THE MANSFELD-MUSEUM  

  in Hettstedt  

Since the Middle Ages the Mansfeld country - formerly an imperial free county - was well-known by its at times very productive copper and silver mining. Its basis was the copper-shale layer (Kupferschiefer), which had come to light at several places between the towns Eisleben and Hettstedt. 

Coat of arms of the counts of Mansfeld

This ore was originated 250 million years ago as the oldest sediment of the lower Permian Zechstein formation. It was in existence within a great area of Middle Germany in varying deep as an inconspicuous black marl layer. However, only within the geological hollow of Mansfeld, between the eastern edge of the Harz mountains and the Saale river, such highly copper contents as 2 to 3,5 % had occured.  

Map of Mansfeld country by de Jode (1592/1611)

Around the year 1199 the mining was started at the "Kupferberg" near Hettstedt. At this time certain innovations were effective in the early melting techniques, and these were made possible the processing of the difficult meltable Kupferschiefer ore. After it the mining and smelting were spread fast up to the towns Mansfeld and Eisleben. At the 2nd half of the 15th century the first great boom was started, after the copper liquation process for silver separation from the blister copper was investigated. 

Nappian and Neucke - the legendary originators of the Mansfeld copper-shale mining

The Counts of Mansfeld were the owners, and the works were taken on lease by many smelting masters. Also Hans Luther - the father of the important reformator Martin Luther - was a distinguish successful smelting master and miner in Mansfeld.

Till the end of the 16th century the Mansfeld mining district belonged to the three greatest copper and silver producers in Europe, besides Schwaz in Tyrol and Neusohl (Banská Bystrica) in the today's Slovakia. Up to 1 600 t copper and 8 000 kg silver were produced at that time yearly.  

In the exhibition of minerals and fossils of the copper-shale deposit

After the decline of the mining during the Dreißigjährigen Krieges  the works have taken a new recovery since the year 1671 with the so called release of the mining. A new mining arrangement caused the conditions for the origin of capital societies, the so called unions. However, a new boom began only after the year 1852. At this time the "Mansfeldsche Kupfer­schiefer bauende Gewerkschaft" - a great united mining company - was established. During the general industrial development several modern and efficient big mining and smelting plants were created.

In 1909 the rolling mill plant (Walzwerk) Hettstedt was built. There the produced copper was manufactured to semi-finished materials from copper, brass and other alloys.

In the departement of miners lamps and tools

 With it the econom­ical result of the whole company could be balanced for some years. Since the 1890s years namely, the costs of the mining rised and the current prices decreased, so that the economical results became worse. Up to the 30s years in this century the Mansfeld mining and metallurgical works could only exist with national subventions. In spite of it, after the World War II the absolutly hightest production was realized, with about 25 000 t copper and 150 t silver yearly. Moreover, lead, zinc, nickel, vanadium, gold, palladium, rhenium, germanium, selenium and other chemical elements were produced. Paving and building stones of copper slag and sulphuric acid were other important products.

In 1969, after a period of 770 years, the end of the mining was achieved, and the latest mining plant in the Mansfeld region was closed. In the following years the copper shale mining was continued in the Sangerhausen district. In 1990 it was also finished there. Today the copper smelting work at Hettstedt manufactures copper scrap and blister copper, which is purchased at the world market. The rolling mill plant at Hettstedt, today a filial work of the Belgian firm Lamitref, conquers a place at the market with sheets, tubes and wires of highest quality.  

The first German Watt type steam engine, constructed in 1785 by Carl Friedrich Bückling
(reproduction 1985, partial view)

In 1785 at the King Frederic Mine near Hettstedt the first German Watt type steam engine

Monument of the first German steam engine on the dump of the King Friedric Mine,
donated by Verein Deutscher Ingenieure e.V.,1890

was established. At the first time such an engine was built by German engineers and workers. This beam engine has the effect of water hoisting, by lifting mining water of the Burgörner district with great piston pumps from a depth of about 100 m. The engine had an initial effect of employment for the steam engine in German mining, metallurgy and salt-works. It represented an important step at development of the mechanical engineering. This steam engine was original reconstructed on the occasion of its 200th anniversary, with great exactness and by use of traditional production methods by the machine-building work of the Mansfeld Kombinat. This work has its roots in the first little workshop of 1785. The festive celebrated anniversary was also the hour of birth of the Mansfeld-Museum, which was opened as a technical museum and a research institution of the history of the Mansfeld copper mining in the September 1985. The steam engine is its main attraction.

The Mansfeld-Museum is situated in the reconstructed barock style Humboldt manor-house in the quarter Burgörner-Altdorf of Hettstedt. To its erection and equipment the Federal Republic and the state Sachsen-Anhalt contributed consider­able promotions. 

Made of silver from Mansfeld - a coin (Taler) from 1667

In this place Wilhelm von Humboldt got to know his later wife Caroline von Dacheroeden. After their marriage they spent some pleasent years here. Since the end of the last century this property belonged to the Mansfeldsche Kupferschiefer bauende Gewerkschaft (later: the Mansfeld AG), and the manorhause was used as flats for employees in managing positions.

With his permanent exhibitions the museum makes possible insights into the hard work of the miners and smelt workers at Mansfeld. 

View from the winch shaft over the open-air area on the district office,
rope sheave and on the Humboldt manor house

Among other things, it shows miner's tools and lamps, coins of the formerly Mansfeld county and yield-medals and as well an interesting collection of the geology and mineralogy of the copper-shale deposit. Since 1991 the district Mansfelder Land is the owner of this institution.

At the great open-air area many technical exhibits set impressions on the winning and smel­ting of copper-shale and as well to the manufac­turing of the copper-metal to usuable semi-finished material. The arrangement of this area - similar to a park - invites to stay for a longer time especially at fine weather.  

Piching trestle for sorting out of the copper-shale ore 

A hand winch shaft, galleries and faces of the workings were reproduced and as well mining plants on the day and dumps. They give an idea of deve­lopment from the work of miners at Mansfeld. The mining departement is towered aboved by an origi­nal rope sheave as the symbol of the mining tech­nology. In the offers of the museum also is a visit on the day to the ventilation shaft "Lichtloch 24" to the deep Mansfeld mining tunnel ("key-tunnel"). This is one of the still opened ventilation shafts of the district (the distance from the museum is about 150 m) today.

Ventilation shaft -Lichtloch 24 (S)

To the smelting technique for copper-shale at Mansfeld, today the visitors are showed an original Pierce-Smith type converter, in which form it has been used for the modification of matte of copper to blister copper since 1926.  

Pierce-Smith type converter for copper

Among other smelting techniques above all a Theisen type waste gas purifier to separation of airborne dusts from the top gas of blast furnaces, an electrolytic bath with anodes and cathodes for copper refining and separation of the noble metals and nickel, and as well a casting plant for production of copper-slag stones (paving and building stones) is showed. The construction of an original waterjacketed blast furnace for smelting copper shale and of other metallurgical furnaces is in preparation.

The transport of ore, charcoal and other materials was very expansive in former times. Above it a so called "Höhlwagen" is showed, this is a horse-drawn carriage for the transport of copper-shale from the mines to the smelting works. Railway fans find a steam locomotive, produced 1931 by the Orenstein & Koppel works, and several waggons of the Mansfeld narrow-gauge mining railway, which has connected all mines and smelting works since 1880.

The production of semi-finished materials is now especially good represented by original ma­chines. The splendor specimen is a complete Mannesmann type tube rolling mill from the foundation time of the rolling mill plant Hettstedt. 

Slag railway and casting plant for copper-slag stones (paving stones)

Until 1990 copper tubes of cast copper were produced by this rolling mill. The erection of this machine was supported by Mannesmann-Demag AG.

From the other interesting exhibits only a few can be mentioned: such as the broad strip mill from 1914 by the firm August Schmitz (Düsseldorf) or the coarse wire mill for copper from 1909, two wire drawing machines, a heavy roundstamping press for brass or aluminium and a broadening air hammer for producing formed parts from copper-sheets by the firm Eulenberg-Moenting u. Co. (Schlebusch-Manfort) from 1924. Also the enormous roll from the great reverse duo rolling mill is impressive. This roll has a bundle breadth of 4 200 millimeters and a weight of 33 t. Also a broken piece of a such roll is showed - the result of a gross damage at starting this rolling mill.  

Mannesmann type tube rolling mill for copper tubes (year of construktion about 1900)

Round-stamping press and rolling mill for corrugated plates

The Humboldt manor-hause with his unique two-sided stairs from 1726 is also worth seeing. The beautiful hall is regular used for concerts and other events. The offers of the museum are completed by different special exhibitions. The library with her stock of books and magazins to technology and culture - not only of the Mansfeld copper-shale mining - is placed at visitors' disposal. Also the extensive archives with historical drawings, documents, films and other things can be used from visitors and interested persons.  

Restored stairs in the Humbold manor-house

At some days of the year a visit to the museum can be connected with a trip by the Mansfeld mining railway. A registered society by friends of this old narrow gauge railway keeps the remaining line between Klostermansfeld and Hettstedt (on the station Eduard shaft, distant about fife minutes from the museum), and she arranges interesting journeys across the Mansfeld mining countryside. The visitors can make an appointment for railway journeys also in the museum.  

Steam locomotive of the Mansfeld mining railway,
manufactured by  the Orenstein & Koppel works 1931