Dennert-Tanne Erzförderstollen Maaßener Schacht

The Dennert Fir Tree (german: Dennert-Tanne also known as the , or ) is a signboard that is used throughout the Harz mountains in Germany to provide information about mining and other points of interest in the area. The signboards mark locations, traces and monuments to

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

, to the

Upper Harz Water Regale The Upper Harz Water Regale (german: Oberharzer Wasserregal, ) is a system of dams, reservoirs, ditches and other structures, much of which was built from the 16th to 19th centuries to divert and store the water that drove the water wheels of the ...

, a medieval water management system, or even personalities in mining history in the Upper Harz mining area. They have since become used to document other notable sites within the Harz. The first Dennert Fir Tree was set up on 9 October 1949 in the vicinity of the former Sarepta Pit () in

Clausthal Clausthal-Zellerfeld is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the southwestern part of the Harz mountains. Its population is approximately 15,000. The City is the location of the Clausthal University of Technology. The health resort ...

. It was sponsored by the Power and Water Management Division () of Preussag AG, the operator of the Upper Harz Water Regalem at that time. The instigator was Herbert Dennert (1902–1994). Dennert promoted the preservation of mining monuments and published several books about mining in the

Upper Harz The Upper Harz (german: Oberharz, ) refers to the northwestern and higher part of the Harz mountain range in Germany. The exact boundaries of this geographical region may be defined differently depending on the context. In its traditional sense, th ...

. The signs measure , are mainly made of wood and have the characteristic shape of a stylised fir tree. They are painted yellow with a green and black border. Underneath a

hammer and pick The hammer and pick, rarely referred to as hammer and chisel, is a symbol of mining, often used in heraldry. It can indicate mining, mines (especially on maps or in cartography), or miners, and is also borne as a charge in the coats of arms o ...

symbol the type of site is described together with important information. The texts were researched and published from 1949 to 1981 by Herbert Dennert. The Upper Harz History and Museum Society maintain over 200 signs within an area of . Dennert Fir Trees that are set up by municipalities or branches of the

Harz Club The Harz Club (german: Harzklub) is club dedicated to maintaining the traditions of the Harz mountains in Germany and looking after the walking trails in the Harz. It was founded in 1886 in Seesen and, today, has about 16,000 members in some 90 ...

have the shield of their respective village at the top instead of the hammer and pick. For example, the Braunlage branch sponsors around 60 signs (as at April 9). File:Dennert-Tanne Schatzkammer.jpg, Pit, , Altenau File:Dennert-Tanne Abend-Morgen-Stern-Schacht.jpg, Pit, ,

Lautenthal The formerly free mining town ('' Bergstadt'') of Lautenthal in Germany is a state-recognised, climatic spa with around 1,570 inhabitants and has been part of the borough of Langelsheim since 1972. Geography Lautenthal lies in the Innerst ...

File:Dennert-Tanne Wennsglückt.jpg, Pit, St. Andreasberg File:Dennert-Tanne Trinitatis.jpg, Holy Trinity Church in

Braunlage Braunlage () is a town and health resort in the Goslar district of Lower Saxony in Germany. Situated within the Harz mountain range, south of the Brocken massif, Braunlage's main business is tourism, particularly skiing. Nearby ski resorts inclu ...

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External links

{{Commons category, Dennert-Tannen, Dennert Fir Trees * until 2021
Collection of Dennert Fir Trees
from D.Lübker * from August 2021
Collection of Dennert Fir Trees
from R.Ostrowski

in OpenStreetMap * ttps://web.archive.org/web/20171229172017/http://www.harz-seite.de/dennert-tanne-braunlage.pdf List and location map of the Dennert Fir Trees of the Harz Club - Braunlage Branch(pdf file; 445 kB) Mining in the Harz