower on the summit is the only tower in the world made from eclogite as a building material.

activities

  • By the G’steinigt nature reserve at Arzberg runs a geological Hiking trail along the Röslau through the Röslau Gorge. The G'steinigt nature reserve has been included in the one hundred most beautiful geotopes in Bavaria.
  • The Mining historical hiking trail leads from Kupferberg to Wirsberg and back, about 13 km, with 24 stations
  • Geology and mining adventure trail is a circular route with a length of 7 kilometers and 13 stations pdf in the Hell Valley
  • Panning for gold on request in the museum garden and at the information center of the visitor mines in Goldkronach possible.
  • The GEO adventure trail Historical tin mining on Rudolfstein is a 7 km long circular route with 17 information boards in the spa gardens in Weißenstadt starts. There is information about the formation of the tin deposits, their mining, as well as the importance for the people in earlier times.

literature

  • Matthias Mäuser, Wolfgang Schirmer, Hermann Schmidt-Kaler: Walks into the history of the earth, Vol. 12: Upper Main Alb and Upper Franconian Bruchschollenland. arrow, 2002, ISBN 978-3899370041 , P. 152.

Web links

  • stmwivt.bayern.de - From mines, smelters and hammers: visitor mines, museums with mining exhibitions, geotopes, nature trails and visitor caves
  • geopark-schieferland.de - Information on slate mining in Thuringia and Franconia
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