Lautenthaler Gangzug
The Lautenthaler Gangzug , known for 7 km in length, is a fault in a rock crevice in the northwestern Harz that extends from Seesen to beyond Lautenthal . The Lautenthaler Gangzug is one of the Upper Harz ore veins . Its ore deposits formed the basis of extensive mining for heavy and precious metals from 1530 until the last research work was stopped in 1957. The pits at Kranichsberg and Bromberg were uninterruptedly in yield from 1685 until the 19th century . In the 20th century , the zinc blende deposits that had been abandoned by older mining became more important. The Lautenthaler Gangzug was mineralized in the area of the former mountain town of Lautenthal over a striking length of almost two kilometers and in places down to a depth of over 600 meters with sulphidic , silver-containing lead and zinc minerals. The ore was located in an area between the Bromberger Schacht in the west and the Duke Ferdinand Albrecht pit in the east. The Bydgoszcz ore was separated from the Lautenthal ore under the Kranichsberg by a 100-meter-long dodging zone directly under the bed of the Innerste . The Abendsterner, Alte Bergsterner, Brombergs Glücker, Güte des Herrner, Lautenthaler Hoffnungs-, Lautenthals Glücker, Leopolder, Neuer Bergsterner and Jacober Gang were known at individual courses under the Kranichsberg . The Lautenthaler Gangzug turns into the Hahnenkleer Gangzug at Hahnenkleer Berg .
Course (projected onto the surface of the day)
The western course is known to the outskirts of Seesen on the western edge of the Harz Mountains. Seesener Kurpark - Hausschildberg - Rosental (here the corrugation with the Bischofstaler Gang , which runs parallel to the Lautenthaler Gangzug from here, to unite with it on the Hahnenkleer Berg to the Hahnenkleer Gangzug) - Sternplatz shaft - Kleines Schlackental - Kleiner Bromberg (Bromberg ore) - Kranichsberg (Lautenthaler ore, exfoliation in numerous side tunnels / ruins up to the Black Pit ) - Ostschacht (coring with the Bockwieser gangway / diagonal gangway ) - Hahnenkleer Berg.
Paragenesis, peculiarities
The Lautenthaler Gangzug had significant ore resources with a rich galena and sphalerite filling averaging 2.5 meters thick . Overall, the passage filling was up to 90 meters thick. According to older traditions, rich silver minerals were also present on the surface like nests. Certain local areas, such as the Leopolder Gang, had already been completely dismantled at the beginning of modern, scientific research on deposits , so that no mineralogical properties are known any more. The corridors were mainly massive calcite (calcite), which was mined as road construction material (= poching gravel ).
Outcrops
During the day, the Lautenthaler Gangzug is visible near the Maaßener Gaipel forest restaurant . The gangway in the visitor mine above the roller can be seen underground (in museum jargon, “bolt shot shaft”). The powerful calcite compounds and ore residues at the Ernst-August-Stollen level (so-called “Spatfirste”) and “western investigation section” are only accessible to experts . Zinc blende and chalcopyrite are still pending in the area of the Bydgoszcz ore resource (e.g. “Cross-Pass 500 W”) .
Overview of mining history
Mining was probably carried out on the outcrop of the Lautenthaler Gangzug as early as the Middle Ages . The St. Jakob pit appears on a copper engraving from 1608 . Most of the mine fields were subsequently combined with the city's own Lautenthals Glück mine , founded in 1685 , which formed the central mine from 1817 (from 1923 "Lautenthal ore mine") and finally became the Prussian state property. The approximately one kilometer long deep Saxony tunnel , which was driven from 1549 to 1612 , connected the pits at the level of the Innerstetal and ensured natural drainage of the river until it was connected to the Ernst August tunnel in 1880, 160 m below Mines.
At the beginning of the 20th century, mining and ore processing was modernized , when the known deposits were running out and metal prices fell. From 1873 the new Lautenthaler ore processing replaced the old stamping works in the valley. These new plants were expanded in 1908 by a small pit wash, in 1910 by a sludge wash and most recently in 1925 by a flotation plant . The last operator, Preussag, invested in an investigation program and in 1922 sank the Sternplatz shaft in the westernmost area. In 1930 the production in Lautenthal was officially stopped for economic reasons, but the exploration of the deeper zones of the Lautenthaler ore material continued until 1936. Up until 1945, the “4. Route “( sole ) the remaining zinc cover dismantled. In the same year, the ore processing was destroyed by the effects of the war. Nevertheless, until 1957, investigation stretches were made at the level of the Ernst-August-Stollen to the west as far as the Sternplatz shaft. Since the desired success did not materialize, all activities were finally ended. In the early 1970s, the ore processing building was demolished and the Lautenthals Glück mine has been opened as a visitor mine since 1976.
literature
- Christoph Bartels : From the early modern mining industry to the mining industry . German Mining Museum, Bochum 1992, ISBN 3-921533-53-8 .
- Torsten Schröpfer: Treasure trove: Interesting facts about the West Harz mining and metallurgy . 1st edition. Pieper, Clausthal-Zellerfeld 2000, ISBN 3-923605-08-0 .
- Klaus Stedingk: Lautenthal: mountain town in the Upper Harz; Mining and metallurgical history . Bergwerks- und Geschichtsverein Bergstadt Lautenthal from 1976, Lautenthal 2002, ISBN 3-00-009504-7 .
- Dieter Stoppel: Course map of the Upper Harz . Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials, 1981, ISSN 0540-679X .