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Upper Harz Water Management

Germany (Europe and North America)

Date of Submission: 20/09/1999
Criteria: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)
Category: Cultural
Submission prepared by:
County Government BraunschweigCapitals Authority for Protect. And Monuments
State, Province or Region:
Lower Saxony, Upper Harz
Coordinates:
N52 E0 20
Ref.: 1358

Description

Preserved from medieval times, the water management system of the UNESCO world heritage monument Rammelsberg Mine, consisting of the aHerzberger Dam" from 1561, the Sandersche Radstubensystem" from the 16'h century, the "Roeder-Stollen-System” with its four underground water wheel chambers and two original water wheels of 1805 as well as the "Rathstiefsten Stollen", a water drainage canel from 1150, is of eminent importance to monument conservation.

However, this Rammelsberg water management system represents only a fraction of that developed by the miners of the Upper Harz Mountains, i.e. of the "Oberharzer Wasserregal".

The Oberharzer Wasserregal" consists of a unique system of integrated water dams and duct5; which in the 16'h century was initiatod by the miners as a source of energy for mining activities. The objective of this water management system was to catch water and supply it continuously to the water wheels, installed on the surface as well as underground, which drove the machinery of the mines. A large number of these water wheels were installed in especiaily constructed underpround rooms, of which - besides those at the Rammelsberg - a few examples still exist in the Upper Harz, as e.g. the unique "Rosenhofer Radstuben" in Clausthal of 25 meters height orthe "Radstube des 19 Lachter-Stollens~ in Wilbemann. Because of the rough climate the above ground water wheels were housed in especiallyadesigned buildings, of which some are still totally preserved, as e.g. at the Samson Mine in St. Andrevéerg or at the Knesebeck Schacht in Bad Grund, however, many can only be found in traces around the former mines.

A network of water ducts with a very gentle slope (1: 400 to 1: 1000) served for catching water at the highest elevation possible and for feeding thc water to the dams, while discharge ditches, so called "Aufschlaggraben" built from natural stone without mortar, lead the water from the dams to the mines, processing plants, metallurgical works etc..

Of the numerable still existing examples of engineering works within the "Oberharzer Wasserregal" here only the most important one, the "Sperberhaier Damm" will be mentioned, which was built by the miners of the Upper Harz in the years 1732 to 1734. The aqueduct is 953 m long with a maximum height of 14 m and crosses a valley to link water catchment areas of the Brocken mountain with the Clausthal plateau, where it was needed to drive the water wheels.

As mining extended to ever increasing depths it became more and more diffcult to get rid of the natural water intake of the mines and also of the water used for driving the water wheels, so that in the Upper Harz the miners in the 14th century commenced with artificial water drainage. This was done by driving water drainage adits from within the mines to the nearest mountain slopes, as e.g. the 12 km long «Sieberstollen" in St. Andreasberg (1716 -1756), the 13 km long ~Tiefe-Georg-Stollen" with an engineered outlet portal in Bad Grund (1777 - 1799) and the 26 km long "Ernst-August-Stollen" with a portal in Gittelde, just to mention a few.

The "Oberharzer Wasserregal", which was developed as a "production - support - factor" exclusively as a source of energy for the mines of the Upper Harz, is with its network the all important linking element of the historic mining landscape of the Upper Harz with its old mines, processing plants and metallurgical works, dumps and fault pits, forests of fir and meadows as well as numerous other relicts of mining.

Justification for Outstanding Universal Value

Satements of authenticity and/or integrity

The Upper Harz Water Management has been preserved authentically.

Comparison with other similar properties

Worldwide three systems are comparable with the Upper Harz Water Management: 1. Historic Town of Banska Stiavnica and the technical monuments in its vicinity (World Heritage Site in Slovakia), Kongsberg, Norway, Freiberger Revier, Germany. The Upper Harz Water Management has been served as a model for these here facilities. In comparison it is the biggest and best preserved system which is still working.