Upper Harz Water Tunnels
Encyclopedia
The Upper Harz Water Tunnels are part of the Upper Harz Water Regale
- a network of reservoirs
, ditches
, tunnels and other structures in the Harz mountains of central Germany
. The German term Wasserlauf refers to the underground element (i.e. the tunnels) of the network of watercourses used in the historic silver mining
industry of the Upper Harz. This network of ditches and tunnels was used to supply the mines with headrace waters for their water wheels from the 16th century onwards. In the system of the Upper Harz Water Regale there are over 35 such tunnels with a total length of about 30 km.
and fears that tunnels running just under the surface would collapse or that the explosive would produce fissures in the rock causing water to leak away. Almost all water tunnels were driven by counter-heading. Until the 18th century the miners excavated tunnels by following the weakest rock; this sometimes created a zigzag route that deviated significantly from the direct line. Not until the 19th century were tunnels driven in a strictly direct line using explosives.
The incline necessary to create a flow of water often amounted to less than 1 ‰ (in other words less than 1 m drop for every 1000 m of length). The profile of the older tunnels, that had been driven with hammer and chisel, was sometimes as small as 1.20 m high and 0.80 m wide. The newer tunnels, however, were generally 2 m high and 1 m wide.
Compared with ditches, tunnels had the important advantage that the water flowing through them underground could not freeze up. The tunnels were laid primarily to short cut the long ditch runs around mountains. Such cuts also produced a steeper incline (shorter distances descending the same height difference have a steeper slope). This raised the flow velocity and hence the hydraulic capacity of the watercourse. The disadvantage of tunnels was the high investment cost of building them.
, which is based on their use in the various power stations.
}um 1740
| style="text-align:right;"| 563 m
| Nassenwiese Ditch into the Johann Friedrich Tunnel
|-
| Johann Friedrich Tunnel
| Johann-Friedricher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1673
| style="text-align:right;"| 805 m
| From the Johann Friedrich Pond to the Dorothea Water Wheel Ditch
|-
| Kellerhals Tunnel
| Kellerhalser Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1842
| style="text-align:right;"| 501 m
| From the Middle Kellerhals Pond to the New Kellerhals Ditch, later used in the course of the Zellerfeld Ditch
|-
| Winterwiese Tunnel
| Winterwieser Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| vor 1690
| style="text-align:right;"| 488 m
| From the Zellerfeld Ditch into the Jungfrau Ditch / Middle Zechen Pond
|-
| Bremerhöhe Tunnel
| Bremerhöher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1704
| style="text-align:right;"| 732 m
| Bremerhöhe Ditch to the Rosenhof Mining Area
|-
| Bärenbruch Tunnel
| Bärenbrucher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1949
| style="text-align:right;"| 940 m
| From the Bärenbruch Pond into the "Upper Rosenhof Chute"
|-
| Upper Schwarzenbach Tunnel
| Oberer Schwarzenbacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1808
| style="text-align:right;"| 760 m
| "Upper Rosenhof Chute" to the Hasenbacher Widerwaage
|-
| Upper Hasenbach Tunnel
| Oberer Hasenbacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1811
| style="text-align:right;"| 638 m
| "Upper Rosenhof Chute" to Hasenbacher Widerwaage
|-
| Upper Flambach Tunnel
| Oberer Flambacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1763
| style="text-align:right;"| 780 m
| "Upper Rosenhof Chute" from Flambach to the Johannis valley
|-
| Upper Johannistal Tunnel
| Oberer Johannistaler Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1839
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,014 m
| "Upper Rosenhof Chute" Johannistal to the Klein Clausthal
|-
| Upper Klein Clausthal Tunnel
| Oberer Klein-Clausthaler Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1776
| style="text-align:right;"| 492 m
| "Upper Rosenhof Chute" from Klein Clausthal to the Rosenhof Mines
|-
| Ziegenberg Tunnel
| Ziegenberger Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1847
| style="text-align:right;"| 413 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from Ziegenberg Pond to the Schwarzenbach
|-
| Lower Schwarzenbach Tunnel
| Unterer Schwarzenbacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1870
| style="text-align:right;"| 524 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from the Schwarzenbach to the Hasenbach
|-
| Lower Hasenbach Tunnel
| Unterer Hasenbacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1845
| style="text-align:right;"| 959 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from the Hasenbach to the Flambach
|-
| Lower Flambach Tunnel
| Unterer Flambacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1844
| style="text-align:right;"| 973 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from the Flambach to the Johannistal
|-
| Lower Johannistal Tunnel I
| Unterer Johannistaler Wasserlauf I
| style="text-align:right;"| 1835
| style="text-align:right;"| 558 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from the Johannistal to the Klein Clausthal
|-
| Lower Johannistal Tunnel II
| Unterer Johannistaler Wasserlauf II
| style="text-align:right;"| 1835
| style="text-align:right;"| 234 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute"(continuation of Johannistal Tunnel I)
|-
| Lower Klein Clausthal Tunnel
| Unterer Klein-Clausthaler Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1792
| style="text-align:right;"| 791 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from the Kl. Clausthal to the Rosenhof Mines
|-
| Dorothea Rösche
| Dorotheer Rösche
| style="text-align:right;"| vor 1771
| style="text-align:right;"| 325 m
| Drainage for the water wheel (Radstube Kehrrad) at Dorothea Pit
|-
| Gesehe Tunnel
| Geseher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1698
| style="text-align:right;"| 722 m
| Rehberg Ditch to the Gesehr / St. Andreasberg
|-
| Schulte Adit
| Schulte Stollen
| style="text-align:right;"| 1838
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,220 m
| From the Innerste river to the Wiemannsbucht (Bad Grund)
|-
| Upper Eichelberg Tunnel
| Oberer Eichelberger Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1889
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,110 m
| From Wiemannsbucht to Schönhofsblick
|-
| Lower Eichelberg Tunnel
| Unterer Eichelberger Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1855
| style="text-align:right;"| 230 m
| Drain from the Knesebeck Shaft
|}
}before 1815
| style="text-align:right;"| 150 m
| Short channel from the Oker region to the Langer Pond
|-
| Nassenwiese Tunnel
| Nassenwieser Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 250 m
| from the Nassenwiese Ditch to the Johann Friedrich Tunnel
|-
| Piss Valley Tunnel
| Pisstaler Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1732
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,100 m
| Stadtweg Ditch (from the Stadtweg Pond) to Bockswiese
|-
| Polsterberg Tunnel
| Polsterberger Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1767
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,23 km
| Originally a gallery in the Eisenstein mine; between 1767 and 1813 tunnel from the Polsterberg Pumpworks (Polsterberger Hubhaus) to the Huttal Pond
|-
| Schwarzenberg Tunnel
| Schwarzenberger Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1813
| style="text-align:right;"| 730 m
| Links the outlet area of the Söse with the Oker
river
|-
| Tannhai Tunnel
| Tannhaier Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1875
| style="text-align:right;"| 430 m
| Links the Kellerhals Pond, Kellerhals Tunnel to Bockswiese, Wäsche Ditch
|}
Upper Harz Water Regale
The Upper Harz Water Regale is a system of dams, reservoirs, ditches and other structures, much of which was built from the 16th to 19th centuries to divert and store the water that drove the water wheels of the mines in the Upper Harz region of Germany...
- a network of reservoirs
Kunstteich
A Kunstteich is an historic German term for a man-made lake or pond associated with the mining industry and its technology. These ponds were created by the construction of barriers, typically dams and embankments, and were used to supply hydropower and water to the mines. Water stored in the...
, ditches
Kunstgraben
A Kunstgraben is a type of man-made water channel that was once used by mines to drive the water wheels needed for power, mine drainage and a host of other purposes...
, tunnels and other structures in the Harz mountains of central Germany
Central Germany (geography)
In geography, central Germany describes the areas surrounding the central point of modern-day Germany.The town of Niederdorla, in the state of Thuringia, claims to be the most central town in Germany...
. The German term Wasserlauf refers to the underground element (i.e. the tunnels) of the network of watercourses used in the historic silver mining
Silver mining
Silver mining refers to the resource extraction of the precious metal element silver by mining.-History:Silver has been known since ancient times. It is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and slag heaps found in Asia Minor and on the islands of the Aegean Sea indicate that silver was being separated...
industry of the Upper Harz. This network of ditches and tunnels was used to supply the mines with headrace waters for their water wheels from the 16th century onwards. In the system of the Upper Harz Water Regale there are over 35 such tunnels with a total length of about 30 km.
Construction
Although explosives were already in use in the 17th century in the mines of the Upper Harz, tunnels continued to be hewn out by hand, that is with hammer and chisel for much longer. The reason was that there were difficulties in determining the right amount of gunpowderGunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
and fears that tunnels running just under the surface would collapse or that the explosive would produce fissures in the rock causing water to leak away. Almost all water tunnels were driven by counter-heading. Until the 18th century the miners excavated tunnels by following the weakest rock; this sometimes created a zigzag route that deviated significantly from the direct line. Not until the 19th century were tunnels driven in a strictly direct line using explosives.
The incline necessary to create a flow of water often amounted to less than 1 ‰ (in other words less than 1 m drop for every 1000 m of length). The profile of the older tunnels, that had been driven with hammer and chisel, was sometimes as small as 1.20 m high and 0.80 m wide. The newer tunnels, however, were generally 2 m high and 1 m wide.
Compared with ditches, tunnels had the important advantage that the water flowing through them underground could not freeze up. The tunnels were laid primarily to short cut the long ditch runs around mountains. Such cuts also produced a steeper incline (shorter distances descending the same height difference have a steeper slope). This raised the flow velocity and hence the hydraulic capacity of the watercourse. The disadvantage of tunnels was the high investment cost of building them.
List of working Upper Harz water tunnels
The working tunnels shown in this table follow the order in the latest listing by PreussagPreussag
Preussag AG was a German mining company which later operated in a variety of industries. It was incorporated on October 9, 1923 as Preußische Bergwerks- und Hütten-Aktiengesellschaft ....
, which is based on their use in the various power stations.
| English Name | German Name | Built | Length | Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kellwasser Tunnel I | Kellwasser Wasserlauf I | 1821 | 170 m | Dyke Ditch Dyke Ditch The Dyke Ditch is the longest artificial ditch in the Upper Harz in central Germany. Its purpose was to collect surface runoff for the operation of the Upper Harz mining industry from precipitation-heavy regions a long way away . It was laid in 1732 and continually extended eastwards until 1827... (Blochschleife) to the Nabe valley |
| Kellwasser Tunnel II | Kellwasser Wasserlauf II | 1821 | 229 m | Blochschleife to Wiege on the Dyke Ditch |
| Rothenberg Tunnel | Rothenberger Wasserlauf | 1868 | 775 m | Dyke Ditch: crosses the Rothenberg |
| Coventhai Tunnel | Coventhaier Wasserlauf | 1852 | 540 m | Dyke Ditch: crosses the Coventhai |
| Dietrichsberg Tunnel | Dietrichsberger Wasserlauf | 1863 | 1,044 m | Dyke Ditch from Fortune Pond to the "Fenster" |
| Bielenwiese Tunnel | Bielenwieser Wasserlauf | 1864 | 357 m | Dyke Ditch from "Fenster" to "Teilung" (Mönchstal) |
| Mönchstal Tunnel | Mönchstaler Wasserlauf | 1677 | 474 m | Dyke Ditch from Mönchstal into the Upper Hausherzberg Pond |
| Franz August Tunnel | Franz Auguster Wasserlauf | 1832 | 632 m | Dyke Ditch from the Teilung into the Lower Peacock Pond |
| Jägersbleek Tunnel | Jägersbleeker Wasserlauf | 1771 | 132 m | Träncke Ditch to the Jägersbleek Pond |
| Huttal Tunnel | Huttaler Wasserlauf | 1763 | 783 m | Hirschler Pond to the Huttaler Widerwaage Huttaler Widerwaage The Huttaler Widerwaage is a small reservoir that is part of the Upper Harz Water Regale, an old mining water management system in the Harz Mountains of Germany that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The reservoir lies east of the mining town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld... |
| Fortune Tunnel | Fortuner Wasserlauf | 1785 | 777 m | Jägersbleek Ditch into the Middle Peacock Pond |
| Prince Wallis Tunnel | Prinz-Walliser Wasserlauf |
| style="text-align:right;"| 563 m
| Nassenwiese Ditch into the Johann Friedrich Tunnel
|-
| Johann Friedrich Tunnel
| Johann-Friedricher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1673
| style="text-align:right;"| 805 m
| From the Johann Friedrich Pond to the Dorothea Water Wheel Ditch
|-
| Kellerhals Tunnel
| Kellerhalser Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1842
| style="text-align:right;"| 501 m
| From the Middle Kellerhals Pond to the New Kellerhals Ditch, later used in the course of the Zellerfeld Ditch
|-
| Winterwiese Tunnel
| Winterwieser Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| vor 1690
| style="text-align:right;"| 488 m
| From the Zellerfeld Ditch into the Jungfrau Ditch / Middle Zechen Pond
|-
| Bremerhöhe Tunnel
| Bremerhöher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1704
| style="text-align:right;"| 732 m
| Bremerhöhe Ditch to the Rosenhof Mining Area
|-
| Bärenbruch Tunnel
| Bärenbrucher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1949
| style="text-align:right;"| 940 m
| From the Bärenbruch Pond into the "Upper Rosenhof Chute"
|-
| Upper Schwarzenbach Tunnel
| Oberer Schwarzenbacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1808
| style="text-align:right;"| 760 m
| "Upper Rosenhof Chute" to the Hasenbacher Widerwaage
|-
| Upper Hasenbach Tunnel
| Oberer Hasenbacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1811
| style="text-align:right;"| 638 m
| "Upper Rosenhof Chute" to Hasenbacher Widerwaage
|-
| Upper Flambach Tunnel
| Oberer Flambacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1763
| style="text-align:right;"| 780 m
| "Upper Rosenhof Chute" from Flambach to the Johannis valley
|-
| Upper Johannistal Tunnel
| Oberer Johannistaler Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1839
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,014 m
| "Upper Rosenhof Chute" Johannistal to the Klein Clausthal
|-
| Upper Klein Clausthal Tunnel
| Oberer Klein-Clausthaler Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1776
| style="text-align:right;"| 492 m
| "Upper Rosenhof Chute" from Klein Clausthal to the Rosenhof Mines
|-
| Ziegenberg Tunnel
| Ziegenberger Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1847
| style="text-align:right;"| 413 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from Ziegenberg Pond to the Schwarzenbach
|-
| Lower Schwarzenbach Tunnel
| Unterer Schwarzenbacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1870
| style="text-align:right;"| 524 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from the Schwarzenbach to the Hasenbach
|-
| Lower Hasenbach Tunnel
| Unterer Hasenbacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1845
| style="text-align:right;"| 959 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from the Hasenbach to the Flambach
|-
| Lower Flambach Tunnel
| Unterer Flambacher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1844
| style="text-align:right;"| 973 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from the Flambach to the Johannistal
|-
| Lower Johannistal Tunnel I
| Unterer Johannistaler Wasserlauf I
| style="text-align:right;"| 1835
| style="text-align:right;"| 558 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from the Johannistal to the Klein Clausthal
|-
| Lower Johannistal Tunnel II
| Unterer Johannistaler Wasserlauf II
| style="text-align:right;"| 1835
| style="text-align:right;"| 234 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute"(continuation of Johannistal Tunnel I)
|-
| Lower Klein Clausthal Tunnel
| Unterer Klein-Clausthaler Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1792
| style="text-align:right;"| 791 m
| "Lower Rosenhof Chute" from the Kl. Clausthal to the Rosenhof Mines
|-
| Dorothea Rösche
| Dorotheer Rösche
| style="text-align:right;"| vor 1771
| style="text-align:right;"| 325 m
| Drainage for the water wheel (Radstube Kehrrad) at Dorothea Pit
|-
| Gesehe Tunnel
| Geseher Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1698
| style="text-align:right;"| 722 m
| Rehberg Ditch to the Gesehr / St. Andreasberg
|-
| Schulte Adit
| Schulte Stollen
| style="text-align:right;"| 1838
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,220 m
| From the Innerste river to the Wiemannsbucht (Bad Grund)
|-
| Upper Eichelberg Tunnel
| Oberer Eichelberger Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1889
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,110 m
| From Wiemannsbucht to Schönhofsblick
|-
| Lower Eichelberg Tunnel
| Unterer Eichelberger Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1855
| style="text-align:right;"| 230 m
| Drain from the Knesebeck Shaft
|}
List of disused Upper Harz water tunnels
"Disused" (passiv) refers to all those tunnels that are no longer in service. Some of these are completely preserved; others, however, have largely fallen into ruin. The following list makes no claim to being complete.| English Name | German Name | Built | Length | Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Dietrichsberg Tunnel | Alter Dietrichsberger Wasserlauf | 1662 | 260 m | Dyke Ditch: Bypasses the Dietrichsberg; became superfluous on the construction of the New Dietrichsberg Tunnel in 1863. |
| Old Upper Klein Clausthal Tunnel | Alter Oberer Klein-Clausthaler Wasserlauf | 120 m | Upper Rosenhof Chute: Bypasses the Hüttenkopf | |
| Old Lower Klein Clausthal Tunnel | Alter Unterer Klein-Clausthaler Wasserlauf | 200 m | Lower Rosenhof Chute: Bypasses the Hüttenkopf | |
| Benedict Tunnel | Benedikter Wasserlauf | 100 m | Upper Kehrzug Ditch into the Hirschler Pond | |
| Kalte Küche Tunnel | Kalte Küche Wasserlauf | 1821 | 410 m | Dyke Ditch: crosses the Rothenberg; tunnel closed on the construction of the Rothenberg Tunnel in 1868. |
| Crane Tunnel | Kranicher Wasserlauf | 1878 | 600 m | from the bottom outlet of the Crane Pond (Hahnenklee) to the Lower Raft Pond (Bockswiese) |
| Langer Tunnel | Langer Wasserlauf |
| style="text-align:right;"| 150 m
| Short channel from the Oker region to the Langer Pond
|-
| Nassenwiese Tunnel
| Nassenwieser Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 250 m
| from the Nassenwiese Ditch to the Johann Friedrich Tunnel
|-
| Piss Valley Tunnel
| Pisstaler Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1732
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,100 m
| Stadtweg Ditch (from the Stadtweg Pond) to Bockswiese
|-
| Polsterberg Tunnel
| Polsterberger Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1767
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,23 km
| Originally a gallery in the Eisenstein mine; between 1767 and 1813 tunnel from the Polsterberg Pumpworks (Polsterberger Hubhaus) to the Huttal Pond
|-
| Schwarzenberg Tunnel
| Schwarzenberger Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1813
| style="text-align:right;"| 730 m
| Links the outlet area of the Söse with the Oker
Oker
The Oker is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany, that has historically formed an important political boundary. It is a left tributary of the River Aller, in length and runs in a generally northerly direction.- Course :...
river
|-
| Tannhai Tunnel
| Tannhaier Wasserlauf
| style="text-align:right;"| 1875
| style="text-align:right;"| 430 m
| Links the Kellerhals Pond, Kellerhals Tunnel to Bockswiese, Wäsche Ditch
|}
See also
- Upper HarzUpper HarzThe Upper Harz refers to the western and higher part of the Harz mountain range in central Germany. Much of the Upper Harz is over , but at its eastern edge in the High Harz it climbs to over on the Brocken massif.- Geography :...
- Upper Harz Water RegaleUpper Harz Water RegaleThe Upper Harz Water Regale is a system of dams, reservoirs, ditches and other structures, much of which was built from the 16th to 19th centuries to divert and store the water that drove the water wheels of the mines in the Upper Harz region of Germany...
- Upper Harz PondsUpper Harz PondsThe Upper Harz Ponds are found mainly around the mining town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld and the nearby villages of Buntenbock and Hahnenklee in the Upper Harz mountains of central Germany. There are around 70 ponds in total, both large and small...
- Upper Harz DitchesUpper Harz DitchesThe Upper Harz Ditches are hillside ditches, running roughly parallel to the contours, that were laid out in the Upper Harz in Germany from the 16th to the 19th centuries to supply water power to the silver mines there...
- Mining in the Upper HarzMining in the Upper HarzMining 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...
- RöscheRöscheA Rösche is a German mining term that refers inter alia to a gullet , a trench for draining water in the lower part of a mine gallery...
- generic German mining term for water tunnels