Ore transportation to the smelting facilities

A hollow way was a natural rut low-lying in the landscape, mostly through a forest. Our ancestors used such paths to transport their goods. The remains of a hollow way can be seen here. Mine operators at the Eisernhardt laid down a transport trail to connect their mines. In the Eisernhardt terrain, tracks of this trail can still be seen in many places. The way was used to transport ore from the mine down to the valley, to the smeltery and for transporting goods needed for the mine uphill. Smelting was done in a furnace using a fan, and in the valley there was the water necessary to power the fan. The hollow way was very important as a connecting path between mines and foundry for many centuries. Here, the haulier Mr Weil from Eisern transported ore until the year 1880. The simple wooden carts were mostly pulled by a trek ox and each load digged the lane deeper into the forest floor. The hollow way began near the "Sinternzeche" on top of the hill and it is preserved until here.