Mariahilf Adit
The first adit of modern mining history in
Mühlbach am Hochkönig was initiated by
the mining pioneer, Hutmann Josef Zötl,
in 1829 at this location. The miners had to
persevere for a whole 12 years before they
encountered a substantial ore vein, and
mining at Mitterberg could develop into a
major enterprise.
The story of the "Lost Loaf of Bread“
recounts the rediscovery of the Mitterberg
copper district in the 19th century: A
farmer, returning home with an ox cart
from the market in Werfen, lost two
loaves of bread exactly here at the edge of
the "Rossbach.“
He sent his son-in-law, Thomas Plenk,
to search for them. Plenk found the
loaves and noticed what seemed like
gold glittering in the creek. Later, it was
revealed to be copper!
That was the starting point for an
extraordinary mining history that shaped
the entire region for nearly 150 years.
Until the final closure of mining in 1977,
Mühlbach was the largest copper mine in
Central Europe.
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