Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System
Encyclopedia
Water management
Water management is the activity of planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources. In an ideal world. water management planning has regard to all the competing demands for water and seeks to allocate water on an equitable basis to satisfy all uses and demands...
facilities used by the mining industry. In addition to water-carrying ditches and ponds, there are also long-abandoned ditches and dry pond beds. The Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System , which forms the major part of these old water management facilities, lies in the central Lower Harz, almost entirely within the borough of the present-day town of Harzgerode
Harzgerode
Harzgerode is a town in the district of Harz in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.-Geography:Its localities include:*Harzgerode*Alexisbad*Dankerode*Güntersberge*Königerode*Mägdesprung*Neudorf*Schielo*Silberhütte*Siptenfelde*Straßberg...
.
Extent
In the central Lower Harz between the villages of Neudorf, SilberhütteSilberhütte (Harzgerode)
Silberhütte is a village in the borough of Harzgerode in the district of Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Its name means "silver works", a place where silver ore is smelted.- Geography :Silberhütte lies in the Selke valley of the Lower Harz....
, Straßberg, Großem Auerberg
Großer Auerberg
The Große Auerberg is a hill, high, in the eastern Harz in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.The hill has twin peaks that are 580.4 m and 580.3 m high, which are about 500 metres apart...
and the upper Lude river is the only, historical, mine water management system in the Lower Harz. Sheltered by the geographical-climatic conditions of the Lower Harz, the system never reached the scale of comparable systems in the Upper Harz
Upper Harz
The Upper Harz refers to the western and higher part of the Harz mountain range in central Germany. Much of the Upper Harz is over , but at its eastern edge in the High Harz it climbs to over on the Brocken massif.- Geography :...
and the Ore Mountains
Ore Mountains
The Ore Mountains in Central Europe have formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for many centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest of the mountain range...
. The river catchment areas affected are primarily the source regions and upper reaches of small mountain streams. Parts of the water management system can be dated back as far as 1320. This network of ditches (Kunstgraben
Kunstgraben
A Kunstgraben is a type of man-made water channel that was once used by mines to drive the water wheels needed for power, mine drainage and a host of other purposes...
), trenches (Rösche
Rösche
A Rösche is a German mining term that refers inter alia to a gullet , a trench for draining water in the lower part of a mine gallery...
) and ponds (Kunstteiche) has been called the Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System.
There are about 300 ponds in the Lower Harz as a whole. Of these, 36 were mining ponds that had a combined retention capacity of 2.6 million m³. The ponds of the Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System thus held about 40% of the capacity of all Lower Harz ponds. This amounts to some 26 ponds, most of which are covered today. They currently serve mainly as drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
reservoirs.
All elements of the mine water management system, regardless of condition, were placed under conservation orders in 1991 as a heritage area (Flächendenkmal). In doing so, the name of "Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System", which was already in use no later than 1986 for the system of the central Lower Harz, was broadened by the Saxony-Anhalt Department of Heritage Conservation and Archaeology (Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt) to cover the whole of the Harz Mountains lying in Anhalt
Anhalt
Anhalt was a sovereign county in Germany, located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe in Middle Germany. It now forms part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.- Dukes of Anhalt :...
, although this step was not followed by the literature that appeared later.
Prehistory
There has been mining in the Straßberg Field since at least 1438, and possibly even as early as 1279. The first silver smeltingSmelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
works are recorded in the period from 1511-1566. The first water management facilities in the Rödelbach valley also date to this time. By the second half of the 16th century the ore deposits near the surface were exhausted and mining largely ground to a standstill. During the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
mining operations ceased completely.
At that time, water management in the Straßberg Field was still at the stage it was in 1610. In addition to the Rödelbachgraben
Rödelbachgraben
The Rödelbachgraben, usually called the Rödelbach and also incorrectly referred to as the Rieschengraben, is a water channel that was dug for mining purposes and is the oldest fully functioning part of the Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System in the Harz Mountains of Germany...
, there was the Dorfrösche channel between the Rödelbachgraben and Flösse. There were also two ponds, the Gräfiggründer Teich and the Lower Kilian Pond (Unterer Kiliansteich).
1693–1755
In 1663, new mining companies (Gewerkschaften) were formed and claims for several pits were staked. However, it was seven more years before silver mining began again.In 1701, Georg Christoff von Utterodt, who came from Ilmenau
Ilmenau
Ilmenau is a town located in the district of Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany.Ilmenau is situated in the valley of the Ilm river, at an altitude of 431 metres above sea level, and is the biggest town in Ilm-Kreis district, with 6,200 students studying at the Technische Universität Ilmenau. The...
, took over the post of Chief Mining Officer (Berghauptmann) for Straßberg. He united all the pits into a single company or Großgewerkschaft with 1,024 mining shares (Kuxen). The following main pits now came under Utterodt's leadership: Segen Gottes, Hilfe Gottes, Gott hilft gewiß, Vertrau auf Gott (later renamed as Grube Glasebach), as well as the neighbouring lodes and the pits of Hayn and Schwenda
Schwenda
Schwenda is a village and a former municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the municipality Südharz....
. In addition there were man-riding, water wheel and hoisting shafts. In 1703-1704, Utterodt had the Schindelbrüch Ditch laid between the ponds of Gräfingründer Teich and the Fauler Pfützenteich. By 1707, six mining ponds had been added with a total retention capacity of about 380,000 m³, as well as two more mining ditches
Kunstgraben
A Kunstgraben is a type of man-made water channel that was once used by mines to drive the water wheels needed for power, mine drainage and a host of other purposes...
. The Schindelbrüch Ditch (Schindelbrücher Kunstgraben) was able to supply all the Straßberg ponds with water and is the oldest Kunstgraben
Kunstgraben
A Kunstgraben is a type of man-made water channel that was once used by mines to drive the water wheels needed for power, mine drainage and a host of other purposes...
in the Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System. In addition he had the Hüttenstollen
Hüttenstollen
The Hüttenstollen, also Straßberger Hüttenstollen, was the central drainage adit in the Straßberg mining field and was also part of the Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System in the Harz Mountains of Germany. The adit lies at a depth of 50 m and is 750 m long. The pit water was drained into the Selke...
built, a deep gallery, from the Selke
Selke
-People:*Frank J. Selke, Canadian hockey manager*Margrit Selke, Agriculturist*Walter Selke, German physicist-Awards:*Frank J. Selke Trophy *Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy -Other uses:...
valley, to drain the pit water from the pits of Getreuer Bergmann, Gott hilft gewiß, Glückauf and Zum Schwarzen Hirsch. Under Utterodt's leadership, the Straßberg Field became the most important mining area in the Harz from 1704. The financial difficulties of the company that arose after 1707 were resolved in 1708 on the Straßberger Gewerkentag ("Straßberg Trade Day") under the leadership of Johann Jeremias Gründler (1681–1753) and Dr. Jakob Waitz. Utterodt finished working in Straßberg in 1709.
In 1712, Christian Zacharias Koch assumed the post of mining director (Bergwerksdirektor) in Straßberg. He continued the work of Georg Christoff von Utterodt and developed mining and water management further, along the lines of the Upper Harz mines. Under his direction the two largest ponds in the Lower Harz were laid out which, together, held about 800,000 m³: Glasebacher Teich
Glasebacher Teich
The Glasebacher Teich was an artificial reservoir or Kunstteich laid out near the village of Straßberg in the Harz Mountains of Germany for mining purposes. With a capacity of about 300,000 m³ it was the second largest pond in the Lower Harz. It impounded the Glasebach stream.- History :The pond...
(1716) and Frankenteich
Frankenteich
The Frankenteich is an old reservoir in the Harz Mountains of central Germany. It was constructed in 1716 under the direction of mining director , Christian Zacharias Koch, for the mining industry and is the largest pond in the Lower Harz. Since 1901 it has supplied drinking water to the village...
(1724). He had the Schindelbrücher Kunstgraben extended in the catchment areas of the rivers Lude and Thyra
Thyra (river)
The Thyra is a 20 km long river in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz in the Harz Mountains of central Germany.- Course :The Thyra begins its course in the old quarter of Stolberg in the Harz Mountains at the confluence of three mountain streams - the Große Wilde, Kleine Wilde and Lude - and...
. Due to resistance by the Stolberg
Stolberg (Harz)
' is a town and a former municipality in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated in the southern part of the Harz mountains, approx. west of Sangerhausen, and northeast of Nordhausen...
villagers this was initially built without comital authority and, from 1726 to 1736, completed as far as the Ludenrösche (link section to the Schindelbrücher Kunstgraben). The trench was first used in 1745 and completed the Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System. He finished working in 1755, coinciding with the end of the most important operating period for silver mining in Straßberg.
1756 - 1910
This period saw the decline of mining in the Straßberg region and the associated extension of the Kochsgraben in the area of Neudorf, in order to supply the mines there with driving water. Mining ended in 1903. The section of ditch to Neudorf was closed and hence a new section was built in the Teufelsgrund. This was called the Siebengründer GrabenSiebengründer Graben
The Siebengründer Graben is a mining ditch that was constructed in 1903/1904 in the Lower Harz in central Germany. Today, it is dry.- History :The Kochsgraben was completed in 1724...
.
1911 - 1939
The driving water ditch from the TeufelsteichTeufelsteich
The Teufelsteich was one of the oldest reservoirs in the Harz Mountains of central Germany.It was built in 1697 near Harzgerode and Quedlinburg for mining purposes. In 1837/38 it was raised to support silver mining....
was used until 1939 for the generation of electricity in Silberhütte. That spelled the end of the Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System after more than 300 years of operation.
Present condition
The Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System was placed under conservation status in 1991 as a heritage area. Several ponds and ditches along the mining education trail were signed.At the same time considerable areas were destroyed as a result of ignorance by the authorities and the drastic action of the privatised forestry industry in Saxony-Anhalt. As a result walking even along the main ditches is difficult and most ponds are gradually deteriorating.
According to the Saxony-Anhalt water law all reservoirs with more than 100,000 m³ of retention capacity and more than 5 metre high barrages are classified as dams and have to be officially monitored in particular ways (by the Talsperrenbetrieb Saxony-Anhalt). These include seven of the still covered ponds, that are monitored, some of which were renovated and are in relatively good condition. They serve, in part, as drinking water reservoirs. The Talsperrenbetrieb Sachsen-Anhalt, according to their own statement, manages "with much effort and a high level of commitment, these impressive monuments to hydraulic architecture that are a fitting testimony to the ingenuity and skill of former hydraulic engineers in the Lower Harz".
Ponds
Essentially there is a total of 26 impounded pondPond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
s in the mining areas of Straßberg, Silberhütte and Neudorf.
See also
- List of ponds in the Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System
- Upper Harz Water RegaleUpper Harz Water RegaleThe Upper Harz Water Regale is a system of dams, reservoirs, ditches and other structures, much of which was built from the 16th to 19th centuries to divert and store the water that drove the water wheels of the mines in the Upper Harz region of Germany...
- Revierwasserlaufanstalt FreibergRevierwasserlaufanstalt FreibergThe Revierwasserlaufanstalt Freiburg or RWA Freiberg, was a historical water management system that delivered driving water to the Freiberg mines in the German state of Saxony...
Sources
- Wilfried Ließmann: Historischer Bergbau im Harz. 3rd ed., Springer, Berlin 1997, ISBN 978-3-540-31327-4
- Karl-Heinz Krause, Entwicklung und gegenwärtige Funktion von Anlagen der historischen bergbaulichen Wasserwirtschaft; in: Wilfried Strenz - Arbeitskreis Historische Geographie der Geographischen Gesellschaft der DDR, Historisch-geographische Forschungen in der DDR
- The Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System