Treasures
& Tragedies

The Mining Exhibition
25.10.2024-29.06.2025

Miner holds a piece of silver ore in his hand

Power, glory, beauty

We still find them today in parades, in carved wooden Christmas decorations and even on a church altar – proud miners in smart uniforms. The mining profession has a long and rich tradition in the Ore Mountains along the border of Saxony and the Czech Republic, and has had a profound influence on the economy and culture there. The silver ore that was mined and processed in the region was used for minting coins. They formed the basis of Saxony’s wealth – which is still on display today in the Green Vault in Dresden.

The exhibition brings to the surface what went on underground for thousands of years. It sheds light on the mysteries of mining from the Bronze Age right up to the 21st century. Mining is revealed as it has always been: a laboratory for experimentation, generating technological, social and economic innovations that often remained with us for a very long time. And where are we going to find the mineral resources we will need in future to manage the coming transformations?

All that glisters

The image shows a polished agate with several layers of color: from a deep purple in crystals at the bottom, through white in crystals in the middle, to a reddish-brown in small waves at the top.

Chalcedony (Agate)

The image shows a mirror-cut agate in a reddish-brown, with small cavities or indentations in two places.

Chalcedony (Agate)

The image shows an elongated quartz in various shades of purple, with a metallic gleam in parts.

Quartz (Amethyst)

The image shows a polished purple quartz whose pattern resembles a rosette.

Quartz (Amethyst)

The image shows a quartz in light purple tones.

Quartz (Amethyst)

The image shows a rounded, cut agate with various orange and lighter rings.

Chalcedony (Agate)

The image shows a deep red gemstone that looks like many small pomegranate seeds scattered together.

Pyrope (Garnet)

The image shows a gemstone that appears to be composed of many small, brightly green vesicles.

Malachite

The image shows a gemstone that is half light aqua and half deep blue.

Azurite (with Malachite)

The image shows a rounded lump of iron ore. Its edges glow reddish-brown, while the center shines silvery.

Hematite (Iron Ore)

We cannot know for sure what motivated people to dig into mountains thousands of years ago to extract mineral resources. Evidently it was beautiful things – glittering minerals, pigments for dyeing – that attracted people’s attention. The first metals were solid, i.e. “pure” copper and gold, which stood out for their lustre.

In Saxony, particularly in the Ore Mountains, all kinds of minerals can be found, both on the surface and below the ground. Some of these minerals have been made into ornaments. Beautiful effects can be achieved by cutting and polishing. Ores, from which metals can be smelted, are sometimes attractive showpieces in their own right.

“Saxon diamonds” is the name given to topazes from the Schneckenstein rock in the Vogtland region, where they were mined until 1800. The stones were highly prized at that time and even won royal favour. More than 400 of them were used in the crown made for Queen Charlotte, consort of the British monarch King George III, for the coronation in 1761.

The image shows a collage of two oil paintings in portrait format. They depict a man and a woman in splendid robes. The woman holds a crown on a cushion with her left hand, and she is adorned with many jewels.

Two polished topazes

The image shows two small, yellowish gemstones that are cut.

Finding place: Schneckenstein, Vogtland
Year found: pre 1806
Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden

Jewelry from the Mine

Today most metals are obtained from ores. The history of metallurgy begins, however, with solid – or “native” – copper and gold. This pure metal could be made into attractive jewellery using relatively simple methods like hammering, bending and polishing. In Saxony, too, the oldest metal finds are simple ornaments of this sort.

Arm rings from a hoard
1200-1100 BC
Finding place: Bischofswerda-Belmsdorf, Bautzen administrative district
Archaeological bronze finds are almost always covered by a green patina. Today we know that it protects the object against further corrosion. Around 100 years ago, however, bronze finds were occasionally placed in an acid bath to remove the patina. The advantage was that the original gleam was restored.

Princely ornaments

The image shows a silver pedestal with many decorations, on which a very detailed diorama of ore is set. It depicts a small mine and miners. The diorama is tall and narrow. — Hand-stone
17th/19th century
Central Europe
Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum
This hand-stone is from a private collection in Vienna. It is not clear whether the object is an original of the early modern period or a later imitation. What is evident from this piece is the multifaceted character of hand-stones as a natural curiosity (the coil-like structure at the top is naturally formed pieces of silver), work of art, and prestigious showpiece.

“Hand-stones” (Handsteine) are ore specimens small enough to hold and used as showpieces. They soon found their way into princely collections. Some of these naturally occurring objects were elaborately crafted. Such pieces often depicted mines or biblical scenes and could be arranged in small landscapes composed of precious materials.

These objects would be displayed in cabinets of curiosities, where they demonstrated the prince’s strong attachment to mining and underlined his role as ruler both of land and the treasures of its soil.

The image shows a metal miner in his guild uniform extending his hand in greeting. He carries a beard on his back and stands on a boulder.

Traditional mining milieus in German-speaking regions developed a specific material culture intended to cultivate prestige. Mining officials, councillors of mining towns, mining guilds and companies had fine drinking vessels made with which to welcome guests. For mines that were particularly productive, “yield medallions” were minted – obviously from the silver that was extracted there. Also in terms of their imagery, these display objects were manifestations of pride in a way of life and work.

The image shows a small glass bottle in the shape of a pear. It stands on a black pedestal adorned with gold and has an equally ornate closure at the top. Inside, a small diorama with stones can be seen.

Inside the flask, a tiny miner climbs towards a silver thread. Grouped around this are numerous minerals from the Ore Mountains. The artefact comes from the famous collection of the Leipzig apothecary family Linck. It reveals the social aspirations of the middle classes, adopting the lavish tastes of the court.

Mining 500 Years Ago

From the 15th and 16th century, few highly detailed pictures survive that depict mining in that period. A famous exception is the Annaberg Mountain Altar, which can be admired in the town of that name not far from Chemnitz. As in Annaberg, these pictures were often made for church purposes, for altars or richly decorated choir books. A particularly fine example of artistic decoration of a book is shown here – the Kutná Hora Illumination. It is presumed to be the title page of a lost musical manuscript that was made for a church in the Czech mining town of Kutná Hora (German: Kuttenberg). The images idealise mining and smelting. Nevertheless many details are very precisely rendered, as can be seen by comparison with archaeological finds. The pictures show the miners at work, the smelting of ores, and the processing of metals. The scenes are set in a richly decorated urban environment, with the miners wearing the typical dress of the period.