!!!Silber

Silver: silver mining probably dates back to prehistoric and ancient 
times; the most important precious metal in the Late Middle Ages, 
silver was used to mint the successful Salzburg, Friesach and Vienna 
"Pfennig". The Styrian silver mines near Schladming and in 
Oberzeiring (from the 10%%sup th/%  century) were important centres. 
Accordingly, the mining order of Schladming dating from 1408 was 
adopted by Austrian, German and Venetian mining towns. In Carinthia 
silver was discovered near Friesach, in the Lavanttal and Gurktal 
valleys and near Obervellach. Silver mining was financed by 
aristocrats and commoners; miners were mostly paid according to 
output, and it was common for children to work in the pits. Tyrol had 
the richest silver mines (Rattenberg, Sterzing, Klausen, Kitzbuehel, 
Gossensass and especially Schwaz). Silver mining on territory 
corresponding to modern Austria reached its peak around 1520/30; 
approximately 25,000 kg of silver were mined annually, over 
20,000 kg of which in Schwaz. There was a sharp decline in silver 
mining from around 1580/90 (1591/1600: 7,000 kg, Schwaz: 
5,000 kg); silver mining declined even more drastically in the 
17%%sup th/%  century: depletion of deposits, inrushes of water, 
shortage of wood, over-exploitation, and growing competition of 
South-American silver had a disastrous effect on the industry. 
Upper-German trading companies and investors such as the Fugger 
family, who had played an important role since the late 15%%sup th/%  
century, lost their interest in silver mining. By the mid-18%%sup th/% 
 century revenues from silver mining had become extremely modest; the 
most important silver mine between 1760 and 1813 was located in 
Annaberg in Lower Austria. Today, silver is no longer mined in 
Austria.

!Literature
Silber, Erz und weisses Gold, Bergbau in Tirol, Tyrolean 
provincial exhibition, exhibition catalogue, Schwaz 1990.


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