Zinngrube Ehrenfriedersdorf

Beschreibung

The Zinngrube Ehrenfriedersdorf visitor mine is part of the Saxon Museum of Industry and represents Erzgebirge vein mining of tin and silver from the Middle Ages through the 20th century.

With a deafening roar a former miner of the Zinngrube Ehrenfriedersdorf operates his old compressed-air powered tool; of course only for demonstration purposes. What is hard to imagine today shaped the daily working life underground for every miner in the former GDR for 42 years. When production was halted on October 3, 1990, 9.75 million tons of tin ore had been brought to the surface from the Sauberg.

Today the former mine houses the Saxon Museum of Industry, Zinngrube Ehrenfriedersdorf, and preserves not only unique, fully functional originals of modern mining machinery; the historical witnesses go back to the early 13th century and allow visitors to look back on an 800-year history of tin ore mining in Ehrenfriedersdorf. Here you can experience history up close, from the beginnings of alluvial tin extraction, through the arduous work with hammer and chisel, to modern tunneling and extraction methods.

As one of the most important technical monuments and inventions in mining, the visitor mine can present and demonstrate the Ehrenfriedersdorf wheel pump, which was invented around 1540 by local miners. An underground waterwheel then drove a combination of pump and suction pipes that pumped mine water out of the deepest parts of the shaft. The first mechanical water pump in human history was born in Ehrenfriedersdorf. This technical achievement even impressed the universal scholar Georgius Agricola, which is why the Ehrenfriedersdorf wheel pump is also depicted in his 1556 book De re metallica. Thus a technical milestone in mining history was set in Ehrenfriedersdorf, which visitors can still marvel at on every guided experience.

Numerous underground attractions are complemented by the mineralogical collection of local specimens in the above-ground museum, which comprises roughly 2,200 mineral specimens. Minerals have been collected over many years that highlight the diversity of the Sauberg and its surroundings. In total, 157 different minerals and 6 rock types are known from the deposit to date.

The 800-year mining history is closely linked with the town of Ehrenfriedersdorf. With the discovery of the first tin deposits in the Seifen valley, a town of mining and industrial importance developed at the foot of the Sauberg over the centuries. "Everything comes from the mine." In the history of Ehrenfriedersdorf this well-known saying can easily be proven true: the search for mineral resources allowed other industries in the region to flourish.

Since July 2019 the mining landscape of Ehrenfriedersdorf, together with the Zinngrube visitor mine, has been an important part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Ore Mountain Mining Region".

The descent is made via a cable lift to a depth of 100 m. During the guided tour the exploration, extraction and haulage of ore are explained, functioning mining equipment is demonstrated, and the harsh working conditions of the miners are made tangible. The highlight is a ride on the mine railway.