News:

1.    The program fee has been determined to be $3,495. Flight and several meals will be in addition to that.

2.    The application deadline is Feb 21, 2011

3.    Please get an application at the official University of Minnesota Study Abroad website and send it to me (Sylke Boyd)

4.    Please contact me with any questions: Sylke Boyd, phone 320-589-6315, sboyd[at]morris.umn.edu

 

 

16^th-century developments in the mining and refining of ores of silver, tin, cobalt and other; the influence thereof on the rise of modern chemistry, geology and physics; the political and economic setting in which these developments occurred.

 

Why you would take this class if you are interested in

 

 

General Information:

Place:                           Freiberg and other places in the Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany

Date:                            Three-week May session course, May 22 – June 13, 2011

Participants:                  12+ students, UMM and John Carroll University, general education

Instructors:                    Sylke Boyd, Asst. Professor of Physics, main contact person

                                    University of Minnesota-Morris, Morris, MN 56267, USA,

                                    sboyd@morris.umn.edu

                                    Kevin J Boyd

                                    John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, USA

Guest Lecturers:            Prof. Dr. Helmuth Albrecht and co-workers,

                                    Institute for the History of Science and Technology, Bergakademie Freiberg

                                    Faculty members from the Department of Geology, Bergakademie Freiberg

                                    Herr Hermann Meinel, Museum Uranbergbau, Schlema

Texts:                           Excerpts, available on reserve in the library from:

                                    Georgius Agricola, De re metallica, 1556,in English translation by Lou and Herbert Hoover, 1914

                                    Lazarus Ercker, Treatise on Ores and Assaying, 1580, in English translation by A. G. Sisco and C. S. Smith, 1951

                                    Ulrich Rülein von Calwe, Ein Nützlich Bergbüchlein, ca 1500, in English translation by A. G. Sisco, 1949

                                    Anonymous, Probierbüchlein, ca 1520, in English translation by A. G. Sisco, 1949

                                    Other articles and publications

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Course description

The course takes us into the world of 16^th-century silver and tin mining in Saxony and Bohemia. The Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) are a region of lovely, rolling, forested mountains with deep valleys, many rivers and picturesque villages and towns, whose ridge forms the modern boundary between the German Saxony and the Czech region of Bohemia.

  

Silver had been found in the region of Freiberg already in the year 1168 A. D., leading to the boom town of Freiberg. The following 200 years are characterized by an increasing number of sensational silver and tin finds allover the Erzgebirge, and a surge of small mines and town foundations rivaled only by some more recent North-American gold rushes. These early years of Erzgebirge mining led to the need for instruction and knowledge; in particular on how to find the ore, how to extract it, how to process it, how to do so safely, and how to run this business in a profitable manner. The Berggeschrey (mining boom), which accompanied the finds of huge silver deposits, coincided with the peak of Renaissance-Humanism all over Europe in the late 15^th and 16^th century, which included momentous developments in astronomy, mathematics, botany and anatomy; the invention of movable letters in printing and thus the ability to spread knowledge easily;  Luther’s reformation; a rise in economic and political power of the mercantile class in cities; as well as an advance from a religious to a more secular view of the world. It was a time in which natural philosophy transformed –through economic need- into applied science, resulting in the development of modern chemistry, geology and physics.

Altar painting in St Annen church in Annaberg, Hans Hesse

 

The course explores these developments in the region of Saxony through the works of two Saxon-born scientists, each of whom made important contributions to the systematic development of mineralogy and mining technology. Georgius Agricola (born in Glauchau, Saxony,1494; died in Chemnitz, Saxony, 1555) contributed early systematic treatments of mineralogy (De natura fossilium, 1546) and mining technology (De re metallica, 1556); the latter appeared in Latin, and was translated into English by Herbert C. Hoover and Lou Hoover in 1914. Lazarus Ercker (born in Annaberg, Saxony, 1530; died in Prague, Bohemia, 1594) wrote a comprehensive treatise on ores and assaying in his native German Beschreibung Allerfürnehmisten Mineralischen Ertzt und Bergwercksarten (1580) which may be considered the first practical textbook in the chemistry of ore assaying and smelting. In fact, only a handful of the original books can be found now since this work was extensively used as a handbook in smelters and workshops, and many copies of the book were worn out by constant reference.

We will study parts of their works, visit mines and technological monuments. With the economic and political setting in mind, we will explore the conditions under which the surge toward modern science became reality. What was the thought on origins of ores before 1500? Why was it necessary to revise and abandon these views? What distinguished the new scientific method from the previously held views? What drives human invention?

As we visit various types of mines and technological facilities of the 16^th century, we will explore the chemistry and physics which is at work in various aspects of mining, including prospecting, surveying, water management, ventilation, smelting, assaying, and others.

Furthermore, the cultural traditions, cuisine, art and music of the region are shaped by the long history of mining – certain to be an enjoyable aspect of this experience. We will find references to mining in religious art as well as in the secular dwellings of dukes and kings and common people. The title of the course “Alles kommt vom Bergwerk her” refers to the fact that wealth and prosperity for the people as well as the state arose from the metals of the mines, but we would like to extend this meaning, and include significant progress in our understanding of the natural world in the things that arise from the mines.

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Course Objectives

The course enables students to:

1. Form an understanding of the interaction between societal development and the development of new ideas in science and technology, exemplified in a region which experienced a boom of mining development in the 16^th century.
2. Gain insight into the systematic presentation of geology and metallurgy as it arises from mining through the works of Agricola and Ercker. This includes the acquisition of context-related knowledge in geology, chemistry and physics as it arises.
3. Visit several mines and technological sites; observe living and working conditions; become acquainted with works of art and places of political and religious importance in the 16^th century.
4. Observe the development of follow-up industries after the ore deposits became uneconomical to further harvest.
5. Appreciate the challenges faced if humans conquer new aspects of the world, discover engines of human invention and hopefully enhance the understanding of the challenges currently faced by our own society.

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Course setting:

The Bergakademie Freiberg is the oldest school of mines in Europe. The school is located in the mining town of Freiberg, which allows easy access to several sites associated with our topic.

The course activities will include lectures, guest lectures, group discussions and field trips. There will be approximately one site-visit per day. A few visits, such as to the major cities of Dresden or Leipzig, will be optional.

  

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Expectations to students

            Participation in all class activities

            Follow rules of the sites, respect places.

            Course may be physically demanding. Be prepared to walk a lot (up to 10 miles a day), including underground.  Some trips will involve moving through fairly narrow, underground passages.

            Read and understand the assigned materials.

            Keep an open mind, and observe a lot of things outside of the scope of the course. This experience exposes to a lot more than just 16^th-century mining.

            Enjoy boat tours underground, a beautiful landscape, the local food, …

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Assessment:

The grade will be assigned according to performance in the following components:

1. Journal; 20 %: students will have a journal, which should contain a daily reflection, as well as an assembled time line of topics or places visited
2. Challenge sheets, 20 %: Each visit or tour will be accompanied by a challenge sheet, which contains questions or challenges specifically adjusted for the particular site.
3. Participation in discussions,20 %
4. Final essay, 40 %

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Lecture topics

I Time and Place:

            General Geography of Saxony and the Erzgebirge

            Geology of the ore deposits in the Erzgebirge

            Saxony and Bohemia at the time of Renaissance-Humanism

            Who owned what in and around the mines?

            Georgius Agricola and Lazarus Ercker (biographical)

II Science and Technology:

            Science and Philosophy in the 16^th century – in particular methods and views relevant to             mining (including Berg- und Probierbuechlein)

            Series of shorter units, following (in essence) the structure of De re metallica:

                        Prospecting and surveying

                        Mining: fire mining, stabilization, water management, ventilation

                        Separation: crushing, roasting

                        Assaying: methods of purification, probieren

                        Smelting: production

            Measures and weights

III Peripheral Culture

            Traditions associated with mining, follow-up industries, forestry, art, organ building

            (this part may be administered as the run of the course allows, but should be synthesized in the final essay)

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Schedule (and this will still shift around!)

Saturday	5/21/2011	Departure in MSP
Sunday	5/22/2011	Flight to Leipzig Arrival in Freiberg, Pension Hubertushof (home for 3 weeks in two-bed rooms)
Monday	5/23/2011	Campus tour in Altstadt with student prison, Hauptgebäude and Winkler laboratory (discovery of Germanium and pioneer of environmental chemistry); Campus tour on modern campus with Weißbachsammlung (fluid dynamics technology)
		Guest Lecture: World cultural heritage in the mountain region Erzgebirge, Prof. Helmuth Albrecht, Institute for the History of Science and Technology, Bergakademie Freiberg
Tuesday	5/24/2011	Town Freiberg: Tour of St Annen Dom with organ music, Golden Gate (12th century), tulip pulpit by Hans Witten, altar by Lucas Cranach Museum with exhibits on town history and mining history Tour of town
		Guest Lecture: Geology of the Erzgebirge, Faculty of the department for Geology , Bergakademie Freiberg
Wednesday	5/25/2011	Teaching and show mine Reiche Zeche: special tour through 6 centuries of mining (narrow spaces, ladder and elevator travel, 5 hours)
		Evening lecture
Thursday	5/26/2011	Train to Altenberg, Eastern Erzgebirge: tin-mining region, active for 600 years Break-in crater Pinge Showmine Neubeschert-Glück Stolln (1h) Bergbaumuseum Altenberg with tin ore processing (Stamping mill and ore washing technology, water driven)
Friday	5/27/20115	Mineral Collection of the Bergakademie Freiberg – guided tour and individual time to visit International Student Evening with Freiberg students
Saturday	5/28/2011	Trip to Olbernhau, Erzgebirge: Saigerhütte (copper/silver separation by liquation) from the 16th century Water-driven Copper hammer work
Sunday	5/29/2011	Open
Monday	5/30/2011	Trip to Geyer, hike along educational trail to Ehrenfriedersdorf (5 miles): Break-in crater Pinge in Geyer Hike along Röhrgraben (ditch for water management to power mine equipment, 16th century) Geyerische Teiche (oldest dam and reservoir in Europe, 16th century, has swimming beach) Greifensteine (granite outcrops, great for climbing) Ehrenfriedersdorfer St. Nicholas Church – altar by Hans Witten
Tuesday	5/31/2011	Train to Annaberg-Buchholz: St Annen Church (16th century) with altar painting on mining by Hans Hesse – guided tour Erzgebirgsmuseum mit Gößnerstolln – a mine right below the streets of town, museum with exhibits on the early mountain law (Annaberger Bergordnung) Adam-Ries-Museum, Overnight stay in Annaberg
Wednesday	6/1/2011	Frohnauer Hammer – water-driven hammer work, master house and carving exhibit Show mine Dorotheastolln with boat tour underground Overnight stay in Annaberg
Thursday	6/2/2011	Bus trip to Pobershau, Erzgebirge: Show mine Molchner Stolln – with water-driven multi-stage water lifting pump recreating one from the 16th century Small hike to Grüner Graben (17th-century mining-related water management ditch) and Katzenstein (just a nice rocky view point with several legends to tell) Bus back to Freiberg
Friday	6/3/2011	Bus Trip to Schneeberg: Show mine Weißer Hirsch Evening guest lecture Overnight stay in summer camp Kiez at Filzteich, Schneeberg (has beach for swimming)
Saturday	6/4/2011	Hike a long educational trail in Schneeberg (4 miles): Stamping mill Siebenschlehener Pochwerk Many 15th and 16th century shaft houses, adits, ditches and other sites covering intensely exploited silver and cobalt reserves Overnight stay in summer camp Kiez at Filzteich, Schneeberg
Sunday	6/5/2011	A day on uranium mining by the Soviet-German company Wismut: Schlema: Uranium Mining Museum (history of Soviet involvement, art, recovery of landscape) Wismut mine Pöhla-Globenstein – 20 min drive on train into mine, modern water treatment ponds Overnight stay in summer camp Kiez at Filzteich, Schneeberg
Monday	6/6/2011	Bus trip back to Freiberg
Tuesday	6/7/2011	Train to Chemnitz: Schloßkirche and museum Chemnitz Guided tour of the townhall (where Agricola was mayor) Active archeological digging site for the Kupfersaigerhütte (copper liquation smelter) 16th century
Wednesday	6/8/2011	Open
Thursday	6/9/2011	Open
Friday	6/10/2011	Open
Saturday	6/11/2011	Open
Sunday	6/12/2011	Departure from Freiberg Flight from Leipzig

On open days you may decide. We propose visits to Dresden, Leipzig, Meissen, Augustusburg, Oberwiesenthal, etc. or just rest.  We will offer some excursions on these days, but you may make other choices as well.

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Page maintained by Sylke Boyd

Last updated: 12/8/2010 11:06 AM