In the dark

The mountain mine in Villanders was one of the most important mining areas in Tyrol during the Middle Ages. After it closed at the beginning of the 20th century, it fell out of memory. Through the work of the culture heritage and museum associations of Villanders, the mine has been given an overhaul in recent years and is now open to the public as a visitors’ attraction.

The Villanders mine had a total of 16 tunnels covering an area of about 20 km, two-thirds of which were dug by hand and one-third with the use of explosives (black powder).

The extracted materials were: silver, lead (galena), copper and blende. The advancement of a miner, between 8 and 12 m per year, was performed mainly on his knees or supine. At the discovery of a mineral deposit of greater size it was necessary to enlarge the tunnel for the transport of minerals and waste rock. The average life of a miner was between 35 and 40 years.