Hi Robert,
I would certainly back-up Harald's suggestions:
>visit "Grube Samson" in Andreasberg.
>wooden waterwheel,
>working Fahrkunst (moving 'ladders')
- the Fahrkunst is a man engine (still use by engineers to inspect a
hydroelectric generator 190m below!!) although the timber pump rods are
now wires and the waterwheel replaced by an electric engine (there is
still a reversing waterwheel there), well worth seeing, as is the rest
of the Grube Samson museum - it's also not far from the Brocken if you
fancy a steam engine trip.
>Rammelsberg is certainly worth a visit (I have not
>been there, though)
- Well worth a visit, the site has been mined continuously for over
1,000 years and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main visitor area
is the later 19th Century workings, with train ride - a little different
to Morwellham 8-)
A large open quarry pit up the hill behind the main processing mill has
revealed 12th century artefacts, plus evidence for a rutted cartway that
had it's gauge changed. Underground, below the 19th Century workings are
some fascinating 12th and 16th century workings, plus several
underground waterwheels - at least 2 reversible wheels for winding, plus
others for pumping.
At Clausthal Zellerfeld: The Mining School, Clausthal Amsthaus (Mining
offices and HQ of Hartz mining from 1731, with the British Royal coat of
arms on the front - the area was once controlled by the Dukes of
Hannover), plus the nearby Geology museum are all worth a visit.
Also at Clausthal is the Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum with lots of models
and artefacts collected from the surrounding area, plus the superbly
reconstructed 1787 mineshaft building of August Caroline Schacht, and
horse whim building. Look out for the "Man-engine" glockenspiel clock on
the building opposite the museum - well worth waiting to see it operate.
About 90 km South-east of Clausthal in the former DDR "East Germany" is
Roehrigschacht mine, where (if it's open) you can have a trip over 280m
down the shaft, plus an 800m train ride form the shaft bottom to a a
series of period faces in a seam of copper shale only 40cm high!
Hint: Don't look at the winding engine until after you've been
underground 8-)
There are also a lot of items and large machines to see on the surface,
some of which have been recovered from underground.
>> Rick Stewart & myself are going on holiday to the Harz Mountains on Wednesday
>5th September and would like to know what museums/sites we ought to visit. We
>have checked out the Goslar World Heritage Site website, but have found very
>little information in English and neither of us can read German.
>> Can list members suggest places to go, especially with website details in
>English? Is there anyone out there whom we should contact, perhaps to look at
>things which are not generally on the tourist trail?
Shropshire Caving & Mining Club ^o^
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