Rammelsberg

17/8/2021 – Goslar - Weltkulturerbe Rammelsberg, an ore mine in use for more than 1000 years and finally closed in 1988. UNESCO World Heritage. Silver, copper and lead were brought to the daylight in this part of the Harz Mountains. Stories of miners, courage and technical progress. We visit the Roederstollen on foot. Thrilling walk, water trickling down from the ceiling. In the old days, water from a nearby lake was cascaded down on huge waterwheels, powering rotating chests that brought up men and ore. Above ground, the shower room, where the miners pulled their clothes and shoes up to the ceiling in a basket. We sleep in Liono, a hotel in the middle of a posh neighbourhood. Reception with coffee on the terrace. Our room bears the name 'Incognito'. Modern bathroom, the size of a living room, and shower knobs that require technical knowledge to turn on. Subdued light. We share the large ‘suite’ and sleep on a pull-out bed in a separate room.

Karl Reinecke-Altenau (1938), the artist wanted to show the miners what they were working for: watch from right to left, from the workplace to the family home

The dressing room as it was left in 1988


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