Rotkot mine
The Rotkot mine is a former mine in the area of the city of Zwiesel . Up until the 19th century, alum in particular , but also vitriol , iron stone and other minerals and metals were extracted here.
location
It is located southeast of the Theresienthal am Rotkot glassmaker's chapel, north of the Rotkot settlement on the northern edge of the urban area. The mine is located on the southern slope of the steeply rising slope, which here reaches a height of 733 meters just above the two tunnels. The cellar mountain to the east got its name from the mine.
history
First reports
The "Berggruben" was first mentioned in 1567 on the occasion of the demarcation between Zwiesel and Lindberg . At that time, the Lords of Degenberg owned the Zwiesel estate. On August 1, 1587, Sigmund zum Degenberg issued an "Alum Mining Regulations zu Zwisel". This shows that there were two access tunnels that are still in existence today, an upper and a lower one. Below the two tunnels were brewing huts and accommodations for the miners. The judge von Zwiesel was responsible for managing the mining operations. Alum was especially needed for dyeing in glassworks and dye works. Apparently it was the intention of the Degenbergs to use the mine to secure the autarky of their rule Zwiesel, which was regarded as an imperial fief.
After the death of the last Degenberger in 1602, her heirs from the Wittelsbach family had their possessions described. With regard to the mine, it was noted that " Vitriol , alum, Eisnstain and Roterfarb were mined at great expense", but operations had since been discontinued. However, there are reports from 1610 and 1619 that suggest that the mine was still in operation.
Resumption of operations in the 18th century
In 1708 Hofkammerrat Schmid from Munich resumed mining operations. In 1735 the landscape secretary Johann Georg Schwarz, operator of the mine in Hunding and later mayor of Ingolstadt since 1735 , was enfeoffed. Elector Karl Albrecht gave permission in a "Vergonnbrief to build on alum and precious metals at Zwisel". The tenth quintal had to be paid in cash to the sovereign after deducting the expenses for the brewing shift. With an order dated June 30, 1756, it was decreed that in the future the Mint and Mining College in Munich would cultivate the plant itself. From now on, the Bodenmais Mining Authority was responsible for the operation of the Rotkot. Apart from a few interruptions, mining operations have been inactive since 1760.
In 1868, the geologist Carl Wilhelm von Gümbel first remarked in retrospect that there had been extensive mining here in the past, but then pointed out that the old tunnel had recently been cleaned up and its continued operation started. In 1893 mining began again, but was stopped again at the end of 1897 without any major success.
The 20th century
The last mining research work took place from 1951 to 1955. The result was that this deposit was not worth building. In 1983, city officials went on an excursion to the mine. In 1990 the entrances to the two tunnels were closed, only loopholes remained for bats. Another excursion took place in 2003. Since then, efforts have been made to make the tunnels accessible again. The Panoramaweg Zwiesel offers a montane-historical themed trail around the Rotkot mine.
natural reserve
In 2009, during the annual bat count in a mine tunnel , employees of the nature conservation authority of the Regen district discovered a specimen of a small horseshoe bat , which was previously thought to be lost or extinct in Lower Bavaria . In addition to this bat species, up to 9 other species were found in the tunnel that use the tunnel both as winter quarters and as daytime roosts in summer. With around 100 counted specimens, the Rotkot mine, along with the Silberberg near Bodenmais, is the largest and most biodiverse bat winter roost in Lower Bavaria. The Regen district became the owner of the mine in 2016 in order to ensure the long-term preservation of the bat roost. To this end, the renovation of the access area at risk of collapse is to take place in the course of the year.
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.naturpark-bayer-wald.de/detail/331.html (accessed August 11, 2016)
- ↑ Press release of the district of Regen from June 22nd , 2016 ( Memento of the original from August 11th, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- Ingeborg Seyfert: The history of the mine at Rotkot , in: Stadt Zwiesel Heimatbuch , Volume 2, Morsak Verlag, Grafenau 1998, ISBN 3-87553-520-0 , pp. 40–53
Coordinates: 49 ° 2 ′ 30.7 " N , 13 ° 14 ′ 15.1" E