Der Schlangenberg – vom Bergbauhotspot zum Artenhotspot
Stolberg
Hard to believe that this quiet place was once filled with the sounds of mining.
The Romans were already mining galena here – a zinc ore that was the most important raw material for the production of brass. In the so-called "galena process," zinc ore was heated together with copper and coal to produce brass – long before metallic zinc could be produced in pure form.
After centuries of hard work, man left the soil to itself again and nature returned. From spoil heaps and sinkholes, habitats formed for specialists that can cope with the heavy metals in the soil.
Today, the Schlangenberg symbolizes change: a place where industrial history has become natural history.
