Annaberger Floßgraben

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Annaberger Floßgraben
Preserved section of the Annaberg raft ditch below the castle stone

Preserved section of the Annaberg raft ditch below the castle stone

Data
location Ore Mountains , Saxony , Germany
River system Elbe
Drain over Pöhlbach  → Zschopau  → Freiberger Mulde  → Mulde  → Elbe  → North Sea
source south of Bärenstein
50 ° 29 ′ 10 ″  N , 13 ° 1 ′ 18 ″  E
muzzle at the Forsthaus in Annaberg Coordinates: 50 ° 34 ′ 41 ″  N , 13 ° 1 ′ 10 ″  E 50 ° 34 ′ 41 ″  N , 13 ° 1 ′ 10 ″  E

length approx. 11 km

The Annaberger Floßgraben was a raft ditch from the Pöhlbach into the mountain town of Annaberg . It was used to raft wood for the metallurgy industry as well as to supply additional whipping , industrial and drinking water to the mining town. It was laid out from 1564 to 1566 and existed continuously until its abandonment in 1839 and 1844.

description

The raft ditch was around eleven kilometers long and began in Bärenstein on the corridor border with Stahlberg . It then ran diagonally across the meadows to today's federal highway 95 and on the slope side along this to the center of Bärenstein, then led below Bahnhofstraße to the train station and approximately at the level of the railway line along this and around the tunnel of the Vejprty – Annaberg railway line. Buchholz and Bf around to the former Kühberg stop and continue in the direction of Königswalde Oberer Bahnhof. From there, follow the upper Annaberger Bahn through the corridors of Cunersdorf and above Kleinrückerswalde to the former timber yard near the Annaberg city forest. The water is said to have flowed either via the Scheidebach near the Riesenburg back into the Pöhlbach or through the Stadtbach into the Sehma .

Prehistory and construction

Annaberger Floßgraben, memorial plaque near Kleinrückerswalde

Just a few decades after its founding, the mountain town of Annaberg needed a way to bring large quantities of fuel, mine, smelter and construction timber as well as additional surcharge, industrial and drinking water cheaply. The city council planned the construction of a raft ditch. The raft ditch was built by the Annaberger Markscheider and councilor Georg Öder jr. measured and built under the direction of Mathäus Viertel and Georg Öder from 1564 to 1566. On June 6, 1566, water was poured from the Pöhla into the new artificial moat for the first time. The construction is said to have cost 4,000 guilders , to which the elector contributed 1,000. In order to secure the operation in dry seasons, a pond was created around 1573 at the expense of the elector on Fichtelberg .

On October 17, 1567, Annaberg was granted ownership and enforcement rights for eternity by Elector August and had this confirmed again and again in the following years, as its use brought good income.

particularities

The Annaberger Floßgraben was the only one in Saxony that was always run under municipal management. The elector reserved the right to divert water for mining purposes at any time without compensation. Use was made of it from 1570 to 1620 and from 1701 to 1708.

The trench had a very low gradient (about 16 m gradient over 11 km in length) and was a masterpiece of historical surveying. The flow rate was accordingly low. Apparently the wood was on its way to Annaberg for three days. Meanwhile, raftmen had to accompany the wood, secure its unimpeded flow with poles and thus avoid wood jams. The use of the grass along the ditch was leased to farmers and cottagers who instead of paying interest had to do labor rafting. To speed up the transport, some props were built in, so that when they were pulled, the wood was washed out at greater speed.

In the Bärensteiner Flur alone, 14 footbridges and bridges made of wood or stone led across the moat.

Task of the company and present

The ditch existed continuously until the rafting business was abandoned in 1844. From 1790 the ditch was often still due to a lack of wood, because the forests of the upper catchment area were very exhausted. In 1844 - according to other sources, in 1839 - operations are said to have ceased.

When construction work began on the railway line from Königswalde to Annaberg, the trench that was no longer required was partially filled in. From the Bärenstein train station to behind Kühberg, the raft ditch is partly still very well preserved. At Schlossstein , today's tunnel on the Vejprty – Annaberg-Buchholz railway line , it is roughly 95 meters carved through rock. Letters, signs and the year 1565 are carved there. The initials GÖ stand for the mark separator Georg Öder, MV for the construction manager Matthäus Viertel.

literature

Web links

Commons : Annaberger Floßgraben  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
  • "The raft ditch"
  • Photos in the "MontE" database of the Institute for Science and Technology History (IWTG) at the Technical University of Freiberg: 1 , 2 , 3

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Schloss Stein am Kühberg , accessed on June 28, 2009