Our entire civilisation is based on mining. For thousands of years, ores from the ground have been used in all areas of life, whether to make jewellery, tools or microchips. From its beginnings mining has promoted contact and exchange between people. Goods, specialists and knowledge were already covering great distances 4,000 years ago.
Whole regions, like the nearby Ore Mountains, have been defined by their mining history. Customs, expressions and songs, the hammer and the pick, and the famous folk art crafted from wood are all rooted in this tradition.
Treasures & Tragedies explored both the glittering and the dark side of ore mining. Objects dating from the Bronze Age to the 21st century shed light on what happened underground.
What motivated people to dig into mountains thousands of years ago? First it was a desire for unusual, shiny raw materials. Later the practical utility of metals was recognised – for making tools and weapons and as a means of payment. Yet gold, silver, copper, tin and crystals continued to fascinate people because of their beauty. As a result, in every period, objects were made whose meaning and purpose consisted solely in delighting the eye and showing off personal wealth.
If people desire something, they become resourceful. Mining led to the invention of several new technologies, machines and devices. It is also the origin of scientific knowledge of rocks and stones, minerals, physical and chemical phenomena. Through trade and networks, innovations and specialist knowhow spread to all regions of the world.
If you made a lucky find, you could become immensely rich. In the Middle Ages, the equation was: ownership of mines + the right to mint coins = wealth and power. As a result, the Margraves of Meissen were amongst the most powerful rulers in Europe. Power through mining took on a totally new dimension in the 20th century: uranium mining in the Ore Mountains turned the Soviet Union into a nuclear power.
The extraction of mineral resources comes at a cost for other resources: people, animals, nature. Collapsing tunnels and illnesses of long or short duration often led to an early death. Miners and smelting workers joined guild-like organisations to ensure that, in such an event, their families would have their basic needs covered. Nature, on the other hand, had no safety net. The environmental degradation that mining caused was already recognised in the Middle Ages.
Visiting towns and villages in the Ore Mountains reveals the strong identification of the population with their mining history. Even though hardly anybody works in mines today, miners’ legends, jokes, expressions, clothing, symbols and folk art remain ever present.
Without raw materials, no progress is possible. The Ore Mountains are in the focus of attention once again, because new technologies and digitalisation need tin, silver and lithium. But do we really want another mining boom? Are there new approaches to minimise or completely avoid the exploitation of people and the environment?
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