Morassina

Morassina is an inactive mine in Schmiedefeld (Lichtetal), Thuringia, Germany. Today it is a tourist attraction known for its stalactites.

Schaubergwerk Morassina

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]

gollark: I hope there will be a day when we have post-material-scarcity, and do not have to do much work.
gollark: Yes, but what usually happens is:- people work in industry- they are put out of work by this industry becoming less useful, or improving technology- these people complain at government- in order to obtain more votes, the government tries to prop up this failing industry or limit automation- people do more work for no good reason
gollark: Well, government be like.
gollark: Economy be like "we must ensure that people do the same thing as they have previously done regardless of how wasteful it is".
gollark: I, personally, am using Github with personal mirrors.

See also

References
  1. Morassina Mine, Schmiedefeld, Reichmannsdorf, Thuringian Forest, Thuringia, Germany Mindat.org
  2. 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 (in German)
  3. Ulf Hausmanns, Sabine Lubenow and Rudi Stallein, Thüringen, HB-Bildatlas 261, 2nd ed. Ostfildern: HB, 2008, ISBN 978-3-616-06496-3, p. 90 (in German)
  4. Geschichte, Entwicklung und Perspektiven des Bergwerkes in Kurzform Archived 2010-10-14 at the Wayback Machine, Schaubergwerk Morassina, retrieved 6 March 2011 (in German)

Sources
  • S. Köhler and S. Schmitz. "Minerale des Schaubergwerkes Morassina". Bergakademie Freiburg June 10, 1995 (unpublished) (in 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 (in German)
  • B. Ullrich and B. Ullrich. "Schwertmannit in den Verwitterungsprodukten des Alaunschieferbergwerkes 'Morassina' bei Schmiedefeld im Thüringer Schiefergebirge". Der Aufschluss 61 (2010) 75–79 (in German)

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