Der Schlangenberg – vom Bergbauhotspot zum Artenhotspot

It's hard to believe that this quiet place was once filled with the sounds of mining.

The Romans mined galmei here - a zinc ore that was the most important raw material for the production of brass. In the so-called "Galmei process", zinc ore was heated together with copper and coal to produce brass - long before metallic zinc could be produced in its pure form.

After centuries of hard work, man left the ground to its own devices and nature returned. Spoil heaps and potholes became habitats for specialists who could cope with the heavy metals in the soil.

Today, the Schlangenberg stands for change: a place where industrial history has become natural history.