Kunstgraben

As an art digging ditches are referred to, were supplied by the mines with water to drive water wheels.

Background

Until the invention of the steam engine, hydropower was the main motive power for the different drive mining equipment, such as art wheels, flip wheels, water column engines or turbines.

For solution of the propelled into ever greater depths mines even stronger forces were needed. The available water in the environment of the mines were not sufficient for it. In many cases, it came to the drying up of sources by Zäpfung in the mine workings. This makes the water needed had to be partly brought over long distances.

Plant

The aim was to get as large a difference in height for lower drain on the location of the hydraulic machine. This difference is called the rate of increase. For this, the art trenches were laid out with a very small slope, so that they appear to represent contour lines of the terrain. Follow by the windings of the valleys. In order to overcome natural barriers the art trenches were often led by florets, rarely also via aqueducts; the best known were the Kunstgrabenaquädukte Altväterbrücke at neck and bridge the Sperberhai dam in the Harz Mountains.

Typically, a trench art begins at a weir or water divider and leads over florets and water storage ponds applied art to the pit. Water- combustion engine usually results in a surcharge and a deduction crispness. Parallel to Art digging a path has been created, which served as the grave Steiger Befahrungsweg when the weir to draw the shooters drove. These paths are, if they are available, often used as hiking trails.

Often the art trenches were covered with slabs. This served the one hand, the pollution of the trenches and protection against grew together, on the other hand, the protection of the trenches from destruction by cattle. Furthermore, the operator of the trenches protected thereby also right to claim damages of neighboring landowners who had to tolerate the application of the art trenches against compensation for the income and surface loss, and often presented claims for allegedly drowned livestock or wildlife.

Well-known examples

  • Aschergraben
  • Dam Ditch
  • Grave tour in Freiberg
  • Green trench at Eibenstock
  • Green trench at Pobershau
  • Oberharzer trenches
  • Upper Harz waterways
  • Reitzenhainer stuff ditch
  • Red trench
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