Bartholomäusschacht

Useful Information

Location:	B 101, Brand-Erbisdorf, Sachsen. (50.860274, 13.319493)
Open:	Bartholomäusschacht: By appointment, on the Tag der Schauanlagen. Museum "Huthaus Einigkeit": All year round Tue-Sun 10-12, 13.30-17. [2022]
Fee:	. [2022]
Classification:	Silver Mine
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=1 h.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Bartholomäusschacht, Stadtverwaltung, An der Großhartmannsdorfer Straße B 101, 09618 Brand-Erbisdorf, Tel: +49-37322-22122, Tel: +49-37322-320, Fax: +49-37322-32341. E-mail: Museum „Huthaus Einigkeit”, Jahnstraße 14, 09618 Brand-Erbisdorf, Tel: +49-37322-50699. 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

1209	Erbisdorf first mentioned as Erlwinesberc.
13th century	beginning of silver mining.
1529	Bartholomäusschacht mentioned for the first time.
1783	Haspelmaschine (reeling machine) erected.
1837	Huthaus (mine administration building) of the silver mine "Einigkeit Fundgrube" erected.
1870	Bartholomäusschacht mine closed.
~1900	Decline of mining and establishment of different industrial enterprises.
1931	museum opened in the Huthaus of the "Einigkeit Fundgrube" silver mine.
1945	Short-term revival of mining.
1968	End of mining.
1995	Haspelmaschine (reeling machine) reconstructed according to original drawings by Bergsicherung Schneeberg.
1999	Museum in the Huthaus of the "Einigkeit Fundgrube" silver mine redesigned.

Geology

Description

photography — Bartholomäusschacht, Erzgebirge, Germany. Public Domain.

Bartholomäusschacht (Bartholomew's Shaft) show mine is also known, somewhat stilted, as the Bartholomäusschacht mit Bergbauschauanlage (Bartholomäusschacht with mining show facility). Probably because it is not a classic show mine, it is primarily a wooden winding system which has been reconstructed and is more of an industrial monument, even though there is the possibility to go down 25 m into the shaft. It is located in the small town of Brand-Erbisdorf in the north-western part of the Osterzgebirge (eastern Ore Mountains) between the valleys of the Münzbach and the Große Striegis. Only 5 km south of Freiberg, the surrounding area is characterised by mining and former mining facilities. The mining area around Erbisdorf belongs to the Freiberg mining district and is called the Brander Grubenfeld (mining field of Brand). It was probably the most important mining area in the Freiberg mining district, and at times 20 % of all Saxon silver was mined here.

The Bartholomäus shaft is located directly on the B101, in a bend near the end of the town when driving from Freiberg in the direction of Annaberg. The site was first mentioned in 1529, but silver mining at the village certainly began as early as the 13th century. According to the preserved documents, during the 16th century about 1600 kg of silver ore were mined per year, which brought a profit of 8,000 Gulden. At times, it was the most important mine in the Brand mining field and one of the three largest in Saxony.

In 1783, a Haspelmaschine (reeling machine) was erected to bring the ore up from a depth of 80 metres. The reel machine, built by master craftsman J. F. Mende, was a unique hoisting device with a shaft or pulley onto which a haul rope was wound, on which were pit cages. The master craftsman worked with the first graduates of the recently founded Bergakademie Freiberg (Freiberg Mining Academy), and they developed a new type of reel equipped with a flywheel and brake. Until then, simple hand reels were common, but they only worked down to a depth of 40 metres. The men had to haul 180 baskets per shift up the 80 m deep shaft, taking about 5 minutes per basket. While the ore was being hauled upward, stones for the lining were being hauled downward. Unlike with other reeling machines, lowering required no labour, as this one already had a brake. In 1870, the mine was closed and the reel machine was demolished. In the late 1980s, some investigations were carried out near the former pit and a cavity was discovered. A gallery was uncovered and the reeling machine was reconstructed according to original drawings. On the mine tour, visitors are allowed to operate the unique flywheel reel themselves. In addition, the shaft can be travelled to a depth of 25 metres. However, this requires some fitness and agility because the ladders and the shaft are very narrow.

After the ore was exhausted at this pit, the shaft was used to maintain the 50 km long Thelersberger Stollen (Thelersberg adit). This was built from 1520 onwards as an adit, which means for the drainage of mine water from the various ore mines to the Striegis valley. The main gallery has a length of 6.7 km.

On Berthelsdorfer Straße is the Mühlweg Schacht (Mill Lane shaft), which is also worth seeing, the Alte Mordgrube Fundgrube (Old Murder Pit Treasure Trove) with a slag heap landscape. There are also several historic spoil heaps and artificial ponds. They are made accessible by the 23 km-long Bergbaulehrpfad Brand-Erbisdorf (Brand-Erbisdorf Mining Trail). The museum Huthaus Einigkeit is also worth a visit. It displays minerals, ores and rocks, as well as miners' tools, costumes, uniforms and art. In addition to the processing and smelting of ore, the transformation of the town from a mining town to an industrial town is also presented. The museum is located, as the name suggests, in the Huthaus (mine administration building) of the former Einigkeit mine. According to some sources, the mine was called Vergnügte Anweisung along with Reußen. Several sculptural works by the wood sculptor Ernst Dagobert Kaltofen (*1841-✝1922) are on display. Here you can also visit the Bartholomew's Shaft. In addition, the mining dump, powder house, Röschenmundloch (adit entrance), and remains of the horse-capstan built in 1834 are preserved.