- Morassina
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Morassina is an inactive mine in Schmiedefeld, Thuringia, Germany. Today it is a tourist attraction known for its stalactites.
Contents
History
The first recorded mention of the mine dates to 1683, as a source of alum, iron and copper vitriols (sulfates),[1] sulfur, and colored clay. The colours of the stalactites are produced by the minerals in the mine.[2] In 1717 the merchant Johann Leonard Morassi bought the mine and named it Morassina. In 1750 the Leipzig trading firm of Frege bought it and became extremely wealthy from it; in 1816 they were able to buy back the Crown Jewels of Saxony, carried off by Napoleon, from Amsterdam. However, the bottom fell out of the market after chemical methods of synthesizing alum and sulfuric acid were introduced around 1850. The mine was not worked after 1860,[1][3] and was closed up and forgotten. In 1851, miners seeking uranium discovered it and the stalactite formations,[3] but because of its location near the Inner German Border, the East German authorities refused until 1998 to allow it to be opened to visitors. It was finally opened in 1993.[1] There is a mining museum (opened in 1995) and the St. Barbara licensed spa (opened in 1997); radium cures are offered.[4]
See also
- List of show caves in Germany
References
- ^ a b c Morassina Mine, Schmiedefeld, Reichmannsdorf, Thuringian Forest, Thuringia, Germany Mindat.org
- ^ Klaus Müller and Bernd Ullrich, "Das Alaunschieferbergwerk „Morassina" bei Schmiedefeld am Rennweg (Saalfelder Höhe) im Thüringischen Schiefergebirge", Der Anschnitt 58 (2006) 108–19, p. 117 (German)
- ^ a b Ulf Hausmanns, Sabine Lubenow and Rudi Stallein, Thüringen, HB-Bildatlas 261, 2nd ed. Ostfildern: HB, 2008, ISBN 9783616064963, p. 90 (German)
- ^ Geschichte, Entwicklung und Perspektiven des Bergwerkes in Kurzform, Schaubergwerk Morassina, retrieved 6 March 2011 (German)
Sources
- S. Köhler and S. Schmitz. "Minerale des Schaubergwerkes Morassina". Bergakademie Freiburg June 10, 1995 (unpublished) (German)
- B. Ullrich et al. "Sekundärmineralbildungen des Alaunschieferbergwerkes Morassina bei Schmiedefeld am Rennweg (Saalfelder Höhe) im Thüringischen Schiefergebirge". Beiträge zur Geologie Thüringens Neue Folge 12 (2005) 41–69 (German)
- B. Ullrich and B. Ullrich. "Schwertmannit in den Verwitterungsprodukten des Alaunschieferbergwerkes 'Morassina' bei Schmiedefeld im Thüringer Schiefergebirge". Der Aufschluss 61 (2010) 75–79 (German)
External links
- Schaubergwerk Morassina (English available)
- Grube Morassina at Mineralienatlas Lexikon - Deutschland (German)
Coordinates: 50°32′06″N 11°13′00″E / 50.535°N 11.2166667°E
Categories:- Buildings and structures in Thuringia
- Grottoes
- Visitor attractions in Thuringia
- Museums in Thuringia
- Mining museums in Germany
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