Lachter

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Lachter
Unit system old weights and measures
SymbolLr. or ° [1]  
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1 Lr. or ° [2] in ...... is equal to ...
    SI derived units    2±0.1 m

The lachter (also Berglachter) was a common unit of length used in the mining industry in Europe, usually to measure depth, tunnel driving and the size of mining fields; it was also used for contract work. In most German-speaking mining fields it was the most important unit of length.

Mining The extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef or placer deposit. These deposits form a mineralized package that is of economic interest to the miner.

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A lachter was roughly equal to the amount which a man could contain within his outstretched arms. It was thus similar to the klafter (ca. 1.8 m or 5.91 ft), but was usually rather larger.

<i>Klafter</i>

The klafter is an historical unit of length, volume and area that was used in Central Europe.

The lachter was - with regional differences - subdivided into Achtel (also called a Spann, Gräpel or Gröbel), (Lachter)Zoll, Primen (or Prinen) and Sekunden:

In the 19th century a decimal system of subdivision was established:

Decimal numeral system with ten as its base

The decimal numeral system is the standard system for denoting integer and non-integer numbers. It is the extension to non-integer numbers of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system. The way of denoting numbers in the decimal system is often referred to as decimal notation.

Like other units of measure, the lachter varied in length depending on the region, but there could also be differences in length within the same region. In addition there could also be differences between various mining fields within a territory. The specification and use of conversion tables only makes sense if it is known for certain, where and at which times the values were valid. Some examples:

Some kinds of Lachter
RegionLength of 1 Lachter
in m (ft)		Remarks
Altenberg (Ore Mountains) 1.9851  m (6.513  ft )
Anhalt-Köthen 2.0410 m (6.696 ft)Harzgerode Lachter
Annaberg 1.9826 m (6.505 ft)
Baden (to 1827) [3] 2.25 m (7.38 ft)= 7.5 old Baden feet ( Fuß )
Baden (from 1827) [3] 2.99 m (9.81 ft)= 10 new Baden feet
Bavaria 1.9705 m (6.46 ft)
Bayreuth 2.0354 m (6.678 ft)equal to 80 Bayreuth inches (Zoll)
Berchtesgaden 1.7512 m (5.745 ft)equalt to 6 feet
Bohemia 2.3805 m (7.810 ft)equal to 4 ells (Ellen)
Brunswick 1.9198 m (6.299 ft)
Clausthal 1.9238 m (6.312 ft)
Eisleben 2.0111 m (6.598 ft)
Freiberg 1.9426 m (6.373 ft)Old Freiberg Lachter
Hanover 1.9198 m (6.299 ft)
Idrija (Carniola)1.957 m (6.42 ft)6 Idrian feet
Joachimsthal (today: Jáchymov)1.918 m (6.29 ft)
Johanngeorgenstadt 1.9811 m (6.500 ft)
Kronach 2.1270 m (6.978 ft)equal to 7 Nuremberg feet [4]
Lippe-Detmold 2.3161 m (7.599 ft)
Marienberg 1.9849 m (6.512 ft)
Nassau 2.0924 m (6.865 ft)
Austria 1.8965 m (6.222 ft)1 Berglachter = 6 shoes (Schuh)
Prussia 2.092 m (6.86 ft)80 Prussian inches (Zoll)
Saxony 1.98233 m (6.5037 ft)
2.00000 m (6.56168 ft)		until 1830: 7 Dresden or Saxon feet
from 1830: defined to be exactly 2 metres (6.56 ft).
Schemnitz (today: Banská Štiavnica)2.022 m (6.63 ft)
Silesia 1.9202 m (6.300 ft)
Tyrol (1769-1809 and after 1815) [5] 1.8949 m (6.217 ft)= Viennese Klafter
Tyrol: Innsbruck (before 1769) [6] 2.005 m (6.58 ft)= 6 Tyrolean feet = 72 Tyrolean inches
Tyrol: Kitzbühl (1747) [7] 1.78 m (5.84 ft)= 64 Tyrolean inches
Tyrol: Schwaz [7] 1.75 m (5.74 ft)= 63 Tyrolean inches
Württemberg 2.0054 m (6.579 ft)= 7 Württemberg feet

A Lachterschnur was an oiled, 10–12 Lachter long cord, used as a measuring device.

See also

Austrian units of measurement were used in Austria until the adoption of the metric system.

The obsolete units of measurement of German-speaking countries consist of a variety of units, with varying local standard definitions. Some of these units are still used in everyday speech and even in stores and on street markets as shorthand for similar amounts in the metric system. For example, some customers ask for one pound of something when they want 500 grams.

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References

  1. ↑ Frank, Manfred: Die Alpirsbacher und Reinerzauer Erzgänge im Württembergischen Schwarzwald. In: Württembergische Jahrbücher für Statistik und Landeskunde, 1951/52, p. 117-150, here p. 117.
  2. ↑ Frank, Manfred: Die Alpirsbacher und Reinerzauer Erzgänge im Württembergischen Schwarzwald. In: Württembergische Jahrbücher für Statistik und Landeskunde, 1951/52, p. 117-150, here p. 117.
  3. 1 2 Metz, Rudolf: Mineralogisch-Landeskundliche Wanderungen im Nordschwarzwald. 2nd ed., Lahr 1977, p. 597.
  4. ↑ Nürnberg. In: Heinrich August Pierer, Julius Löbe (Hrsg.): Universal-Lexikon der Gegenwart und Vergangenheit. 4th ed. Vol. 12, Altenburg, 1861, p. 159–161 (Online at zeno.org, accessed on 22 March 2010). Quote: "town foot of 12 inches of 12 Linien = 303.975 millimetre s (11.9675  in )"
  5. ↑ Rottleuthner, Wilhelm: Die alten Localmasse und Gewichte nebst den Aichungsvorschriften bis zur Einführung des metrischen Mass- und Gewichtssystems und der Staatsaichämter in Tirol und Vorarlberg. Universitätsverlag Wagner: Innsbruck, 1883, p. 14-22.
  6. ↑ Rottleuthner, Wilhelm: Die alten Localmasse und Gewichte nebst den Aichungsvorschriften bis zur Einführung des metrischen Mass- und Gewichtssystems und der Staatsaichämter in Tirol und Vorarlberg. Universitätsverlag Wagner: Innsbruck, 1883, p. 16 & 130.
  7. 1 2 Rottleuthner, Wilhelm: Die alten Localmasse und Gewichte nebst den Aichungsvorschriften bis zur Einführung des metrischen Mass- und Gewichtssystems und der Staatsaichämter in Tirol und Vorarlberg. Universitätsverlag Wagner: Innsbruck, 1883, p. 32.

Sources

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