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Silver Mining in the Harz Mountains

Type Object Region Germany Time c. 900–1000

Harz silver mining was one of Central Europe's most important mining activities of the 10th century, in present-day Lower Saxony, Germany;…

Timeline

  1. c. 900–930Goslar · GoslarAfter the decline of the Carolingian era, the Harz deposits drew renewed attention under the Saxon Ottonian rulers; small-scale open-pit and shallow pit mining resumed, laying the groundwork for later systematic development.
  2. c. 930–970Rammelsberg · Harz MountainsSilver-lead veins around Rammelsberg entered large-scale extraction; shafts and galleries deepened and extended, and smelting separated lead from silver, with output sufficient to support imperial minting and court gifts.
  3. c. 970–1000Goslar · GoslarThe empire established mining administration; Goslar became a center of mining governance and trade, with settled miners, division of craftsmen's labor and outward transport of ore products forming a stable network; the Harz model spread to Bohemia and elsewhere.

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