Lead Mines, Altenberg, Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, Colmar-Ribeauvillé, Haut-Rhin, Grand Est, Francei

Regional Level Types
Lead Mines	Group of Mines (Abandoned)
Altenberg	Mountain (Dormant)
Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines	Commune
Colmar-Ribeauvillé	Arrondissement
Haut-Rhin	Department
Grand Est	Region
France	Country

This area is very complex, it is part of a network of faults, a veins beam that stretches from the mountain over the "Saint-Pierre-sur-l'Hâte" village up to the city of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines. Works are very old and would have started by external scratching, called open pits (Verhau in German), from the tenth century.
Some archaeological research tends to show an earlier mining occupation in the Middle Ages or even the beginning of that period. Later, mining technologies have helped to dig the galleries to allow drainage of water and to advance more deeply miners underground.
In the seventeenth century, after a shutdown period related to the 30-year war, the operation was relaunched with new recherches. But those no longer reached the splendor of yesteryear and closed in the early twentieth century.
The mineralogy of this sector seems essentially lead content. But the intertwining veins encounter an "accident" with a very rich area with noble minerals (grey coppers ore, proustite and native silver) in the valley of Bourgonde (Notre Dame, The Deadman mine, ...) to gates of the city (St. Bathelemy mine located right next to one of the annual minerals show entry...).


As this locality lies in the Sainte Marie-aux-Mines district, the place is protected by a archaeological mining district status and all collecting is prohibited.

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