New monument to the old murder pit: Mining history awakens again!

New monument to the old murder pit: Mining history awakens again!

Berthelsdorf, Deutschland - On December 19, 2024, the open-air monument of the "iron railway" was inaugurated in the historical "old murder pit" in Berthelsdorf/Brand-Erbisdorf. The inauguration marks a significant moment for regional mining history, which came about after years of research and careful work by club members and mining historians. As early as the 19th century, C.F. Brendel in the Freiberg district of Saxony's first iron railway to revolutionize the ore transport. This innovative system not only saved 400 thaler annually, but also laid the foundation for later major projects such as the construction of the railway between Dresden and Leipzig, such as Blick.de reported.

historical roots of the murder pit

The "old murder pit", the origins of which go back to 1516, has a eventful history. In her heyday, she was one of the richest pilot pits of the Freiberg area, which came to its importance through technical innovations such as the water column machine constructed by Christian Friedrich Brendel. For a long time she was considered a teaching example at the Bergakademie Freiberg. Nevertheless, the pit also experienced difficult times and was officially closed in 1896. Today the entire facility belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Montan region Erzgebirge, as on wikipedia can be read.

The reconstruction of the historic railway began in 2021 and used the expertise of numerous regional associations. In a three -month construction period, 12 meters of rails were laid on a new gravel bed and an original replica of the "English funding car" was built. This teamwork and the support of sponsors were recognized by Steve Itterhagen, the managing director of the World Heritage Montan region Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří e.V. The chairman of the historic Freiberg mountain and hut kniffy, Heiko Götze, plans to make the route backed again by 2026 in order to bring even more visitors closer to the fascinating mining history.