A ''Bergmagazin'' is a building that served as a granary for

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, ...

s and the population of

mining town A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry. Historic mining communities Australia * Ballarat, Victoria * Bendigo, ...

s in German-speaking Europe.

History (Saxony)

The construction of ''Bergmagazins'' in the

Electorate Electorate may refer to: * The people who are eligible to vote in an election, especially their number e.g. the term ''size of (the) electorate'' * The dominion of a Prince-elector in the Holy Roman Empire until 1806 * An electoral district An ...

and

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony (german: Königreich Sachsen), lasting from 1806 to 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was formed from the Electorate of Saxon ...

grew rapidly from 1806 at the suggestion of senior mining official (''Oberberghauptmann''), Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich von Trebra. As a result of the great famines in the upper Ore Mountains at the end of the 18th century caused by several poor harvests, Trebra recommended the construction of multi-storey, stone ''Bermagazin'' buildings where grain could be deposited after harvesting and stored for several months or even years.

Locations (a selection)

* Marienberg: built 1806-1809, from 1858 it had many other uses e.g. as a military storage facility, chocolate factory, glider school, war refugee accommodation and fruit store. Following its conversion and redesign it has been used as a museum since 2006.''Marienberg Magazin''
at marienberg.de. Retrieved 12 June 2022 * Annaberg * Schneeberg * Freiberg: 1784-1805 converted from Freudenstein Castle into the ''Bergmagazin''. Used as a granary until 1979 * Johanngeorgenstadt: built 1806-1812, used as a grain store until 1847. After a fire in 1899 it was converted into a residence. Demolished in 2005 * Osterode am Harz: 1719-1722 built as a corn store. Used as the town council building since 1989

Gallery

File:Schlossfreudensteinfreiberg.jpg, Freudenstein Castle, used since 1784 as a ''Bergmagazin'' File:BergmagazinJohannstadt.jpg, Johanngeorgenstadt ''Bergmagazin'' just before its demolition in 2005 File:OsterodeKornmagazin.jpg, Osterode am Harz ''Bergmagazin'' (corn store in the

Harz The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

)

References

{{Reflist

External links

History of the ''Bergmagazin'' in Marienberg
Mining culture and traditions History of mining in Germany Agricultural buildings in Germany