Currently we work intensively on the project "Mining on the Via Claudia Augusta". A new building beside the mining village arises. Take a look here for the construction progress.

“Knappen” is the German word for a miner who has completed his apprenticeship. The main themes of the mining village “Knappenwelt” are the historic smelting methods used to separate the minerals from the ore waste. For the demonstration we use authentic replicas of the equipment the mineworkers depended upon 500 years ago. Mineral deposits found in the Gurgltal region include: galena (lead sulfide, PbS), Graubleierz (the local name for ore containing various types of galena and lead carbonate/cerussite formed through oxidation), and calamine minerals (oxidized zinc minerals, of which the most important is smithsonite, ZnCO3).

So let yourself be captivated by the fascinating historic mining methods, and take an educational trip to the past by visiting us at the “Knappenwelt”.