Silberhammer (Dresden)

The Silberhammer and the neighboring courtyard washing house were originally owned by the Saxon royal family on Ostra-Allee in Dresden . Both buildings were demolished at the end of the 19th century without replacement. The property initially remained undeveloped, but from 1911 the theater association built the Dresden theater here .

Construction of the first silver hammer and use until 1800

At the beginning of the 17th century, the construction of the coin and silver hammer in the Wilsdruffer suburb was necessary because the old coin in the city walls no longer met the requirements. Because of the need to use water power and because of the fire hazard from the annealing furnaces, the decision was made to locate a position at Weißeritzmühlgraben in close proximity to the Dresden tanning community .

The silver hammer, consisting of a massive basement and a half-timbered upper floor, was put into operation in 1622. The hammer was now outside the city walls, which is why it had to be protected against attacks, as up to 230 kg of silver were temporarily stored here. That is why the building had a boarded-up patrol corridor on the upper floor, and later it was secured by a guard .

Blanks - so-called Zaine - were made, which were then minted behind the city walls in the mint in the mint north of the castle. The hammer was driven by two undershot wheels , one with a diameter of 4.25 meters and a width of 1.10 meters and a second with a diameter of 4.80 meters and a width of 0.80 meters. Both were driven by the water of the Weißeritzmühlgraben.

The silver hammer was rebuilt and used until it was demolished in 1897

With the construction of the Catholic Court Church , the old mint on the Elbe had to give way. From 1732 to 1738 the new mint was built between the fortress wall and the Frauenkirche . This location soon proved to be unfavorable again, and there was not enough space for necessary extensions and modernizations. Therefore, Elector Friedrich August III ordered. In 1802 the completely new construction of the silver hammer. This then took place in the years 1803 to 1808. A simple one-story building with a large mansard roof was erected. Its rectangular floor plan was 33 × 14 meters. The hammer was now driven by an undershot wheel with a diameter of 7.50 meters and a width of 2 meters, this wheel delivered approx. 13 to 14 hp with a water flow of 1 m³ / s.

In August 1885 the waterwheel broke, so there were delays in the planned final coinage. The Muldenhütten mint near Freiberg became the new Saxon state coin after the Dresden mint was closed in 1887. On February 28, 1887, the city of Dresden acquired the silver hammer at a public auction. The demolition of the silver hammer took place in 1897, and in 1898 that of the court wash house located next to it. The royal painter's hall , located in the immediate vicinity north along the Malergäßchen , was demolished in 1902 and by 1906 the entire quarter on which the former tanner's houses were located disappeared. The theater was built on the property south of the Malergäßchen from 1911 to 1913, and north of it from 1912 the house of the Dresden merchants .

Individual evidence

↑ Wolfgang Müller: Stories from old Dresden - With the Weißeritzmühlgraben through our city. 1st edition. Hille, Dresden 2011, ISBN 978-3-939025-23-8 .

Web links

51.052166666667 13.73225Coordinates: 51 ° 3 ′ 7.8 " N , 13 ° 43 ′ 56.1" E

[1] Wolfgang Müller: Stories from old Dresden - With the Weißeritzmühlgraben through our city. 1st edition. Hille, Dresden 2011, ISBN 978-3-939025-23-8 .