Siebenschlehener Stamp Mill Museum

On the western edge of Schneeberg in the Erzgebirge mountains is a mill for preparing mining ores. It processed material from the Siebenschlehener mine to produce cobalt, which was used as a blue colouring in the ceramic and glass industries. The area was the most important producer of cobalt in the world from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. It is part of the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region World Heritage site.

The excellently preserved stamp mill (pochwerk) dates from 1752-3. The building is made mainly of timber. Seven heavy stamps made of oak can be seen, driven by an overshot waterwheel and wooden cam shaft. The stamps pounded the ore into a fine powder for further processing. The pond and wooden launders to supply the waterwheel are well preserved. There is an exhibition on the top floor, which was once living quarters. The mill has been cared for by Schneedberg council since 1990. In the town centre, at Ob. Zobelgasse 1, the council runs a museum of mining folk art (Museum für bergmännische Volkskunst).