Morassina
Encyclopedia
Morassina is an inactive mine in Schmiedefeld
, Thuringia
, Germany. Today it is a tourist attraction known for its stalactite
s.
, iron and copper vitriols (sulfates), sulfur
, and colored clay. The colours of the stalactites are produced by the minerals in the mine. In 1717 the merchant Johann Leonard Morassi bought the mine and named it Morassina. In 1750 the Leipzig
trading firm of Frege bought it and became extremely wealthy from it; in 1816 they were able to buy back the Crown Jewels of Saxony, carried off by Napoleon, from Amsterdam. However, the bottom fell out of the market after chemical methods of synthesizing alum and sulfuric acid
were introduced around 1850. The mine was not worked after 1860, and was closed up and forgotten. In 1851, miners seeking uranium
discovered it and the stalactite formations, but because of its location near the Inner German Border, the East German
authorities refused until 1998 to allow it to be opened to visitors. It was finally opened in 1993. There is a mining museum (opened in 1995) and the St. Barbara licensed spa
(opened in 1997); radium
cures are offered.
Schmiedefeld
Schmiedefeld is a municipality in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany close to the Thuringian Rennsteig....
, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, Germany. Today it is a tourist attraction known for its stalactite
Stalactite
A stalactite , "to drip", and meaning "that which drips") is a type of speleothem that hangs from the ceiling of limestone caves. It is a type of dripstone...
s.
History
The first recorded mention of the mine dates to 1683, as a source of alumAlum
Alum is both a specific chemical compound and a class of chemical compounds. The specific compound is the hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate with the formula KAl2.12H2O. The wider class of compounds known as alums have the related empirical formula, AB2.12H2O.-Chemical properties:Alums are...
, iron and copper vitriols (sulfates), sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
, and colored clay. The colours of the stalactites are produced by the minerals in the mine. In 1717 the merchant Johann Leonard Morassi bought the mine and named it Morassina. In 1750 the Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
trading firm of Frege bought it and became extremely wealthy from it; in 1816 they were able to buy back the Crown Jewels of Saxony, carried off by Napoleon, from Amsterdam. However, the bottom fell out of the market after chemical methods of synthesizing alum and sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
were introduced around 1850. The mine was not worked after 1860, and was closed up and forgotten. In 1851, miners seeking uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
discovered it and the stalactite formations, but because of its location near the Inner German Border, the East German
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
authorities refused until 1998 to allow it to be opened to visitors. It was finally opened in 1993. There is a mining museum (opened in 1995) and the St. Barbara licensed spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
(opened in 1997); radium
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
cures are offered.
Sources
- S. Köhler and S. Schmitz. "Minerale des Schaubergwerkes Morassina". Bergakademie Freiburg June 10, 1995 (unpublished)
- B. Ullrich et al. "Sekundärmineralbildungen des Alaunschieferbergwerkes Morassina bei Schmiedefeld am Rennweg (Saalfelder Höhe) im Thüringischen Schiefergebirge". Beiträge zur Geologie Thüringens Neue Folge 12 (2005) 41–69
- B. Ullrich and B. Ullrich. "Schwertmannit in den Verwitterungsprodukten des Alaunschieferbergwerkes 'Morassina' bei Schmiedefeld im Thüringer Schiefergebirge". Der Aufschluss 61 (2010) 75–79
External links
- Schaubergwerk Morassina (English available)
- Grube Morassina at Mineralienatlas Lexikon - Deutschland