Primal trench
| Primal trench | ||
 Presumably remains of a reservoir along the ancient trench above the Nazihof / Rohr |
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| Data | ||
| location | Germany | |
| River system | Rhine | |
| source | Bockhorn Brunnen 48 ° 3 '35 " N , 8 ° 4' 14" E |
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| muzzle |
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| length | approx. 22 km | |
The Urgraben is a former artificial moat above the Glottertal near Waldkirch on the western edge of the Black Forest . He directed the water from the east side of the Kandel into the arid Suggental , where extensive mining was carried out in the Middle Ages . It is still considered one of the most important technical monuments in Germany today .
General
course
The Urgraben ran from the upper Zweribach (above the Plattenhof) in the southeast of the Kandel over three watersheds (Schönhöfe, Rohr, Luser) into the Suggental. It is 22 km long from the Plattenhof to the Suggental cemetery. In some places the primeval trench is still visible today, but mostly it is filled up and only exists as a path (“Urweg”). The primeval trench began above the Zweribach, south of today's Buchhornhütte (also known as the “Bockhornhütte”, 1026 m ) of the Black Forest Association . The Zweribach fed the trench at around 80 l / s. At the Schönhöfen am Brosihäusle ( 980 m ), he crossed the first watershed. From there it ran a short distance in the Glotterbach. At today's Hornmaierhof, the ditch branched off from today's driveway to the west. It flowed below and above the Urgrabenhof and Absätzlerhof in the direction of Rohr, above St. Peter . Until the 20th century the ditch was still preserved as a watercourse: above the Nazi farm (the farm name is derived from the first name of the owner Ignazius) it takes the Rohrbach and leads it to this farm as a mill ditch . Two boundary walls are still visible here.
Most of the farms on the Rohr date from around 1700. However, some of these farms, or their predecessors, already existed at the time of the primeval trench. B. the Nazi and the Jockenhof. The next watershed ( 850 m ) is in Lindlesdobel west of the pipe. Here the water plunged approx. 100 m down into the Lindlesdobel to the Stecklebächle. From this point on, the primal trench is largely identical to forest paths, for the construction of which the edge of the terrain formed by the trench was used. Above the Badbächletal there is an approximately 30 × 20 m plateau, which was formerly an artificial pond , from which the water of the primeval trench was divided between the Suggental and Badbächle Valley.
The third watershed between Glotter and Elz was on a saddle after Mount Luser at 630 m . There an approximately 70 m long rose leads through the Luser. Below the western Röschenmundloch there was another distribution basin, from where the water could be directed both into the Suggental and towards Wissereck in the Unter- Glottertal . The dam existed until the 1960s and was then removed. The compensation basin was probably used when repairs to the trench were necessary. The dam crest is said to have been up to 10 m high. Even today there are ponds south of the Obere Adamshof and at the Reschbauernhof in the upper Suggental that had the same task. The presence of the Rösche between Glotter- and Suggental shows that the primeval trench was built in two steps: the older part began at Stecklebächle and led into Talbächle, where the first water art was practiced. It was not until the mining industry in the Suggental had also reached the bottom of the valley that it was necessary to enlarge the water catchment area to the east, to include the St. Peter monastery. Because one was bound up by the older course, the watershed to the Suggental could no longer be crossed, but had to be driven under. This enlargement made the document of May 2, 1284 necessary.
Catchment area
Zweribach, upper Glotter and Lindlesdobelbach in Ober Glottertal were the main catchment area. Several small streams (Götzenbächle, Albersbach, Rohrbach, Stecklebächle, etc.) that flow from the Kandel to the south and west also fed the primeval trench.
task
The primeval trench was used to supply the silver mines in the Suggental and probably also in the Badbächle Valley (a side valley of the Glottertal).
The reason for the establishment of the Urgabens was the abundant mining in Glottertal and subsequently in mining in Suggental . This was probably recorded in the 11th century and was subordinate to the Zähringers in Glottertal and to the Lords of Schwarzenberg , the governors of the St. Margarethen monastery in Waldkirch, in Suggental . The silver deposits were large, but so was the water shortage in the valley. On May 2, 1284, Count Egon von Freiburg granted the right to build the moat. The corresponding document suggests that the mining already deep below the water table had to be penetrated. So our aim was to marshes using the hydropower the prolific silver mines to the silver ore to the lower soles degrade . The trench was originally around 60 cm deep and 80 cm wide. To keep the water in the ditch, an approx. 2 m wide, valley-side dam was built. The gradient was 0.75–0.9% and the average water volume was 300 l / s.
The Urgraben is an impressive example of the technical skills of the late 13th century and its length is unique in Europe . However, mining in the Suggental came to a standstill as early as 1298. Overall, the primeval trench is likely to have existed only a little over 10 years.
It was not until 1400 that operations were resumed, although little is known about its scope at that time. There are reports of rich iron ore discoveries only between 1550 and 1638. The silver mines were closed down again in the 18th century, but without lasting success. Also in the 20th century the attempt was again made to v. a. Mining heavy spar , but since 1933 mining has been permanently suspended there.
Witnesses in kind
The remains of the Radstube in the Suggental were still visible up to the end of the 18th century (according to the report by Hermann von Carato's Upper Austrian mining expert ). Thanks to archaeological finds such as lead slag , we now know that there were numerous silver smelters along the Glotter as far as Denzlingen .
Whether the archaeological finds on the Schlossberg near Freiburg as Schwerspatstückchen in mosaic floors , from the Glotter- or Suggental originate, is controversial. Also iron ore mining must have been what the Eisenverhüttungsanlagen on Mauracher mountain suggest (in Denzlingen) and at the Glotter. Statements about the early history of medieval mining in the Suggental and Glottertal cannot be made, reliable finds ( ceramics ) only exist from the 13th century. The dismantling took place mainly through pits that are still z. T. as rows of pings are visible in the area. However, the sulfur spring there remained important for the Suggental . The Suggenbad was one of the most famous baths in Germany for over 500 years and was first mentioned in 1481.
Name declaration
The name "Urgraben" can probably be traced back to "Wuhrgraben". Similar trenches in other areas provide evidence of this. In the Hotzenwald ( Waldshut district ) they are still called Wuhre today , e.g. B. Berauerwuhr, Hännerwuhr, Heidenwuhr etc.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b http://www.badische-zeitung.de/waldkirch/wandern-entlang-des-urgrabens--6399442.html Map of the course
- ^ Certificate of Count Egino II of Freiburg for permission to build the original trench from 1284. Retrieved on April 27, 2013 .
literature
- Mining research group Suggental: Mining history in the Suggental. 10 years 1985-95. 2nd edition, Breisach 1995.
- Andreas Haasis-Berner: Water arts, slope canals and dams in the Middle Ages. An archaeological-historical study of hydraulic engineering using the example of the ancient trench at the Kandel in the central Black Forest. Verlag Marie Leidorf, Rahden 2001 (= Freiburg contributions to archeology and history of the first millennium; 5) (cf. Univ., Diss., Freiburg im Breisgau, 1999). ZDB -ID 2033034-0 Table of contents at VML Verlag Marie Leidorf GmbH
- Rudolf Metz: The early mining in the Suggental and the Urgraben am Kandel in the Black Forest. Alemannisches Jahrbuch, 1961: 281–316, Freiburg ISSN 0516-5644 .
- Anna Chatel-Messer, Monika Nethe: The primeval ditch in the Black Forest. One of the most important technical monuments in Germany . In: Preservation of monuments in Baden-Württemberg , 41st year 2012, issue 4, p. 251 f. ( PDF )
- Urgraben is still fascinating today , Christian Ringwald, Badische Zeitung, June 9, 2012, accessed February 14, 2014.
- Hiking along the Urgraben , Karin Heinze, Badische Zeitung, October 13, 2008, accessed February 15, 2008.
- "I love gold and silver very much ..." The history of mining around the Kandel Chapter 4 (Elz, Glotter, Simonswälder and Brettenbachtal), Andreas Haasis-Berner MA, index of online publications, Institute for Prehistory and Early History University of Freiburg,
- Josef Ruf, The Urgraben on the Kandel. In: Mein Heimatland, 10th year 1923, issue 3, pp. 24-27.
- Andreas Haasis-Berner ea: Settlement and mining in Glottertal. In: Working group Glottertäler Ortsgeschichte (Hrsg.): Mining in Glottertal. Contributions to the 900th anniversary of the Glottertal community, Freiburg 2012, pp. 9–102.
