Mine at Prettau: The hard-working miners

“Glück auf!“

So goes this traditional miners' greeting expressing the hope of emerging safe and sound after going about their dangerous work in the narrow tunnels of the mine at Prettau. Just entering St. Ignaz mining gallery is an unforgettable experience for visitors of all ages. In the spot where copper ore was mined starting in 1400, you can learn about 500 years of mining history and get an idea of how hard life was for miners at the time. The mine was a major source of work for lots of men over the course of centuries and has influenced life in the Ahrntal valley up until today. In its heyday, the mine at Prettau employed 400 to 450 workers, including nearly the whole male population of Prettau. For the time, it was a large business that offered lots of farmers of small farms in the Ahrntal valley a welcome additional source of income. It was closed down in 1893.

The copper mine near the Rötbach stream was probably operational during the Bronze Age. It was first mentioned in records in 1426. At first, the metalliferous veins were accessed by shafts. Towards the end of the 15th century, the first galleries were built, mainly to drain water from inside the mountain. The deepest gallery, St. Ignaz Stollen, is the longest of a total of 20 galleries, being one kilometre in length. In constrast with the galleries further up, which were 'scraped out' by hand, St. Ignaz Stollen was created by an explosion using black gunpowder. An educational trail runs along the so-called 'Knappensteig' steps. This path leads past the ruins of the miners' settlement quarters and a recontructed stamp-mill, which was used for crushing the ore, up to a height of 2,100 metres above sea level to St. Wilhelm Grube at the Rotkreuz mountain in a matter of two hours. From Rötalm pasture, unencumbered views of the impressive peaks of the Zillertal Alps may be enjoyed.