FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Tobi]

A large part of this Land, on the border with the Czech Republic, is covered by the Erzgebirge, which is German for “Ore Mountains”; a name that doesn’t need further explanation. Together with the Harz Mountains in the central north and the Black Forest in the southwest, these mountains were the most important mining region in German history. Legendary wire silvers, different lead and silver ores and once giant deposits of wonderful fluorites in all colors are only a few examples of the many minerals that once came from there. Besides the treasure chambers of that mountains, Saxony also features the famous Schneckenstein Rock – Europe’s only source for really fine gemmy topaz.

[Jesse Fisher]

Penetration twin fluorite from Beihilfe Mine

[Jesse Fisher]

Topaz on quartz from Schneckenstein

[am mizunaka]

Fluorite, galena, quartz, and unidentified reddish mineral.
-> Most likely sphalerite (Tobi)

[Tobi]

Nice topaz, Jesse! Here's another specimen of Germany's only "gem classic":

[Andreas Gerstenberg]

There are other European topaz occurences that gave gemmy material (even in Germany), think of the Ural mountains. The Schneckenstein is, however, the best known German locality. Saxony i would consider the mother country of mineralogy.

[Jesse Fisher]

Here is another photo of the Schneckenstein topaz, along with an old label that came with it. Can anyone give any information about the dealer or collector who's label this was?

[Geno]

[Jesse Fisher]

Thank you. With my admittedly rudimentary understanding of German, I thought "niederlage" meant "defeat," which makes little sense in the context of a mineral label.

[Tobi]

[Jesse Fisher]

Fluorite with Baryte, Pohla, Erzgebirge. I do not know the exact mine location for this specimen, can anyone help?

[Andreas Gerstenberg]

Hi,

the mine was named Pöhla too. Sometimes you may see the expression "Wismutschacht". Pöhla was an uranium mine and "Wismut" the mining company, said in general parlance.

Cheers
Andreas

[Andreas Gerstenberg]

The Sauberg mine near Ehrenfriedersdorf is one of the best-known Saxonian mines. Ehrenfriedersdorf is a very old tin mining district - so it´s not surprising that the locality is famous for cassiterite crystals. Other minerals worth mentioning are colourful apatites, good fluorite specimens, wolframite and quartz crystals as well as some rare minerals like herderite (type locality). The silver minerals are the treasures of every local collection but never reached the quality of the Freiberg or Schlema/Schneeberg specimens. Attached some samples from Sauberg mine which are all no museum specimens but some of those are rarely shown.

[Andreas Gerstenberg]

A Saxonian region that is - let me put it this way - not that famous beyond the German borders is Upper Lusatia (Oberlausitz). It´s the north-eastern part of Saxony between Dresden and Brandenburg, known cities are Bautzen, Görlitz; Hoyerswerda and Radeberg (think of the beer...).

Fine smoky quartzes as well as feldspar crystals, rare fluorites, Be- and REE-minerals come from the Königshain granite quarries near Görlitz, the Pansberg quarry near Horscha is a locality for good variscites and wavellites, the Klunst quarry near Ebersbach gave zeolite minerals, nice epidote and calcite crystals. Two other places that should be mentioned are the Ossling quarry near Hoyerswerda (big, clear rock crystals, anatase, titanite) and the nickel mine near Sohland (pentlandite).

All Upper Lusatian localities don´t play a big role in the mineral world but things like 6 cm molybdenite crystals from Königshain are not bad at all, i´d say. Here are some samples from my collection:

[Andreas Gerstenberg]

Mixed Saxon specimens