Pützlöcher

Useful Information

Location:	Newel-Butzweiler, Kordel. Approximately 1.7 km north of the church in Butzweiler on the slope of the Butzerbach valley. From the Römerpfad car park (49.820147, 6.628379), it is approximately 600 m on foot. North of Trier. (49.8233862, 6.6349312)
Open:	Quarry: no restrictions. Mine: Open Monument Day, 2nd Sunday in September. [2026]
Fee:	Quarry: free. [2026]
Classification:	Copper Mine Rock Mine
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	VR=19,45 m.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Bruno Kremer (2002): Die "Pützlöcher" - Vom römischen Kupferbergwerk zu den Steinbrüchen des 20. Jahrhunders In: Butzweiler und seine Umgebung. Herausgegeben vom Heimatverein Butzweiler e.V.im Jahre 2002 zum Jubiläum „20 Jahre Heimatverein Butzweiler“. Veränderter Nachdruck von 2004. (2013): Schuften für buntes Glas und Schminke Butzweiler Michel, Ausgabe 1/2013, S. 5. pdf
Address:	Heimatverein Butzweiler e.V., Remigiusstraße 1, 54309 Newel, Tel: +49-6505-8950.
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

~140	copper mining.
~180	end of copper mining.
3rd century	end of sandstone quarrying.
18th century	reactivation of quarrying.
1967	Archaeological excavations.
1991	Archaeological excavations.

Geology

The copper-bearing rock is copper glaze and malachite, and occurs in narrow, crust-like layers. Mining was probably never profitable, so that both in Roman times and in the 18th century, mining was quickly abandoned. It is also believed that the ore was not mined for copper extraction, but for the production of dyes for glass production in Kordel and for make-up. The sandstone mined comes from the Buntsandstein and was mined in many places in the area around Kordel. However, industrial mining did not begin until 1855.

Description

The Pützlöcher are the remains of a Roman copper mine from the first and second centuries. This makes it the oldest Roman mine on German soil and one of the most important technical monuments of the Roman era. Sometimes you also find the claim that it is the oldest mine in Germany, which is of course nonsense, because there are some mines from the Stone Age that are more than twice as old. However, the entire site is actually a sandstone quarry where ashlar stones were mined, for example for the construction of the Porta Nigra. This is easy to prove, as the owner’s name MARCI is carved into stones in the quarry and in the Porta Nigra. The quarry continued to be operated in the third century, after the mine had already been closed in the second century.

The name Pützlöcher is easy to explain: in the local dialect, Pütz means puddle, so it refers to water holes, holes in which rainwater collects. The quarry is also known as Pützlay, whereby lay is the regional term for stone or quarry, but also rock formation. The best known is probably Lorelay (Lorelei), the "Lore on the rock". These are nine circular or oval shafts with a diameter of 1.15 to 1.25 metres and a depth of up to 19,45 m. However, there does not appear to have been any significant ore deposits, so mining was discontinued after a few exploratory shafts and tunnels had been dug.

Another attempt in the 18th century was apparently just as unsuccessful. The year 1781 above the tunnel entrance and various drill hole that had been preserved for almost 2000 years. The same applies to the neighbouring quarry, where a Roman inscription was removed in the 1930s. Some of the shafts are connected by tunnels from this period.

The mine documents the technical conditions of a larger mining operation. It is closed off with a fence and can only be visited by appointment. The quarry, on the other hand, is freely accessible, and the different stages of processing the blocks can be seen. Typical features include the scraping trenches, wedge and lever holes in prepared blocks, and stepped steep walls. Evenly spaced pointed cuts can be seen on the visible surfaces and trenches. The radii increase with depth, and the arched pattern is characteristic.

The quarry, called Pützlöcher, is freely accessible and there is also a large sign explaining its historical background. It has been excavated several times, shafts have been uncovered and the tunnels have been closed with grilles for safety reasons. Visitors can view the shafts that were cut into during stone quarrying in the 19th century, so there is no climbing involved and the path is more or less horizontal. However, someone from the Butzweiler e.V. local history association must lead the tour. They used to offer tours on request, but they no longer provide such information. At least the Pützlöcher is open all day every year on Open Monument Day on the second Sunday in September.