Striegisthal - Technical & Industrial Heritage

The project consists of two parts – a practical working part which will last six hours per day and a study part, which takes place in the evenings and during weekends The project will be focused on working in the restoration of a Mundloch to a shaft in the historical mines of Gersdorf. A Mundloch, literally translated as a “mouth hole“, is the name given to the entrance of a mine tunnel from the surface. These openings were usually built on higher ground, placed in such a way that it is above the high-water level of the valley floor so that the pit water can still flow away even during high water serving as a draining to the mine. The tunnel Mundloch served as the entrance to the tunnel operation. Depending on the purpose of the tunnel, fresh weather was fed into the tunnel or pit water was drained away via the tunnel\'s Mundloch. It could also be utilised to convey to the surface the minerals extracted from the mine. The Mundloch where the participants will be working is currently damaged, and it stands not far from two other Mundlochs which have already been reconstructed. The first task will be to prepare the site for work by removing debris from the damaged remains of the tunnel, such as threes, soil and fallen stones. As a next step, a wooden support structure will be prepared which\'s upper half-rounded shape will help to rebuild the tunnel\'s vault. Once the vault is completed on several metres length, the support structure will be moved and the works will continue at the next section. It is intended to rebuild up to fifteen meters of tunnel and to complete the works with the rebuilding the entrance to the Mundloch. Finally, soil will be placed above the tunnel so that – as it had been originally the case – once more be observed as an underground tunnel entrance. The other focus of the project will be centred on the water management structures that served as arteries to the mining production of this region. The system involves a network of man-made artificial watercourses or aqueducts dug into the ground (leats). These canals are a typical of the water management systems that exist in the Erzgebirge/KrušnohoÅ™í­ (Ore Mountains). The edges of the ditches are predominantly supported by rubble-stone walls. The water ditches were originally covered in slabs, though most of these can no longer be seen. Several of the canals are currently dry, damaged or only contain stagnant water. The participants will be tasked to help clean and refurbish one of these canals in order to bring the structure back to a more distinguishable from, which will provide for the visitors a better visual exemplification of its uses and its importance as part of the wider network of historic waterworks in the mining region. The project will be complemented with guided visits to sites and locations related to mining heritage to better contextualise the work and provide the participants with a complete educational experience in the historical Erzgebirge/KrušnohoÅ™í­ Mining Region.