Mining in the Reichraminger Hintergebirge and Sengsengebirge
700 years of mining history in the Reichraminger Hintergebirge and Sengsengebirge are summarized in this mining monograph.
As early as 1200, iron ore was mined in the Unterlaussa area. At the beginning of the 16th century, Gagat was also mined in this area.
The Erzberg of Reichraming was first mentioned in a document in 1255. From 1538 to 1548, iron ore is said to have been mined here.
The manganese ore mining near the Glöcklalm in the Bodinggraben near Molln was operated until 1915, the coal mining on the Sandl came to a standstill in 1949 and the bauxite mining of Unterlaussa was not stopped until 1964.
Bauxite mining in Unterlaussa
Bauxite (the raw material of aluminium) is found in the Reichraminger Hintergebirge in the Sonnberg-Schwarza-Prefingkogel-Blaberg area in disconnected lenticular deposits, which lie at the transgression boundary of the Gosau to the triadic main dolomite.
In 1919, the company Stern & Hafferl began bauxite mining on the Prefingkogel. In 1921, the Reithoffer company also acquired the rights for bauxite mining on the Blaberger Hochkogl. In 1938, OKA bought into the bauxite mine of Unterlaussa, which was then taken over by Vereinigte Aluminium-Werke AG Ranshofen in 1941. In April 1964, mining operations were discontinued.
The data on the total amount of bauxite extracted varies between 265,061 tons and 268,190 tons. The geologically possible reserves are estimated at 4 to 5 million tons.
A special feature was the 13.5 km long material cable car between the mining area and the
Rail loading station at Weißenbach St. Gallen station. The material cable car was considered the longest in Europe.
Iron mining in the Unterlaussa area
The bauxites found in the Unterlaussa area have an iron content of up to 37%, which is why they were previously mined as red or clay ironstone.
Admont Abbey had possessions in the area of Unterlaussa and mined for iron here. From the 12th century There are several documentary documents of mining by Admont Abbey. The field names "Blaberg", "Eisenberg" and "Eisengraben" are probably related to early mining.
In 1455, iron ore deposits were discovered again on the soil of Admont Abbey in the area between Bodenwies and Hengstpass.
In 1611, the owner of the brass smelting works of Reichraming operated an iron mine in the inner Laussa.
In 1812, the keeper living in Albeneck reported that he had long since stopped his iron mining in the Grübl and on the Agstein and therefore no longer needed the wood offered to him by the woodruff of Admont Abbey.
From 1827 to the spring of 1829, a single miner dug for iron ore on the Agsteinberg on behalf of a certain Mrs. Sonndorfer from Vienna and Mrs. Josefa Aigner, the owner of the nail forge at the Krenhaus in Losenstein. When Mrs. Sonndorfer died and payments to the miner failed to materialize, he hired himself out to farmers as a gypsum crusher for 5 months. From the autumn of 1829 he worked in the mine again. At Easter 1830, a 2nd miner joined him, because Mrs. Aigner had promised to pay out the outstanding wages. In total, they extracted 12,000 to 15,000 quintals of iron ore, which were now in stockpiles.
On July 11, 1830, Mrs. Aigner had an Eisenstein field measure, called "Johann Nepomuk", measured and staked out on the Sandl and Agstein. This was bordered by two field measures of the Innerberg main union. Two days later, on July 13, 1830, Mrs. Aigner again registered Mutungen at the foot and at the height of the Blaberg, on the Agstein and Sandl, in the Schranken (on hard coal), on the Hochkogel and on the Eisenberg. A dispute over the mining rights arose between Mrs. Aigner and the Innerberg main union.
In 1868, the innkeeper in Anger near Weyer began mining for iron ore at Sandl.
In 1871, the Innerberger Hauptgewerkschaft was awarded the mine fields on the Blaberg and Prefingkogel.
In 1875, the Graz engineer Georg Wisiak tried mining under the Hochkogel with the mine fields "Maria am Sandl", "Josef am Sandl" and "Georg im Grübl". In 1881, his mining rights were cancelled again.
Gagat and hard coal mining in the Sandlgraben and Teufelgraben
Gagat is a deep black coal rich in bitumen, which was often worn as a decorative and defensive stone. Around 1500, the farmer Seebacher began mining the Gagat in Unterlaussa. In 1523, Ferdinand I issued him a document mentioning Gagat mining. Mining on Gagat was probably only in operation for a few decades, because it no longer appears in later tax lists.
The hard coal mining in the Sandl and on the Schranken can be documented for 1830 by Josefa Aigner.
Coal mining in Sandl experienced a particular upswing after the First and Second World Wars. From autumn 1918, the Reithoffer's Söhne company, which operated a rubber and cable factory in Garsten near Steyr, mined coal mainly for its own business. In February 1925, coal mining on the Sandl was discontinued again.
In 1945, coal mining began again on the Sandl, this time lasting until the summer of 1949.
Geologically, the occurrence of coal on the Sandl near Unterlaussa is linked to the Upper Gosau, where heavily contaminated coal seams occur in grey Gosaumergeln and sandstones. This is a marine shallow water environment in which rapid sedimentation could cause charring of the organic substances.
Manganese ore mining
Gagat is a deep black coal rich in bitumen, which was often worn as a decorative and defensive stone. Around 1500, the farmer Seebacher began mining the Gagat in Unterlaussa. In 1523, Ferdinand I issued him a document mentioning Gagat mining. Mining on Gagat was probably only in operation for a few decades, because it no longer appears in later tax lists.
The hard coal mining in the Sandl and on the Schranken can be documented for 1830 by Josefa Aigner.
Coal mining in Sandl experienced a particular upswing after the First and Second World Wars. From autumn 1918, the Reithoffer's Söhne company, which operated a rubber and cable factory in Garsten near Steyr, mined coal mainly for its own business. In February 1925, coal mining on the Sandl was discontinued again.
In 1945, coal mining began again on the Sandl, this time lasting until the summer of 1949.
Geologically, the occurrence of coal on the Sandl near Unterlaussa is linked to the Upper Gosau, where heavily contaminated coal seams occur in grey Gosaumergeln and sandstones. This is a marine shallow water environment in which rapid sedimentation could cause charring of the organic substances.
Iron mining on the Gaisberg near Mölln
In 1569, the mayor of Steyr and a knife maker from Steinbach applied to the emperor for the construction of an iron mine on the Gaisberg. They argued that the small blacksmiths could not get enough iron from Steyr and therefore there was no competition with the Erzberg, but that this was an additional enrichment and promotion of the land and the craftsmen. They asked for 6 tax-free years until they got the mine going and built a blowing house and a hammer mill on the Krummen Steyrling.
The Court Chamber then requested a series of statements and expert opinions.
The Innerberg main trade union, the lordship of Steyr, the city of Steyr, the bailiff of Gmunden, the lords of the castle of Klaus, the Kirchdorf-Micheldorf scythe guild, the governor and some others expressed their opinion on this. An expert carried out an on-site inspection of the Gaisberg, took samples of the ore, had it melted into iron and used it to make two scythes, a guitar and a Schretteisen. It turned out that the iron "is excellently soft and good, so that it also surpasses the Innerberg iron". The mine was finally approved, but the tax-free years were not granted. As can be seen from later records, the mine remained in operation for several years until "all the mines and workshops that had been opened were devastated again by large downpours".
In 1604, Emperor Rudolf II granted two hammer masters a privilege to rebuild and operate the Mölln mine. It seems to have been in operation for many years now, because it still appears in the documents in 1615 and 1667 and the Steyr lordship collected taxes for it. It may not have been abandoned until around 1678, when a new owner took over.
On behalf of the hammer lord of Gstadt near Molln, a total of 10 miners worked on the Gaisberg again in 1743. A smelter melted the ore into pig iron, which was apparently processed directly at the hammer mill. From 1750 to 1753, the mine owner consumed 1,000 courages of charcoal annually.
In 1770, the lordly forester reported about the mine that it was "worked with the best diligence" and that the miners hoped for a rich ore blessing in a short time. However, this is likely to have failed to materialize, as can be learned in 1773. There was still hope in the 5 tunnels. A knowledgeable miner who has been working for 5 years has only produced a "mortar full of iron rock" during this time.
In 1787, the new owner of the Gstadt hammer mill was enfeoffed with a double pit size on iron on the Gaisberg. However, it remains uncertain whether the mine actually went into operation again.
In October 1873, the current owner of the scythe works of Gstadt registered 6 free mines on the Gaisberg, but these were deleted again in June 1874. In 1882, the mining authority also cancelled the mining rights for the "Eisenstein-Bau am Gaisberg near Molln".
Iron mining Arzberg near Reichraming
The Erzberg in the municipality of Reichraming gave its name to the cadastral community of Arzberg. It was first mentioned in a document in 1255.
It is known that the lord of Steyr Castle, Hans Hoffmann, had iron ore mined here from 1538 to 1548. Clear traces of this mining can still be seen in the terrain.
Historical Reappraisal: Josef Weichenberger, Linz / Leonstein 1997
