Serpentinite quarry Oberwald
The serpentinite quarry Oberwald is a disused quarry in the Waldenburger Oberwald district of the large district town Hohenstein-Ernstthal in the Saxon district of Zwickau .
location
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Today's surface natural monument is located north of Hohenstein-Ernstthal in the Goldforst forest area (also known as Oberwald ), in the valley of the Pechgraben . To the west is the Oberwald reservoir , to the east is the 484 meter high Langenberger Höhe , which rises on the eastern edge of the Fichtenthal settlement bordering the gold forest . In the immediate vicinity of the disused serpentinite quarry are the 401 meter high Steinberg and the 369 meter high Kiefernberg with a former exploratory tunnel , which is now known as the Karl May Cave .
history
During mining exploration work, several tunnels were probably excavated in the Oberwald from the 17th century . The main search was for iron ore; was found serpentinite . A quarry was not opened until 1906 by workers from the Zöblitz serpentine quarries . The mined material was taken to Zöblitz by train , as the processing industry was based there. The serpentinite from the Oberwald was due to its veining, strength and good rotatability excellent for the production of arts and crafts such B. vases, boxes and desk sets. It was also used as an architectural design element, for example on the altar feet of the Hohenstein St. Christophori Church. In the 1930s, the material was increasingly needed for structural purposes, including the construction of the Reichsautobahn between Dresden and Meerane , now the A4 federal motorway . From 1945 mining was reduced and in 1972 it was stopped entirely. The former quarry is now a natural monument . It belongs to the "Pfaffenberg-Oberwald" nature reserve.
Web links
- Internet presence of the city of Hohenstein-Ernstthal - contribution by Dieter Krause "Am Steinbruch"
- Karl May Foundation - Karl May Cave
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 50 ° 49 ′ 14 " N , 12 ° 41 ′ 25" E