Gnade Gottes mine, Wittichen with Schmiedestollenhalde

General

The Schmiedestollenhalde (Schmiedestollen dump) is the vast stockpile of the Alte Schmiedestollen (old smithy's adit) of the Gnade Gottes mine.

Attention: In the Wittichen district there are two mines, both with with a Schmiedestollen, that can easily be confused.

The Gnade Gottes mine (mercy of God mine), described at this page, with it's Alter Schmiedestollen (old smithy's adit) and the Güte Gottes mine (benovelence/kindness of God mine) with it's Schmiedestollen (smithy's adit).

The well-known stockpile of the Alter Schmiedestollen (Gnade Gottes mine), which is described here, is called Schmiedestollenhalde, which is complicating the situation described above.

The vast stockpile in the Schmiedetobel (tobel is a local name of a small, often steep valley) is situated at the northeastern slope of Silberberg mountain to the northwest of the convent of Wittichen. It can easily be accessed from the convent (parking lot next to the convent church) on a dirt/grass road.

You drive towards the convent (the main road to Wittichen goes through a tunnel under the convent building). The convent is a museum now, with a small mineral exhibition showing minerals from the local mines. After you've passed the tunnel, turn to the left, towards the convent church and drive up the small road, until a parking lot is reached at the end of the road (about 50 m from the church). You have to hike the trail (overgrown with short grass, attention on dangerous ticks!), which becomes rather steep in the upper part, following the Böckelsbach creek. At the end of the trail, which is reached about 200 m further, the stockpiles of the Sophia  mine is located. Turn hard to the right (180 degrees curve) and take the good gravel road (cutting through the stockpiles) and follow this road around the eastern slope of Silberberg Mt. The stockpiles of the Alte Schmiedestollen are situated directly at the forest road, it can't be missed.

The stockpiles are heavily worked by collectors up to 3 m in depth and do consist of gravel rather than rocks todays. Parts of it remind of fresh concrete rather than a mine dump. Finding good mineral specimens is rather difficult and you need good look in even finding microminerals other than some erythrite and zeunerite.

The actual Alte Schmiedestollen adit is situated above the stockpile in the left bank of the small valley. There is a small depression in the gentle slope. No access to the underground workings possible todays.

History

This is a brief description of the history of the Gnade Gottes and Alt St. Joseph Mines near Wittichen, the Alte Schmiedestollen adit belonged to the first.
1506: Mention of a mine "bey dem Gotzhuss Wittichen" (near the church of Wittichen).
November 7, 1517: First mention of Gnade Gottes and Alt St. Joseph mines, when duchess Elizabeth of FÜRSTENBERG gave them to the school's master and town's writer of Wolfach, Johannes WÄSCHER.
In that period silver had been the only mineral of interest. The mining took place in the uppermost parts of the veins, mostly in shallow pits which can be seen even today on the height above the dumps, but also an nameless old adit and the Alte Schmiedestollen had been built.
Besides the main veins called Gnade Gottes and St. Jospheph, the following veins have been mined: Elephant vein, Adler (Eagle) vein, Roter Löwe (Red Lion) vein, Segen Gottes (Blessing of the Lord) vein and St. Jacob vein.
In the last third of the 16th century 15 mines had been registered in that area.
From the first half of the 17th century no mining activities are reported, most possibly due to the Thirty Year's War (1618-48).
Around 1680 the name Wittichen appeared in connexion with an order from count Anton of FÜRSTENBERG. The Prosper Mine near Bad Rippoldsau had to be closed because the mining activities endangered the water supply of the local spa. Exploration in Wittichen had been suggested, the names Silberberg (Silver Mountain) and Burgfelsen (Castle Rock) appeared, but no mining activities had takan place afterwards.
In 1697 prince Anton Egon of Fürstenberg, became governor of prince August the strong of Saxony and took care of mines in Saxony, too. He recommended the review of the mines in the principality by Saxonian miners. Miners from Freiberg in Saxony came to Fürstenberg to explore the veins in the Kinzig Valley. The Silberberg near Wittichen has been one of the areas.  The dowsing rod gave hope to find "Weißgülthen Erz" (white valuable ore, i.e. silver ore) or copper ores.
The experts reported an old adit which had been broken. It has been reported to be a silver mine.
The writer J.B.Myer the older has reported of the tradesman Anton FISCHER from Öringen, who had visited the Silberberg near Wittichen and had found good cabalt ores at the dumps.
The adit had been opened and explored, leading to a finding of a vein of massive cobalt ores, 20 cm in diameter. In addition the dumps have been extremely rich in cobalt ores.
December 1, 1703: A Mining Association of citizens from Nürnberg got permission from the prince of Fürstenberg. They got even the privilege of cobalt mining in the principality of Fürstenberg. Without theirvpermission no one has been allowed to mine or process cobalt in the Kinzig Valley. They got permission to errect a plant for cobalt blue.
War and internal dispute as well as low moral standards of working of the miners led to difficulties and nearly ruined the mining association. From 1704-10 mining had give profit, so silver/gold coins were produced, showing the convent of Wittichen.
The lower adit (called Clara adit) had been built, draining the mines.
In 1705 rich silver ores occurred but the silver's worth hasn't been high enough to pay the costs of the Clara adit.
Internal dispute and dispute with the principality finally led to rejection of the privileges in cobalt trade, which was changed into an option of purchase.
Wittichen got a department of mining in 1707 and the former master of shift, Daniel ZOBEL became a master of mining.
In 1708, an expert reviewed the mining in Wittichen and gave a poor reputation. Bad working conditions occurred. Only afew ores were found in the following years, leading to debts of the mining association. Only the deep (Clara) adit  remained open the next years.  Mining calmed down until 1718, when 20,5 kg of native silver had been found. A new mining association name Joseph was founded, which  merged with the former St. Joseph mining association. But the financial ruin of the mining association could not be prevented.
November 28,1721: The Calw Mining Association ( including the famous Doerttenbach company) got the mines. The next 20 years the mines made high profit.
November 21,1732: The mining privilege of Doerttenbach has been renewed for 50 years, but already in 1740 a decrease in ores occurred, in 1765 loss had to be reported. The minies had been offerd for sale, but no one had been intersted in. In 1775 the company Doerttenbach  bought all shares of the Calw mining association.
In 1775 the mine foreman Sebastian ETTLER opened the mine again, but it was already closed  again in 1794. No further  mining activities occurred later on.
The Doerttenbach company possessed the mine up to 1847, whe it was finally closed.
Afterwards, in the 20th century some exploration on uranium has been done, inclusive some drillholes. But the results didn't lead to mining activities as no uranium deposits were found.

Mineralisation

The veins are typical examples of the Midnight veins with a NNW-SSE striking direction.

In the Bi-Co-Ni-Ag-U formation, typical of Wittichen, the following minerals are common:

Quartz: First mineral formed, occurs directly at the contact to the host rock, often forming xls or chert, small secondary xls on barite xls.

Baryte: most common mineral, bears most of the ore minerals, occurs as 2-3 generations. Most of the barite occurs as tabular, coarse-grained xls in aggregates. Some is white but the most common barite is reddish brown or red due to hematite inclusions. In vugs rectangular, tabular xls occur, rarely white needles of a very young, secondary baryte can be found.

Calcite, Dolomite and Siderite: Carbonates are not as common as they are in the veins to the south. They only occur in small amounts.

Fluorite: Fluorite does only occur in the St. Joseph vein and is rare.

Hematite: Widespread and common mineral, occurring as pigment in barite, forming brown to red roses of thin tabular xls in vugs and small veins of fine grained hematite which can be grinded with the fingers. 

Cobalt ores: Skutterudite and Safflorite are by far the most comon ore minerals in these veins except for hematite. Both minerals occur as massive veins or nodules in baryte or quartz, small lenses are also common, but ore impregnations in barite are rare. Both minerals occur at the dumps. Crystals are not common, but occur. Free Skutterudite cubes are by far more common than free safflorite xls. Safflorite occurs as masses of tabluar to needle-shaped xls.

Silver: Native silver occurs in the veins, but the mineral is far more common in the Sophia vein (Sophia Mine). Most of the silver occurs as leafs and sheets, but dendrites are a common sighting, too.

Pitchblende: Occurs only in the Gnade Gottes vein. Mostly as fine grains in cobalt ores or barite or as weathered greyish black aggregates. Pitch-like masses or botryoidal aggregates, common at other occurrences, rarely have been found. As to the dumps only minor pitchblende occurs. The high level of radiation is mainly due to secondary uranium minerals.

Other ore minerals: Nickeline, Proustite, Fahlore (Tetraedrite-Tennantite series), Acantite, native arsenic and bismuth, bismutinite.

In the upper levels a different mineralization occurred, too:

Baryte and Quartz being the main minerals in those areas, the barite being white aggregates of tabular xls, the quartz commonly as grey chert.

Chalkopyrite occurs as golden grains, often being idiomorpic, in barite.

Wittichenite and Emplektite  are by far the most common minerals in this association, forming grey needles in barite (emplectite) or blackish grey massive grains (Wittichenite).

Secondary minerals
The Alter Schmiedestollen dump is by far the best location to collect secondary minerals in the area, although extensive digging has taken place.

Most common secondary mineral is Erythrite which colors some horizons of the dump and occurs as rose-colored crusts and nice red xls. Manganese Oxides, often being Asbolane, are common, but cannot be distinguished without an analysis. Mixite forms typical green aggregates of needles and is far more common as Malachite. It is accompanied by Bismutite, Preisingerite, Walpurgite and Atelestite, rarely Eulytine.  Arseniosiderite, Cobaltcoritnigite and Moorhouseite can rarely be found on weathered cobalt ores.
Of the widespread secondary uranium minerals Zeunerite, Heinrichite and Novacekite are most common.

Some secondary minerals such as Picropharmacolite have only been found in the mines, today not being accessable.

Minerals list

Refererences (in German language)

1. BLIEDTNER, M. & MARTIN, M. (1986): Erz-und Minerallagerstätten des mittleren Schwarzwaldes. Geologisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg, Freiburg

2. BODE, R. & WITTERN, A. (1988): Mineralien und Fundstellen Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Bode Verlag, Haltern