A miner's habit (German : Berghabit or Bergmannshabit) is the traditional dress of miners in Europe. The actual form varies depending on the region, the actual mining function, and whether it is used for work or for ceremonial occasions.
At work, the miner of the Middle Ages in Europe wore the normal costume for his local region – pit trousers (Grubenhose), shoes and miner's jacket (Bergkittel).
Only gradually was the typical miner's uniform created by the addition of unmistakable elements of miner's apparel such as the miner's apron (Arschleder), knee pads (Kniebügel), miner's cap (Fahrhaube or Fahrkappe, later pit hat (Schachthut), the mining tools needed for work in the pit, such as hammers (Fäustel), chisels (Eisen), wedges, picks (Keilhauen), hoes (Kratze), shovels, crowbars, pikes (Brechstangen) or miner's chisels (Bergeisen), mallets (Schlägel) or carpenter's hatchets, the miners' safety lamps (often a Froschlampe ), and the Tzscherper bag (for the miner's knife (Tzscherpermesser) and lamp accessories like rape oil, flint and tinder). [1]
There were specific accoutrements for the individual trade groups. The mining foreman or Steiger , for example, carried the Steigerhäckel, a simple hewer (Häuer) bore a miner's hatchet (Grubenbeil). Able miners (Doppelhäuer) carried a miner's axe (Bergbarte or Bergparte), which was simultaneously a tool and a weapon. The smelters (Hüttenleute) wore the leather apron as a pinafore (Schürze) in front of them (i.e. "back to front") and carried various implements: the Firke or Furkel, the rake (Rechen) and the tapping bar (Stecheisen or Abstichlanze).
In 1769 in Saxony, the Marienberg Bergmeister, von Trebra, introduced the wearing of the black mining habit. [2]
The variety of mining habits may still be seen in the mining processions typical of the old mining regions even today.
Freiberg is a university and former mining town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is a so-called Große Kreisstadt and the administrative centre of Mittelsachsen district.
Tracht refers to traditional garments in German-speaking countries and regions. Although the word is most often associated with Bavarian, Austrian, South Tyrolian and Trentino garments, including lederhosen and dirndls, many other German-speaking peoples have them, as did the former Danube Swabian populations of Central Europe.
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A hammer mill, hammer forge or hammer works was a workshop in the pre-industrial era that was typically used to manufacture semi-finished, wrought iron products or, sometimes, finished agricultural or mining tools, or military weapons. The feature that gave its name to these workshops was the water-driven trip hammer, or set of hammers, used in the process. The shaft, or 'helve', of the hammer was pivoted in the middle and the hammer head was lifted by the action of cams set on a rotating camshaft that periodically depressed the end of the shaft. As it rose and fell, the head of the hammer described an arc. The face of the hammer was made of iron for durability.
Freiberg am Neckar is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Neckar, 18 km north of Stuttgart, and 4 km north of Ludwigsburg.
Mining in the Upper Harz region of central Germany was a major industry for several centuries, especially for the production of silver, lead, copper, and, latterly, zinc as well. Great wealth was accumulated from the mining of silver from the 16th to the 19th centuries, as well as from important technical inventions. The centre of the mining industry was the group of seven Upper Harz mining towns of Clausthal, Zellerfeld, Sankt Andreasberg, Wildemann, Grund, Lautenthal und Altenau.
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Clausnitz is a village in the municipality of Rechenberg-Bienenmühle in the Saxon district of Mittelsachsen in Germany. It lies in the Eastern Ore Mountains, in the valley of the Rachel, a tributary of the Freiberger Mulde. Clausnitz emerged during the clearings of the 12th century. It is a typical Waldhufendorf, that has preserved its tidy, village character today with its rural two- and three-sided farmsteads and timber-framed houses.
The Miners' Parade is a parade traditionally held in places in Germany where ore was and is smelted. It was and is a public event held by a community or corporation whose employment is linked to mining and smelting. It is usually known in German as a Bergparade, but also as a Berg- und Hüttenparade. It takes place as one of the highlights of a festival. The Miner's Parade is a special form of procession which is organised to march past important dignitaries or which is organized for such high-ranking individuals.
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The Neugrabenflöße, was a roughly 18 km long Kunstgraben dating to the 17th century. It enabled the rafting of timber for the mining and smelting industries in the Ore Mountains of eastern Germany. It ran from the River Flöha near Fleyh (Fláje) to the Freiberger Mulde near Clausnitz in the Ore Mountains.
The miner's apron is part of the clothing worn, especially historically, by miners in the mining industries of German-speaking Europe. Variously called in English a miner's apron, a miner's after-apron, breech leather or miner's leather apron, it was a leather apron that served to keep the seat of the trousers from wearing out when working or moving around the mine (Fahrung) as well as keeping out the cold and moisture when sitting. It also provided protection especially when entering inclined mineshafts. Another advantage was that it stabilised the internal organs from mechanical shock and vibration by acting as a sort of kidney belt. The miner's apron was a triangular or, more rarely, semi-circular piece of leather and was supported by the body belt. In Germany the design of the modern miner's apron is governed by DIN standard 23307 Gesäßleder für den Bergbau (Arschleder).
The miner's cap is part of the traditional miner's costume. It consists of a white material (linen) and served in the Middle Ages to protect the miner when descending below ground. Later it was replaced by the miner's hat, from which the leather cap or helmet were developed and subsequently today's mining helmets.
The Mooskappe is an old, traditional miners head covering. It was intended to protect miners when working underground from the impact of small rockfalls and from hitting their heads against the gallery roof (Firste). The term is German and this type of hat was worn especially in the Harz Mountains of Germany.
In German-speaking countries, the miner's toolset is known as a Gezähe formerly also abbreviated to Gezäh. It is a set of personally-owned mining tools and equipment needed by the miner in his daily work.
A hewer is a miner who loosens rock and minerals in a mine. In medieval mining in Europe a Hauer was the name given to a miner who had passed his test (Hauerprüfung) as a hewer.
The Zeche Neuglück & Stettin in Witten-Muttental is a former mine, also known as the Zeche Stettin & Neuglück. It was created in the Stadtforst Mutteltal as a result of the Niemeyersche Karte, where there is now a fire station and is west of today's Berghauser Straße. The Stettin tunnel is now a component of the Bergbauwanderweg Muttental Muttental Mining trail.
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