Pitch oil stone

Leaf-like groove area with a diameter of over 2 m from a very large pitch oil stone in Hundsdorf near Gutau , Upper Austria

Side view of the pitch oil stone in Hundsdorf near Gutau , Upper Austria

Pechstein near Quellenreuth, Upper Franconia with a bowl-shaped pitch pan

Griebenherd in Reumtengrün , Vogtland

Pitch oil stones , pitchstones or Grieb herd are specially shaped and worked stones that used for extracting pitch from resinous pine branches were called.

term

The stone that was used to extract pitch has different names locally and there were also differences in the extraction of pitch and the various products obtained. Pitch oil stones, pitch stones or greaves are also known as pitch stones or bacon stones. The next larger unit was the pitch furnace . The rock Pechstein , not related to the pitch extraction, takes its name after his often black color.

Pitch extraction

The stone was located directly in the forest, where the wood could be processed on site. Pine , spruce , fir and larch trees were suitable for the extraction of pitch using this method . The branches were piled in a pyramid shape on the stone and covered with spruce branches, earth and pieces of lawn. This kiln was then fired for at least a day. The wood, which did not burn due to lack of oxygen, gave off pitch ( wood tar ). This was led into a container through drains or channels that were cut into the pitch oil stones. The pitch oil was used as an ointment or, mixed with pork fat, as a car grease. Different types of pitch (see e.g. birch pitch ) or tar were won , as well as turpentine and charcoal .

List of pitch oil stones

• Pechölsteine ​​in Rechberg and in the Freistadt district in Upper Austria
• Pechsteine ​​in Quellenreuth , Götzmannsgrün and Völkenreuth , districts of Schwarzenbach an der Saale are under monument protection
• Herd of greaves in Reumtengrün, village of Auerbach in the Vogtland

literature

• Hans Höllerich: pitch stones and pre-industrial pitch extraction . In: Archive for the history of Upper Franconia . 67th volume. Bayreuth 1987. pp. 163-185.

Web links

Commons : Pechölstein  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ Page of the Bad Zell community ( Memento of the original from May 21, 2010 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. 
2. ↑ The history of our place - Pechsteine. Heimat- und Geschichtsverein Mohlsdorf eV (PDF; 142 kB)