Historische Silbergruben Oberzeiring

Schaubergwerk Oberzeiring

Useful Information

Location:	Marktplatz 3, 8762 Oberzeiring. From Graz A9/E57 towards Salzburg/Linz 42 km, exit 22 St. Michael follow S36 towards Klagenfurth 36 km, B317 2.5 km, turn right on B114 12 km. (47.2517752, 14.4865670)
Open:	Museum: JAN to APR Mon, Tue, Sat 13-16, Sun 9-11:30. MAY to OCT daily 10-12, 13-16. NOV to DEC Mon, Tue, Sat 13-16, Sun 9-11:30. Mine Tours: JAN to APR Sun 9:30. MAY to JUN daily 10:30, 13:30. JUL to AUG daily 10:30, 13:30, 15. SEP to OCT daily 10:30, 13:30. NOV to DEC Sun 9:30. [2024]
Fee:	Adults EUR 13.50, Children (4-14) EUR 7, Family (2+1) EUR 29. Groups (10+): Adults EUR 11, Children EUR 6. . [2024]
Classification:	Silver Mine Baryte Mine Speleotherapy
Light:	LED
Dimension:	L=40,000 m.
Guided tours:	L=445 m, VR=35 m, St=600, D=50 min, MinAge=4.
Photography:
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Historische Silbergruben Oberzeiring, Marktplatz 3, 8762 Oberzeiring, Tel: +43-664-75-12-51-31. E-mail: Verkehrsverein Oberzeiring, Marktplatz 5, 8762 Oberzeiring, Tel: +43-3571-2378. E-mail: Hr. Stuhlpfarrer, 8762 Oberzeiring, Tel. +43-676-9761455, E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1000 BC	early silver mining proven by archaeological evidence.
1279	Rudolph, the first Habsburgs emperor, visited Oberzeiring.
1284	right to mint their own coins granted.
14th century	mining reached its peak.
1339	Zeyringer mining rules installed.
1361	mine flooded.
1365	Oberzeiring lost the right to mint their own coins.
1698	mining of some iron.
1783	iron mining by Freiherr Dr. von Kranz.
1832	iron mining continued by Family Neuper from Unterzeiring.
1885	iron mining ended.
1922-1924	last try to pump the water by engineer Setz from Vienna.
1953	barite mining in the northern part of the mine.
1963	barite mining ended.
1957	Celtic urn-grave discovered in the centre of the village.
03-MAR-1958	show mine opened to the public.
2000	show mine completely renovated due to new safety requirements for the operation of show mines.
2017	mine tunnel and museum refurbished and show mine reopened.

Geology

The ores in the area are poly-metallic. During the Middle Ages, the high silver content was the most profitable part, many minerals could not be processed at that time. But the ore contains 45 different minerals, this includes iron, lead, and copper ores, and baryte, which is used as flux in furnaces. The most famous is the Zeiringit, which was named after the village because it was here discovered, the mine is the type locale. It is not a mineral, it is a blue or blue-green variety of aragonite, which is coloured by aurichalcite, a copper and zinc mineral.

The ores are a result of the tectonic movements which later built the Alps. European and African Plates collided, and since 165 Ma the rocks were cracked by tectonic forces. The cracks were a way where meteoric water from the surface could enter the rock. When the water reached a certain depth, it was heated, and it became more aggressive, the hot water dissolved minerals which it would not dissolve at lower temperatures. So it leached many metals from the rock, and when it circulated back to the surface, it cooled down and precipitated the ores and minerals. This is in brief how hydrothermal deposits are formed.

In this case, the existence of marble optimized this process, because the marble neutralized the water and reacted with the minerals. Marble favours the precipitation (crystallisation) of the metallic solutions in the ore veins. The surrounding mica schist, on the other hand, acted as a kind of barrier for the metal-enriched waters. So the ores are found in the marble but not in the schist. This was actually a part of the problem as marble karstifies and so there are natural caves of some size, which again allow water to flow through. Such caves are the origin of the groundwater which flooded the mine. And the size of the passage allows the water to flow fast, draining the mine would require draining the whole karst.

Description

The Historische Silbergruben Oberzeiring (Historic Silver Mines Oberzeiring) is a museum with a show mine. The museum has numerous mining exhibits like forming punches for minting, tools and vessels for mining, but also archaeological exhibits like the Illyrian urn-grave from around 900 BC. There is a show mine and a tunnel for speleotherapy.

The silver mine at Oberzeiring was once the biggest silver mine in the eastern Alps. Right where the show mine is today, in the Piergrube, lies a lot called Freudental (Valley of Joy), named such because of the enormous amounts of silver. The dimensions are impressive: the mining area is 25 km long, the tunnels are more than 40 km long. The most important mine was right below the village Oberzeiring, covering an area of 2 km by 3 km and up to 100 m deep. This is a guess, the exact depth and size is unknown as the mine is flooded to 35 m below ground.

The heyday of local silver mining was in the first half of the 14th century. Starting with a visit by the first Habsburg emperor Rudolph in 1279, the importance of the silver mines grew rapidly. During this time the town was bestowed the market rights, got a free zone of about 10 km², and various other privileges. The most important privileges were definitely the right to mint their own coins (1284) called Zeyringer Pfennig, and their own jurisdiction, a high-court with special judges and the Zeyringer mining rules.

But all this ended in 1361, when the miners hit a lead of groundwater and the mine was flooded. According to historic documents, 1,400 miners drowned, which makes this one of the biggest mining catastrophes of all time. And the mine could not be drained again, and so silver mining came to a final end, which meant the total destruction of all privileges during the next decades. In 1365 the right to mint coins was lost, in 1663 the mining jurisdiction was abrogated and transferred to Eisenerz. The Habsburgs tried several times to drain the mine and get hold of the silver, others tried too, but until today it was impossible to lower the groundwater table enough. However, there are also local legends how the mining came to an end, the most well-known is the following one.

One day the miners were bowling with silver balls and pins. An old woman came along with her grandson and watched them in amazement. Then a miner jumped at the boy, cut off his head and pushed him towards the pins. The grandmother, horrified by the atrocity, cursed the miners and the mountain. The very next day, as the miners were entering the mines, disaster struck; huge masses of water suddenly filled the shafts and tunnels, so that no one could escape and 1,400 miners lost their lives in one day. Since then, the silver mine has been drowned as punishment for the miners' recklessness and all efforts to get it back into operation have so far been unsuccessful.

In the mid-20th-century, the mine was reopened to the northern side, where barite was mined. Barite is used for several industrial processes. The part of the ancient silver mine, which is still accessible, was transformed into a show mine at the same time, in 1958. They also created a mining museum and an archaeological exhibition for the Illyrian grave, which was discovered one year before. The museum and show mine have been renovated several times since then, in 2000 the biggest changes were necessary to apply the newest safety regulations for mines. Also in 1958, another part of the mine was developed as a spa. It is used for the cure of respiratory diseases using the so-called speleotherapy. This part of the mine is now called Heilstollen Oberzeiring.

The show mine was renovated massively, extended and equipped with security measures, and new LED light was installed. The museum was extended, and lately a new museum and souvenir shop was built into mining tunnels. The mine is open all year, bue as there are very few visitors during winter, there is only a single tour on Sunday. Making a reservation by phone or email is strongly recommended.