Upper Harz Water Tunnels

The Upper Harz waterways are part of the Upper Harz Water Regale. Under a watercourse refers to the subterranean part of the trenches (see Oberharzer ditches) of the historic Upper Harz silver mining that have been created to supply the mines with water power from the 16th century. In the area of the Upper Harz Water Regale, there are over 35 rivers with a total of about 30 km in length.

Structural Engineering

Although the explosive was used in the 17th century in the Upper Harz mining, one has ascended the rivers for much longer by hand, that is, with hammer and chisel: Since you had trouble with the right dose of black powder, it was feared at the near surface extending watercourses days fractures or a fracture of the mountain and thus leaks. Almost all watercourses were excavated in Gegenortvortrieb. Until the 18th century, the miners followed when approaching the softest rock and produced by sometimes a zigzag course that significantly deviated from a straight line. It was not until the 19th century, the waterways were created with a strictly straight line routing and use of explosives.

The required flow for the movement gradient often is less than 1 ‰ ( ie, less than 1 m difference in altitude of 1000 m length). The cross section of stretching was at the old watercourses with mallet and iron work sometimes only 1.20 m height 0.80 m wide, with newer but mostly 2 m high and 1 m wide.

Watercourses had the significant advantage that the water could not be forwarded freeze underground opposite trenches. They were primarily invested to make a long mountain -pass. The abbreviation caused simultaneously a higher slope ( shorter distance at the same height difference results in more slope ). Thus, the flow rate and thus then also the hydraulic performance of the grave Tour increased. The disadvantage of watercourses were the high investment costs.

List of Active Upper Harz waterways

Order according to the last sort of Preussag, which targeted on the basis of usage in the power plants.

List of passive Upper Harz waterways

" Passive " are all located out of service watercourses. They are still intact, but partially or largely forfeited in part. The following list does not claim to be complete.