Knappenwelt Gurgltal
The Almost Gurgltal is a mining - open-air museum in Tarrenz , Austria. Buildings and machines on the subject of work, infrastructure and life of miners from the Middle Ages to the early modern period in the Gurgltal lead mining area are shown .
The archaeological museum of the Gurgltal healer is located in the open-air area in its own modern building.
history
History of mining in the Gurgltal
When exactly mining began in the Gurgltal is unknown. Mining from prehistoric times can be assumed, since lead was already known in the Iron Age. For the Romans, lead ores were of great importance (e.g. as water pipes, for military equipment, in shipbuilding, in paint production, for stamps) and there is an important north-south main road, the Via Claudia Augusta, through the Gurgltal It is conceivable that ore was mined as early as Roman times. Visible mining techniques (setting fire) and the tunnel profile suggest this. Lead from Dirstentritt is mentioned as a commodity from a document of the St. Mang Abbey (Bavaria) from 1198. The aristocratic family of the Starkenbergs (1180–1489), whose castle towers over Tarrenz, also engaged in mining. From the first half of the 13th century, the Steingaden Monastery exercised the mining rights and expanded mining to the Imst area.
In the 15th century the region around the Gurgltal experienced a modest economic boom. The reason was large amounts of pale ore (high silver content) which were found in Schwaz. This silver was not "solid" (pure). The ore therefore had to be melted together with lead in order to be able to extract the pure silver. The required lead from galena (galena) was found in the Gurgltal region in minable quantities and was therefore mined and transported to Schwaz. From 1560, the demand for lead ores declined, as the pale ore yield in the Schwaz area fell significantly. Brass, an alloy of zinc spar and copper, was already known to the Romans. Zinc spar and zinc blende came and still occur in considerable quantities in the mountains around the Gurgltal, which secured their jobs for miners in times when there was little demand for galena.
From the 19th century, thanks to technical progress, it was also possible to recycle the zinc blende that had initially landed on the dumps. Other minerals found in the local rocks are: wulfenite (yellow lead ore), fluorite and gypsum.
Probably the most important area was the Dirstentritt, an extensive area southeast of the Alpleskopf. But St. Veith was also an old and productive deposit with 20 km of tunnels. The last tunnels on the Dirstentritt were closed in 1952 for lack of profitability.
History of the Knappenwelt
As part of an Interreg III Austria-Germany project, the museum grounds were laid out in 2007 and put into operation in 2008. In the years that followed, new buildings were added, from the wooden bread oven to the pottery oven and from the sutlery to the grandstand. Some of these new buildings are used to represent old craft techniques, whereby the functional systems are put into operation on special occasions, and others are the expansion of the infrastructure for celebrations and the revitalization of the system.
The chance find near the museum of the archaeological sensation now known as the “Healer from Gurgltal” led to the desire to exhibit the find on site in the museum. To make this possible, a new, second museum was built on the grounds of the Knappenwelt in a second Interreg project (Interreg IV Austria - Italy) in winter 2012. Since then, both museums have been open from May to October.
presentation
The Gurgltal Knappenwelt serves as a presentation, explanation for visitors and awareness-raising in the region on the topic of "historical mining in the Gurgltal", with a special focus on the life of the miners in the high mountains and processing after the actual mining. Special attention is paid to the historical techniques and technical systems.
The open-air museum reproduces the entire work process and the associated buildings including historical machines and guides the visitor through a functional system. The conveyance of the content is based on the one hand on this realistic and large-format representation, and on the other hand on a supplement with all available media. Text, images and film are made available to visitors both directly in the system and on the digital visitor guide. The origins of the dismantling of remains in the region, the living and working conditions of the miners, work processes and techniques are presented in a form that can be walked through and experienced.
Cooperation with other museums and cultural institutions is part of the museum's work. As part of events, the company collaborates with the Starkenberger Biermythos , Ballhaus Imst and the Tarrenz local museum , among others . The Knappenwelt is also a member of the Via Claudia Augusta association and Terra Rätica.
location
The Knappenwelt is located on the south-eastern edge of the Gurgltal opposite Tarrenz at the foot of the Tschirgant, on the edge of the forest next to the slightly dammed Gurgl. A cycle path, the Via Claudia Augusta , runs right next to the river . The buildings are located on different slopes in order to reproduce the historical function as true to the original as possible.
There are two ways to get to the museum. The first shorter path coming from Imst leads across from the community building to the right of the main road through narrow, winding streets to Knappenwelt. The second path is from the Fernpass , Nassereith coming before Tarrenz and leads to the left of the main road to a bus parking lot. Cars can also drive directly to the museum from the bus parking lot following the bank path. The walk from the bus parking lot to the museum takes about fifteen minutes.
Events
Various events are held during the season from May to October to enliven the open-air museum and the museum of the healer and also to repeatedly attract visitors from the region to the museum. With the exception of the season opening (at the end of April or beginning of May), these relate to the theme of the facility.
"Modern Healers" is dedicated to alternative healing methods, some of which are very similar to historical medical methods and create a direct connection to the exhibition of the healer from Gurgltal. Smaller events on only one healing method or alternative way of life take place throughout the season.
“Ruperts Handwerkerey” wants to make historical handicrafts tangible for visitors and to enliven them both as demonstrations and in the form of courses. Due to the historical location of the Knappenwelt in the Middle Ages and early modern times, this event is held as a "Middle Ages event". In addition, there will be a 3D archery tournament, army camp, children's program and, from 2018, the Tyrolean Eagle Cup. The latter is the first Tyrolean full contact tournament ( HMB tournament ).
See also
swell
- ↑ (Manuscript 88 of the University of Innsbruck)
- ↑ Peter Gstrein: Mining in the Gurgltal area - a script for the training of guides in the Gurgltal Knappenwelt . Innsbruck February 2008, p. 40 .
- ↑ Walter Schatz: The Starkenberger, their time and politics . Ed .: Tiroler Heimatblätter 1979. Issue 4. Innsbruck 1979, p. 102 .
- ^ Andreas Tangl: The mining of St. Veith and the beginning of the history of the mining of Tarrenz . Ed .: Mining Association Tarrenz. Tarrenz 1998.
- ↑ Peter Gstrein: Historical mining in the Gurgltal region in Tyrol…:… as well as a visit to the Knappenwelt near Tarrenz . 1 (July 30, 2011) edition. Berenkamp, 2011, ISBN 3-85093-277-X .
- ↑ Iris Rataitz-Kiechl: The Gurgltal Knappenwelt in the Tyrolean Oberland . Ed .: Tiroler Heimatblätter.
- ^ Alrun Lunger: Mission statement of the Museum Knappenwelt Gurgltal, March 2014, Tarrenz.
- ↑ Knappenwelt Gurgltal: Modern healers. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
- ↑ Gurgltal Knappenwelt: Ruperts Handwerkerey. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 15 ′ 28.9 ″ N , 10 ° 46 ′ 28.6 ″ E