search results

The mountain saw at the old Maria Theresia Berghaus on the Ischler Salzberg: A saw was of great importance for every salt mine operation, since the mine operation required large quantities of "Ladwerk" (thick boards) for the expansion and the brine production. Therefore there was at least one, but usually several saws at each salt mine, which is why they were also among the oldest systems of the respective salt mine. Three saws are known on the Salzberg in Ischl: as the oldest, the Steinberg saw with the "Schafferklause", the Grabenbach - or Graben - saw built near the Ludovika tunnel and a third, from 1867, at the old Maria Theresia Berghaus. The following report will mainly deal with the latter saw, also known as the mountain saw, since the other saws and the associated Klaus systems were already dealt with in detail in the 2012 article by Franz Federspiel "News from the old Ischler Salzberg". Situation of the mountain saws on the Ischler Salzberg in the 18th century: Originally there were two plank saws on the Ischler Salzberg, the one on the Steinberg and the Graben saw below the Ludovika tunnel. The Steinberg saw was probably built immediately after 1563 with the start of salt mining in the Steinberg district. According to a note in Dicklberger's "Salinen - Geschichte" (volume 1, p. 388), the Steinberg saw existed before 1586. Figure 1: Steinberg - saw, conversion plan, 1842, archive Salinen Austria Figure 2: Steinberg - saw, ground plan, conversion plan, around 1845, archive Salinen Austria Due to the concentration of salt mining on the Pernecker salt storage and the associated deepening of the mining tunnels, the ditch - saw at the Ludovika - Berghaus was built. The exact date of construction of this saw, which was probably built around 1700, could not be found in the files. The first known documentary reference from September 25, 1769 provides information that the ditch saw and the associated hermitage were rebuilt after a fire at the estimated cost of 292 fl 52 kr. In the course of the conversion, a new storage hut was built along the entire length of the hermitage to store the saw cuts. The Graben - saw along with the associated hermitage had completely decayed again in 1816 and was rebuilt in the three following years. In 1839 the woodwork of the hermitage was rotten again, and the water wheel and the river also needed replacing. Figure 3: Ludovika Berghaus, site plan with ditch – saw, 1839, Archiv Salinen Austria Because of the high repair costs to be expected, in 1839 the Ischl mining operations manager at the time, Franz v. Schwind to leave the Graben saw at all and instead expand the Steinberg saw to make it more efficient. When converting the Steinberg saw, Schwind succeeded in increasing sawn timber production fourfold compared to the previous ones by using an overshot water wheel and a belt transmission in the gearbox, the first saw drive of this type in the monarchy. As a result, the sawn timber requirement of the entire Ischler Salzberg could be satisfied by the sole operation of the Steinberg saw. Figure 4: Steinberg - saw, design of an overshot water wheel, 1840, archive Salinen Austria The operation of the ditch saw should only have continued on a smaller scale, since the cost of bringing the cut goods from the Steinberg saw to the Pernecker tunnels via a specially created goods route was very expensive. For this purpose, Schwind replaced the desolate Grabenbach hermitage with a wooden weir in 1839. After the Graben saw burned down again in 1856, it was finally abandoned. Figure 5: Trench - saw with Ludovika Berghaus, 1838, Archiv Salinen Austria Figure 6: Connecting route Steinberg - saw to Graben - saw, 1838, Archiv Salinen Austria Figure 7: Ludovika Berghaus, site plan after digging – sawing, 1859, Archiv Salinen Austria Transfer of the Steinberg saw to the old Maria Theresia Berghaus: After the new Steinberg tunnel was shut down as the last tunnel in the Steinberg district in 1775, the Steinberg saw only produced for the Pernecker tunnel, which was much further down in the valley. After the final closure of the Grabenbach saw in 1856, the entire sawn timber requirement had to be laboriously transported from the Steinberg saw down into the valley. For this reason, the plan was made around 1865 to move the Steinberg saw closer to the Pernecker tunnels. Various installation sites were tested: at the Grabenbach at the confluence of the Gaisbach opposite the Josef tunnel and directly at the Sulzbach or, connected to the Sulzbach via a river, at the old Maria Theresia Berghaus. Figure 8: Project transfer Steinberg - saw to the Josef tunnel, around 1865, archive Salinen Austria In view of the focus of the advance in the Empress Maria Theresia tunnel and the short transport routes, the decision was made to transfer the saw to the old Maria Theresia Berghaus. The transfer of the Steinberg saw to the new location took place in 1867. By using the old saw drive and parts of the old saw building, the costs were kept low at a total of 669 fl 81½ kr. Figure 9: Transfer Steinberg - saw to the old Maria Theresia Berghaus, 1865, Archiv Salinen Austria Figure 10: Transfer Steinberg - saw to the old Maria Theresia Berghaus, 1865, Archiv Salinen Austria Figure 11: Transfer Steinberg - saw to the old Maria Theresia Berghaus, 1866, Archiv Salinen Austria Description of the gear mechanism of the plank saw: With the report prepared by Franz Kreuzhuber, manipulation pupil Ite class, on March 14, 1868, there is a precise, contemporary description of the historical saw drive: "Where there is great hydroelectric power, undershot water wheels of 2 to 3 feet in diameter and 5 to 6 feet wide are usually used to operate the board saws. Here an overshot water wheel with a diameter of 12 feet and transmission is put into operation. A cog wheel of 6 feet diameter fastened to the base of the water wheel sets a driving wheel and with it a pulley of 6 feet diameter, - this by means of belts a second pulley of 1 ½ feet diameter, with it a wooden flywheel of 6 feet diameter and at the same time an iron winch in motion, whose arm carries a rod connected to the sag container /: Saggatern :/ in its circumference, which pushes the same up and down in a vertical guide. The Saggatern is assembled from 4 pieces of wood in the form of a door frame, to the short pieces of which the Sagblatt is screwed. Since the saw always makes its movement in the same place, a device is necessary for advancing the object to be cut in proportion to the power of the saw. This device /: Sagwagen :/ is a twenty-seven foot long frame movable on a horizontal slide and fitted with small rollers for ease of movement. To move it forward, the sagger carries a 7-foot-long horizontal rod on the lower crossbar, the end of which is fastened in a shaft Rings with indentations /: Thrust ring :/ gives an impact to the surrounding wheel of 3 ½ feet in diameter and as a result rotates the same slowly. During the retraction of the former, a second bar holds the thrust ring against slippage. The wheel, which is attached to the iron base of the thrust ring and is similar to the drive wheel, pushes the sag wagon through the combs attached to it along the entire length according to the power of the saw. A second overshot water wheel, 6 feet in diameter, is used to move the sag wagon backwards to its previous position, the shaft of which winds around a rope which runs over a small pulley attached to the end of the track and is attached to the sag wagon. As the sag wagon moves forward, it unwinds the rope from the shaft again.” In the following plan, the original work of the Steinberg saw is shown as it is described in the report by Franz Kreuzhuber in 1868 during the transfer. Only the second, smaller water wheel for moving the sag wagon backwards was added at the new location at the old Maria Theresia Berghaus. Figure 12: Gear mechanism of the Steinberg saw, 1857, archive Salinen Austria Saw - Fluder: After the transfer, the service water for the saw was no longer fed through a hermitage, but through a small cushion in the Sulzbach. The "Schmiedenfluder" from the Sulzbach, which has existed since about 1825, could be used for this purpose. This river had to be built for the operation of the mountain forge, since from 1825 larger amounts of water were diverted from the Grabenbach via the water scour into the Elisabeth tunnel in order to be able to provide the service water required for the Laistauss flooding in the Maria Theresia tunnel. The amount of residual water in the Grabenbach was often too low for the operation of the forge at the Maria Theresia tunnel. The river was designed as an open wooden channel made from cut posts, 72 m long and 0.6 m wide. As early as 1881, the river, which had been renewed in 1867, had to be removed due to damage and a new river channel including water catch and wheel hut had to be installed at a cost of 719 fl 81 kr. to be erected. Further repairs of this kind on the fluder were necessary in 1891, 1905 and 1933. Figure 13: Saw - fluder, 1904, archive Salinen Austria Performance of the two saw - water wheels: The overshot water wheel for driving the gang saw had a diameter of 3.7 m and a width of 1.0 m, depending on the water pressure, an output of 4 - 5 hp; the also overshot water wheel ("mold wheel") for reversing the saw carriage with 1.7 m diameter and 0.75 m width 1 - 2 HP. Figure 14: Saw - water wheels, 1866, Archiv Salinen Austria Figure 15: Mountain saw with old Maria Theresia mountain house, around 1930, Kranabitl archive Figure 16: Mountain saw at the old Maria Theresia Berghaus (upper left edge of the picture), around 1930, Archiv Salinen Austria Modification of the mountain saw's gearbox: In 1879, a circular saw was installed in the firewood store next to the mountain saw to cut the firewood better. This circular saw could be operated directly from the saw by means of a transmission transmission. In 1893 the gearbox of the mountain saw had to be repaired because it was defective. The complex maintenance of the saw fluder and the water wheels as well as the low performance of the mountain saw caused the management to convert this saw to electric operation in 1950. For this purpose, a stationary electric motor with 750 rpm was installed. From the 325mm diameter drive wheel of the electric motor, a belt led to a 1550mm diameter pulley on the main shaft. A second belt drive was placed on the main shaft on the stream side, which connected a belt wheel with a diameter of 900 mm on the main shaft to a belt wheel with a diameter of 730 mm on the water wheel shaft to move the saw gate. Another belt drive on the uphill side enabled the forward and backward movement of the saw carriage by means of a chain. Figure 17: Conversion of the plank saw to electric operation, 1951, Archiv Salinen Austria In the course of the electrification of the saw drive, a side saw was also installed. For this purpose, the sawing building had to be structurally extended. Figure 18: Installation of the board saw, project 1949, archive Salinen Austria Figure 19: Erection of the Ladwerkstadel, 1951, archive Salinen Austria Closure of the sawmill: The mountain saw at the old Maria Theresia Berghaus remained in operation until the mid-1980s. Since the migration of the mining industry from Perneck to the new site at the Kaiser Franz Josef Erbstollen in Lauffen in 1989, the saw building has been empty. Figure 20: Last shift arrival from Perneck, June 29, 1989, archive Salinen Austria Figure 21: Mountain saw after the cessation of operations, 1991, Kranabitl archive Figure 22: Old Maria Theresia Berghaus with a mule saw in the background, 1991, Kranabitl archive Mountain saw revitalization: In the summer of 2020, the Mitterbergstollen interest group (IGM) set itself the goal of preserving and opening up the mountain saw as part of guided tours along the Viasalis circular route. The historic sawmill is well-preserved and, as a unique technical monument that is otherwise rarely found in the Salzkammergut, is particularly worthy of protection. The main elements of the saw gear, which dates back to 1847 and is made of wooden gears, have been preserved to this day. In 2021, with the support of Salinen Immobilien AG, IGM would like to secure the building fabric, set up a showroom in the area of the former sawmill and have the technical history of the saw documented as part of diploma theses. Figure 23: Mountain saw, 2018, Kranabitl archive Figure 24: Saw carriage and saw frame, 2020, Kranabitl archive Figure 25: Saw gear, Kammrad, 2020, Kranabitl archive Figure 26: Saw gear, comb wheel with drive wheel and 1st belt pulley, 2020, Kranabitl archive Sources used: Franz Federspiel "News from the old Ischler Salzberg"; in: Messages from the Ischler Heimatverein, Episode 31, 2012, p. 18-25 Carl Schraml "The Upper Austrian Salt Works from 1818 to the end of the Salt Office in 1850", Vienna 1936 Michael Kefer "Hand Karten des Ischler Salzberges", 1829, transcription by Thomas Nussbaumer, Archiv Salinen Austria Josef Hütter "The Ischler Salzberg in words and pictures", manuscript, Bad Ischl 1938, Archiv Salinen Austria Franz Kreuzhuber "Relationship on the gear mechanism of the plank saw at the kk Salzberge Ischl", manuscript, Ischl 1868, transcription by Thomas Nussbaumer, Archiv Salinen Austria Ischler stock book no. 13 "Saw building" and no. 48 "Fluder for the saw", archive Salinen Austria Anton Dicklberger "Systematic history of the salt pans of Upper Austria", I. Volume, Ischl 1817, transcription Thomas Nussbaumer Plans from the Bad Ischl Salt Mine Plan Archives, Salinen Austria

viasalis Themenweg Wandern Salzkammergut Bad Ischl Salzberg via salis experience history Via Salis ways of salt Via Salis ways of salt Bad Ischl and the salt IGM Interest group Mitterbergstollen Salt has been mined in Bad Ischl since 1563. Historical tunnel entrances, the mountain church, miners' houses, the former Schaffersag and other localities can on Via Salis be visited.... Die ehemalige Bergsäge am Pernecker Salzberg bei Bad Ischl ist ein montanhistorisches Denkmal ersten Ranges The blessing of the coveted mineral salt lay over the entire Salzkammergut. Hence the name, which is made up of the words Kammergut and Salz... Between 2013 and 2018, the "Interessengemeinschaft Mitterbergstollen" ( IGM ) restored a total of 12 tunnel portals at considerable expense... Continue reading Weiterlesen » Continue reading Continue reading NEWS Project: Saving the historic saw at the Maria Theresia tunnel No posts published in this language yet Once posts are published, you’ll see them here.

Historische Bergsäge beim Maria Theresia Stollen Erhaltungsverein Bergsäge Maria Theresia Stollen Die ehemalige Bergsäge am Pernecker Salzberg bei Bad Ischl ist ein montanhistorisches Denkmal ersten Ranges: • Sie ist das letzte vollständig erhaltene Relikt des Pernecker Salzbergs. • Sie wurde als erste Säge der k:k: Monarchie mit einem Riemenantrieb ausgestattet, der bis heute vollständig erhalten ist. • Sie ist die letzte aus dieser Zeit stammende Säge im inneren Salzkammergut. Zum Erhalt dieser Säge wurde im März 2025 der gemeinnützige „Erhaltungsverein Bergsäge Maria Theresia Stollen“ gegründet. Ziel der Mitglieder und Unterstützer dieses Vereines ist es, dieses einzigartige Objekt zu sanieren und im Zuge von Führungen auf den Pernecker „Via Salis Themenwegen“ der interessierten Öffentlichkeit zugänglich zu machen. Gemeinsam können wir die traditionsreiche Bergsäge wieder in Schwung bringen, wir freuen uns auf Ihre Anfragen! Der „Erhaltungsverein Bergsäge Maria Theresia Stollen“ Hans Kranabitl: Tel. +43664 73118978, Mail kranabitl@aon.at Horst Feichtinger: Tel. +43677 61168967, Mail horst.feichtinger@gmx.at Vereinskonto: Sparkasse Bad Ischl AT14 2031 4055 0006 0693 Via Salis ways of salt Weiterlesen » Via Salis ways of salt Weiterlesen » Via Salis ways of salt Weiterlesen » No posts published in this language yet Once posts are published, you’ll see them here.

Werde Mitglied beim Erhaltungsverein Bergsäge Werde Mitglied beim Erhaltungsverein Bergsäge Online-Anmeldung zum Erhaltungsverein Bergsäge Maria Theresia Stollen Name* Titel Beruf oder ehem. Beruf Anschrift* Postleitzahl* Ort* Land* Geburtsdatum Day Month Year Telefonnummer E-Mail-Adresse* Auswahl Mitglied: Mitglied* ordentliches Mitglied Jahresbeitrag 20 € Förderer Jahresbeitrag 100 € Juristische Personen/Firmen Jahresbeitrag 250 € Alle Angaben werden vertraulich behandelt und nur vereinsintern für die Mitgliederverwaltung verwendet. * Beitrittserklärung einreichen Vereinsvorstand: Obmann Johann Kranabitl Obmann Stellvertreter Horst Feichtinger Kassier Rudolf Kranabitl Kassier Stellvertreter Johannes Putz Schriftführung Maria Sams Schriftführung Stellvertreter Cordula Scherngell Details zum Verein: Anschrift: Erhaltungsverein Bergsäge Maria Theresia Stollen Staufenweg 67 5400 Hallein Tel.: +43 664 73118978 E-Mail: kranabitl@aon.at ZVR - Zahl: 1769469137 Bankverbindung: Sparkasse Bad Ischl IBAN: AT14 2031 4055 0006 0693 Statuten des Verein

mine lining Mine development Saline Austria currently

Salzkammergut Salzbergbau Sprengmittellagerung

12 The John tunnel Stud Name: "St. John of Nepomuk - Stollen" originally watering scree, named after "water saints" Struck: 1725 Leave: 1831 Length: 230 m Altitude: 991 m In 1725, the St. Johannes tunnel was struck to bring in the still unleached mountain thickness of 10 Stabel (11.9m) between the Matthias and Obernberg tunnels and to leach existing works above the level of the Matthias tunnel. Initially, this building was only intended to serve as ventilation and drainage for the princes' weir. However, when the salt was reached during the excavation of this Ebenschurf in 1730 and the cleansing pit was connected to the princes' weir by sinking, the still unnamed building was given the name St. John of Nepomuk tunnels. The St Johannes tunnel – main shaft was driven entirely in the squeezing clay rock. The tunnel timbering lasted barely 1 year. Therefore, 2 scaffolds were constantly needed to keep the tunnel open to traffic. Situation of the weirs in the St. Johannes tunnel around 1800: Length from the mouth hole to the salt boundary 219 bars (261.7 m), from there to the field site 190 bars (227.1 m). 2 hairpin bends with a total of 3 weirs, 2 of which are unusable (Fürsten - and Wimmer - Weir) and 1 usable (Zierler - Weir). Because of the rich salt mountains, the decision was made to extend the prince's weir beyond the Matthias tunnel. For this purpose, a cleaning pit, a sink works and 2 dam outlets were built from the St. Johannes tunnel. In 1733 the prince's weir could be watered again in order to be able to use the thickness of the mountain down to the St. Johannes tunnel. In 1744 the prince's weir went down because it was too close to the overlying rock and fresh water had broken in. The princes' weir now had to be dammed up and abandoned. The Kain and Tratl weir in the Matthias tunnel, which had been in operation since 1648, was also to be leached beyond the Matthias tunnel. Since the Kain and Tratl weir had already fallen into disrepair, a sinkage was sunk from the St. Johannes tunnel in 1738. In doing so, devious brine was encountered. In 1764, a second sinkage, located further towards the day, was sunk from the St. Johannes adit - main shaft against the Kain and Tratl weir. After the construction of 2 dams, the facility, now known as the Zierler weir, could be watered again and watered higher towards the St. Johannes tunnel. In 1802 there was an unexpected decline in the factory, which relocated the two drain boxes of the Zierler weir. The drain boxes could be found under the companionway and prepared. In 1807 the factory went down again. The Zierler weir, which had been emptied down to 17 rooms (1,924m³), could no longer be emptied any further. In 1 week, only ½ room (57m³) of brine drained away, then the drain dried up completely. Since the old sinkage also became completely unusable due to the decline, a new sinkage had to be sunk, and through this, the brine still in the weir had to be laboriously pumped up. The Wimmer weir was built in the eastern part of the St. Johannes tunnel to use the salt agents that remained behind the Zierler weir. However, since there was a risk when the Wimmer weir was flooded that the surface water in the Lipplesgraben tunnel could break through and the salt mountains were very poor, it was completely abandoned again in 1781. Around 1800, the weirs in the Johannes tunnel were largely exhausted. Despite the rich salt deposits that were still available in places, these could not be used further because they were too close to the surface and there was a risk of fresh water ingress. The remaining mountain forts were necessary to support the mountains and were not allowed to be weakened under any circumstances. The tunnel hut near the St. Johannes tunnel burned down completely in 1787. Situation of the weirs in the St. Johannes tunnel around 1850: A total of 3 weirs, all pronounced dead around 1850; Wimmer - weir, Zierler - weir, princes - weir. Until 1933, the drainage path led in the St. Johannes tunnel from the water intake point on the Sulzbach via the drainage pit to the main shaft and on to the Saherböck pit, over which the water flowed down into the Matthias tunnel. The rear part of the St. Johannes tunnel was finally abandoned. Sources used: Carl Schraml "The Upper Austrian salt works from the beginning of the 16th to the middle of the 18th century", Vienna 1932 Carl Schraml "The Upper Austrian Salt Works from 1750 to the time after the French Wars", Vienna 1934 Carl Schraml "The Upper Austrian Salt Works from 1818 to the end of the Salt Office in 1850", Vienna 1936 Leopold Schiendorfer "Perneck - A Village Through the Ages", Linz 2006 Johann Steiner "The traveling companion through Upper Austrian Switzerland", Linz 1820, reprint Gmunden 1981 Georg Chancellor "Ischl's chronicle", Ischl 1881, reprint Bad Ischl 1983 Michael Kefer "Description of the main maps of the kk Salzberg zu Ischl", 1820, transcription by Thomas Nussbaumer, as of September 13, 2016 Anton Dicklberger "Systematic history of the salt pans of Upper Austria", Volume I, Ischl 1807, transcription by Thomas Nussbaumer, as of 06.2018

17 The new Steinberg tunnel Stud Name: "Neuer Steinberg - Stollen" because of the route in dense limestone Struck: around 1715 Length: 280 m Altitude: 862 m The New Steinberg tunnel was built under Emperor Charles VI. struck about 1715. In 1721, the new Steinberg tunnel - main shaft was already extended to 137 Stabel (163.3m). At that time, the main shaft was started on the left Ulm with the removal of a scoop, which was to remain the only construction of this tunnel. The new Steinberg tunnel - main shaft was 130 Stabel (155m) in the limestone, then followed up to the Feldort 108 Stabel (129m) poor, changing salt mountains. Shortly before the field site, a dig was sunk to the right into the Rabenbrunn tunnel. Due to the small extent of the salt mountains, no further constructions could be built in this tunnel, which is why it was abandoned in 1775. With the decommissioning of the pumping works in the new Steinberg tunnel in 1775, brine production in the Steinberg warehouse also ended. From this point in time, the extraction activities shifted entirely to the much more productive Pernecker camp. Until 1769, the center of Ischl salt mining was on the so-called Steinberg. The miner and the miner had their offices here. The ancient "Steinberghaus", mostly made of wood, which is not identical to the "Taxhaus", which is also located here and was demolished in 1821, had already fallen into disrepair around 1820. In 1821 - 1822 a replacement building was erected for the also dilapidated "Taxhaus", which was referred to as the "Mining Serviceman's House", "New Steinberghaus" or "Existing House" for short. Among other things, the existing, usable ashlars from the old, dilapidated Steinberghaus were used for the construction. The "existing house", which was only used as a woodworker's accommodation, fell victim to a fire in 1943. Sources used: Carl Schraml "The Upper Austrian salt works from the beginning of the 16th to the middle of the 18th century", Vienna 1932 Carl Schraml "The Upper Austrian Salt Works from 1750 to the time after the French Wars", Vienna 1934 Johann Steiner "The traveling companion through Upper Austrian Switzerland", Linz 1820, reprint Gmunden 1981 Michael Kefer "Description of the main maps of the kk Salzberg zu Ischl", 1820, transcription by Thomas Nussbaumer, as of September 13, 2016 Anton Dicklberger "Systematic history of the salt pans of Upper Austria", Volume I, Ischl 1807, transcription by Thomas Nussbaumer, as of 06.2018

Perneck ein Dorf im Wandel der Zeiten. Autor: Leopld Schiendorfer

How long has mining been around? The question "When did mining start?" is not easy to answer, since written records go back barely 1 millennium. To answer the question "What was before?" one has to rely on archaeologists and often on dedicated miners who are looking for traces of the past. People have known how to use the natural resources of the Alps for at least 6000 years . That's how old Austria's oldest mine is in Mauer near Vienna , where flint was mined. 12 m deep shafts, stretches and cross passages as well as large heaps still bear witness to the activities of Stone Age miners. A number of copper mines from Schwaz in Tyrol via the Kelchalm near Kitzbühel to Mühlbach am Hochkönig were already in operation in the Bronze Age 4000 years ago . A total of 3.3 million tons of raw ore were extracted and around 50,000 tons of copper were smelted. Eastern Alpine copper production was of European importance. 3000 years ago, salt was mined in Hallstatt . And in Roman times, Noric iron from Carinthia and Tauern gold were coveted trade products. Evidence of early mining activity is the glacier man "Ötzi" . Extremely high concentrations of copper and nickel were found in the hair of the man who died 5,300 years ago. This suggests that Ötzi worked in ore smelting . In addition, Ötzi was armed with an East Alpine copper ax. Also in other parts of the world there are interesting, sometimes much, much older traces of mining. The oldest pit map, for example, dates from the time of the Egyptian ruler Ramses IV, who lived 3,300 years ago. It shows roads, gold mines and miners' dwellings. In North America from 3000 - 1200 B.C. About 500,000 tons of copper ore were mined by an unknown people on the Isle Royale in Michigan. However, the associated copper was never found. Where the not inconsiderable amount of copper went to will probably remain a great mystery of archeology. The world's oldest traces of mining can be found where mankind originated - namely in Africa. Unfortunately, much of the past lies in the dark on the black continent. Records from the pre-colonial period are practically non-existent. Most finds of prehistoric mining were only made in the course of modern large-scale mining. The roots of classic mining lie in southern Africa in the Ngwenya Mountains in today's Swaziland. It is home to one of the oldest underground mines in the world, dating back an incredible 43,000 years . The object of the extensive mining, which reached a depth of up to 30m, was hematite in the form of silvery micaceous iron mica. The iron ore was crushed in stone mortars and probably used for cultic-cosmetic purposes. There is no doubt that the Stone Age hunters rubbed their faces, hands and bodies with mineral paints and then made the cave paintings, which are still colorful today. During the nearly 20,000-year mining period, several thousand tons of ore were mined in the Ngwenya Mountains. As a last example, I would like to mention the discovery of a Rhodesia man, a 200,000-year-old early human form . Bones and teeth of this early human have been discovered in a limestone cave opened up by mining at Broken Hill in Zambia. The living space of this man was unique: Zinc and lead phosphate crystals literally littered the ceiling of his den. So there is a suspicion that he really is the oldest miner in the world! Mining has shaped the fortunes of people for thousands of years. Without it, progress and prosperity would be unthinkable. Miners can rightly be proud of having inherited a profession that is thousands of years old.

Saltworks history of Upper Austria and neighboring Alpine saltworks; Vols. 1 & 2 in a slipcase with drawings and pit maps Anton Dicklberger , Thomas Nussbaumer ISBN: 978-3-99028-791-0 Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 in slipcase new release Saltworks history of Upper Austria Summary volume 1 Anton Dicklberger, Bergmeister Salzbergbau Ischl, received the order from the court chamber in Münz und Bergwesen in 1812 to create a systematic mountain description of the local salt mining with maps. After submitting this elaboration and the large number of documents still available, Dicklberger applied in 1813 to also be allowed to create a history of the salt works in Upper Austria. Upon approval, this two-volume work, divided into eight major parts, covers the period from the year 600 BC to 1000 BC. to the 18th century recorded, completed March 31, 1817. With this work, a basis for further research into the history of the salt pans was created, whereby Anton Dicklberger received a lasting and honorable monument. Summary volume 2 This volume contains copies of 127 documents covering a period of more than 530 years (1123 to 1656). After historiography at the beginning of the 19th century It was usual to record the sources almost exclusively in their entirety, resulting in a work of more than 660 pages. When entering the supplements, attention was paid to the original spelling due to some difficult-to-understand words, but these were adapted to the spelling of 1817. Short biography, author Thomas Nussbaumer: Thomas Nussbaumer, born 1961 in Bad Ischl, accountant, worked for 31 ½ years in finance and accounting at Österreichische Salinen. As supervisor and later administrator of the main library of the salt pans, he was able to acquire a great deal of specialist knowledge about the history of the salt pans. Thomas Nussbaumer, Bad Ischl on July 24, 2018 4820 Bad Ischl, Stifterkai 17 Telephone number. 0660/4890727 e-mail: thomas.nussbaumer@drei.at Sale: Salt world shops of Salinen Tourismus GmbH in Bad Ischl (Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Straße), Hallstatt, Altaussee and Hallein/Dürrnberg Orders can also be placed with the author: Tel. No. 0660/4890727, e-mail: thomas.nussbaumer@drei.at Price: 98.00 euros

Werkssäuberung