We start from the parking lot and follow the increasingly steep Seegrabenstrasse - for all hikers / walkers who prefer to go through the forest there is the option to follow a small path that begins opposite the parking lot next to the stream.
Path variant through the forest: (Whereby we do not see the display boards of the Wartinbergschacht, Richardschacht and Schutzengelschacht with this variant). The path leads us over some steep steps and through the forest to a hidden settlement, where beautiful houses have been built in the last few years in an absolutely quiet location. When we come out of the forest and there are numerous family houses in front of us, we follow the road straight ahead until it intersects with the Veitsbergweg, then we keep to the right and follow the road until we reach a large parking lot. Here you will also find an orientation map and the explanation of the montanhistoric trail. From this parking lot we turn right into the forest. Here begins again a beautiful forest path, with only few ascents, until we come to the Barbarkapelle (1). Now, at the various mining towns, we are also accompanied by display boards that tell us the history of the montane-historical hiking trail.
Right next to the parking lot is also the Bergdirektion (7) The building of the former Bergdirektion (built in 1912) is one of the few houses in the Seegraben mining district that has been preserved in its original appearance. From here, the Seegraben Mining Directorate administered the three mining districts of Münzenberg, Draschebau and Schutzengelbau.
We follow the road, which becomes steeper and steeper, and pass the Wartinberg shaft (8). The shaft was sunk in 1875 and used as the main production shaft to a depth of 302 meters. The name of this shaft, which belongs to the Drasche mining district, is derived from the noble title of its owner, Richard Drasche von Wartinberg. In this district, the transition to deep mining took place earlier than in the Anna and Schutzengel mines. The extracted coal was used for firing the Wienerberger brick factory of the Drasche family, whose products were used for the city expansion buildings in Vienna during the founding period. In 1955, the plant was closed down and the following year it was dismantled. Today, the area of the tennis court coincides with that of the former factory facilities.
Shortly thereafter, on the left-hand side, was the Richardschacht (9). This shaft, which belonged to the Draschebau, was named after the district owner Richard Drasche von Wartinberg and was sunk in 1886. Its depth was 214 meters. In 1928, a serious accident occurred when a pit cage fell into the depths. Five miners were killed. The mine was closed down in 1955 together with the Wartinberg shaft. Today there is a dog training area on the former mine site.
We now follow the road and leave the inhabited area, to the left and right are now forests. After a while a forest path branches off to the right, we follow this and make a short detour to the Barbara Chapel (1) At this point there is a rock crevice that was once used as a powder magazine. Around 1860, miners built a chapel in this rock, which was dedicated to St. Barbara. St. Barbara is the patron saint of miners and has been a constant companion of miners for many centuries as an intercessor for mountain blessings and against sudden death. Her traditional memorial day is celebrated on December 4. On September 19, 1991, the Barbara Chapel, which was rebuilt by many volunteers, was consecrated with a large celebration that documented the deep connection of the entire population of Leoben with "their mining" and the people who live there.
We go back along the forest path until we come back to a mountain road and now follow this further uphill and keep to the right, after only a few meters we meet the gallery mouth of the Traugottstollen in front of which there is still a hunt that reminds us of the mining times of the mountain.
Traugottstollen (2) This gallery mouth is the last still visible part of the Traugottstollen. It belonged to the Schutzengelbau and was built around 1880 as a day gallery. The length was 262 m. Until the 1920s, horses were also used for transportation in the mine. These pit horses mostly stayed during the day. In 1924, mining in the Traugottstollen was stopped.
Now we follow the gravel road and find ourselves on the Bremsberg (3) The Bremsberg was part of a haulage system that was used both above and below ground. Here, coal mixed with waste rock as well as old mine timber from the surface mines was brought to the fall (dump) by means of mine hoists. In addition, this served as an inclined elevator for passenger transportation. The railroad was operated on both one and two tracks. An electric reel (cable winch), operated by one man, acted as the drive. On the slagheap, the so-called "Sturzweiber" manually picked out the usable material, such as wood and coal, from the mixed material.
We follow the course of the road and as a reward we get a beautiful view over Leoben. At the large intersection of the two roads we keep to the right and follow the Traugottweg. Until a signpost leads us back into the forest, here we cross a couple of streams and start our descent through the forest. We end up right on the edge of an allotment settlement where beautiful gardens and funny garden gnomes greet us. After only a few meters downhill, to the left is the Barbara Klause (0043/(0)664/4429669) - this excursion station is open Fri - Sun and on request. Stopping here really pays off, because in the beautiful garden you can enjoy the sun and the innkeepers conjure up delicious snacks and dishes in their kitchen.
Directly opposite was the Anna shaft (4): In 1875, sinking of the 188-meter-deep Anna main shaft and the associated ventilation shaft began under Franz Ritter von Friedau Jr. The shaft received its name from the wife of the engineer. The steam hoisting machine installed in 1879 was one of the most modern installations of its time and was even presented at the Paris World Exhibition (1878). With the help of this technical achievement, the mined coal could be lifted to the Anna gallery horizon. With the commissioning of the Zahlbruckner shaft in 1930, the shaft was closed down in December of that year. Mining in Annabau, however, continued until 1964. The headframe of this shaft was dismantled and placed in the courtyard of the University of Leoben for study purposes. Today, only two partially preserved operating buildings can be seen. The Anna ventilation shaft was collapsed in the summer of 1964.
Following the road downhill, we pass the Zahlbruckner shaft (5) On March 30, 1930, the Zahlbruckner shaft was put into operation. It was named after August Zahlbruckner, then a member of the board of directors and technical central director of the Österreichisch-Alpine-Montangesellschaft. The 172 m deep main shaft was equipped with an electric tower winding system. The operating facilities represented the state of the art in mining technology in the 1930s. Underground there was a 1500 m long winding connection mti the Wartinberg shaft. On March 28, 1964, the last hunt with Seegrabner bright coal rolled over the conveyor bridge. Prominent figures from the worlds of politics and mining and a crowd of several hundred people provided a dignified backdrop. This marked the end of the 238-year history of Austria's oldest coal mining industry. The blasting of the shaft tower took place on August 27, 1964.
We now cross Münzenbergstrasse and follow it to the right. Until we walk along the railroad line, now a slightly sloping, small street - the Josefinweg - leaves on the left, we follow this until we come out opposite the miner's monument - and at the same time we have landed at the starting point.
Miner's monument (6) This monument at the entrance to the Seegrabner valley once stood at the cemetery in Judendorf. It was erected there in memory of the mining accident in 1882. This memorial should point out the dangerous work of the miners.
Now there would be the possibility to follow the quite steep road and to visit the stations 8, 9, 10.
Wartinberg shaft (8) The shaft was sunk in 1875 and was used as the main winding shaft to a depth of 302 meters. The name of this shaft, which belongs to the Drasche mining district, is derived from the noble title of its owner, Richard Drasche von Wartinberg. In this district, the transition to deep mining took place earlier than in the Anna and Schutzengel mines. The extracted coal was used for firing the Wienerberger brick factory of the Drasche family, whose products were used for the city expansion buildings in Vienna during the founding period. In 1955, the plant was closed down and the following year it was dismantled. Today, the area of the tennis court coincides with that of the former factory facilities.
Richardschacht (9) This shaft, which belonged to Draschebau, was named after the district owner Richard Drasche von Wartinberg and was sunk in 1886. Its depth was 214 meters. In 1928, a serious accident occurred when a pit cage fell into the depths. Five miners were killed. The shaft was closed down in 1955 together with the Wartinberg shaft. Today, there is a dog-rotation area on the former mine site.
Schutzengelschacht (10) This shaft belonged to the Schutzengelbau, the northernmost of the three Seegrabner mining districts. The first mining activity dates back to 1811 and after the Jandl and Johannistollen mines had been excavated, the 150m deep Schutzengel shaft was sunk. In 1884, the shaft, which was equipped with a twin steam hoisting machine, went into operation. In the same year, a 600m long standard-gauge haulage railroad was built to the Leoben loading station. This had to be discontinued in 1913 because of its susceptibility to breakdowns due to excessive inclination. In 1936, the shaft was collapsed and the winding tower was removed.
Nuchtenschacht (11) The shaft was named after the mining engineer and mining councilor Josef Nuchten, who introduced progressive mining methods in drash mining in the mid-19th century and built functional washing and screening plants. As the easternmost spur of the Seegrabner mining district, the Nuchten mine belonged to the Draschebau. In 1872, the Nuchten shaft was sunk to a depth of 150 meters. The winding tower was partly built of wood and was in use until 1951. The shaft was sunk one year later.