Glassworks below Dornsweg
The glassworks below Dornsweg was a forest glassworks in the Taunus in Hesse that produced glass in the 15th century . The remains of the glassworks are at 570 m above sea level. NHN in a forest area around two kilometers east of the town of Glashütten on the northeast slope of the Glaskopf elevation . Archaeological investigations at the location of the glassworks were carried out in 2001 and 2005.
Excavations and construction
The location of the glassworks mentioned in historical literature, but forgotten, was found again in 1998. A voluntary employee of the district archeology discovered red, opaque shards and hilly elevations in the forest floor during a site inspection . The remains of the glassworks are near a forest path called Dornsweg .
On the initiative of the club culture glassworks took place in 2000 in addition to surveying and mapping of the site a geophysical prospecting by geomagnetics to get bottomless interventions insights into the former cottage complex. In 2001 and 2005 volunteers carried out excavations under the scientific direction of the archaeologist Peter Steppuhn . After the work, the excavation site was backfilled.
According to the excavation results, the larger working furnace was badly damaged. The four auxiliary ovens, each three to four meters in diameter, were well preserved. In the outer secondary ovens, the vessels were gradually cooled down or raw materials were dried. The two middle auxiliary furnaces were a combination of stretching and cooling furnace and were used for flat glass production .
During the excavations, around 30,000 finds were recovered, most of which were glass fragments. Meaningful individual pieces of the recovered find material were included in the permanent exhibition Waldglashütten im Taunus in the Hessenpark open-air museum in Neu-Anspach . The remaining material is sorted and documented in the warehouse of the State Office for Monument Preservation Hesse .
The finds testify to intensive glass processing under control of difficult glassblowing techniques. The products had a wide manufacturing repertoire in terms of shape and color. The products were hollow and flat glass, some for the highest demands. Colored glass, including blue glass mass, indicates production for higher social classes. Filigree thread coverings on the glass as well as various net and nub variations are evidence of this. The red opaque glass, the production of which today (2017) still gives rise to scientific research, is of particular importance. There were also rib and rib beakers made of green forest glass, as well as beakers and bottles made of red opaque glass. Glass containers for the medical-alchemical field were also made. The range of finds also included fragments from almost 20 glass harbors for the molten glass. Based on the glass and ceramic finds, the production time of the glassworks could be dated to the second half of the 15th century. This means that the glass factory worked around the same time as the glassworks on Buchholzweg and the glassworks on the Emsbach Gorge , which were each around a kilometer away. These locations were also archaeologically examined between 2001 and 2005. On the basis of matching finds, the archaeologists suspect that the glassworks below Dornsweg was connected to the glassworks on Buchholzweg , possibly a predecessor operation.
The severe damage to the main furnace indicates a planned rebuilding of the stressed furnace, which was not carried out. There was also discussion of the forcible laying down of the glassworks while it was still in operation. The reason for this is not known. It could be the result of a military conflict, such as the Mainz collegiate feud (1461–1462), or destruction by rival companies.
The research at the glassworks below Dornsweg expanded the level of knowledge about the glassworks landscape in the Taunus , which only played a subordinate role in European glass history.
literature
- Peter Steppuhn with the collaboration of Ingrid Berg: Waldglashütten im Taunus. History - Archeology - Products. Book accompanying the permanent exhibition in the Hessenpark open-air museum. Frankfurt am Main 2006, ISBN 978-3-930095-04-9
- Peter Steppuhn: Results and perspectives of a glass archeology of the 12th to 17th centuries in the Hochtaunus. In: S. Kleingärtner, U. Müller, J. Scheschkewitz (Ed.): Cultural change in the field of tension between tradition and innovation. Festschrift for Michael Müller-Wille , Neumünster, pp. 247–269. ( Online )
Web links
- Description of the glassworks below Dornsweg
- Glassmaker at Glashütten im Taunus with location maps and excavation photos at History Working Group Glassworks .
- Brief description of the glassworks locations near glassworks
Individual evidence
- ^ High medieval glass furnaces discovered in the Taunus. Great moment of an amateur researcher, Horst Nauk ( Memento of the original from April 15, 2017 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. at history working group glassworks .
- ↑ Glassworks locations ( Memento of the original from April 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Station IV ( Memento of the original from April 15, 2017 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. of the waldGLASweg at the history work group glassworks .
- ↑ Permanent exhibition "Waldglashütten im Taunus" in Hessenpark ( Memento of the original from April 15, 2017 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. at history working group glassworks .
Coordinates: 50 ° 13 '18.5 " N , 8 ° 25' 17.4" E