Powder Tower Griesfeld - Hochkeil Lodge

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Opposite the "Kreuzbergmaad“ is the "Pulverturm“ (Powder Tower). In 1854, a brick hexagonal tower was built in the Griesfeld, which was converted into the Maria-Hilf Chapel around 1939 by Sepp and Mädi Kreuzberger. Many couples have exchanged their vows in this chapel, and baptisms have also taken place. To combat the prevalent miner‘s disease scurvy, which results from a vitamin deficiency, vitamin-rich food had to be procured. In the 1870s, the Griesfeld, strewn with countless stones, was purchased by the copper mining company and painstakingly cleared by the miners. Then, stone walls were built with the debris - approximately 8 km long. This effort resulted in lush alpine meadows for livestock farming and dairy production, following the example of the Allgäu region.

Just below stands the "Hochkeilhaus.“ Built in 1857 as the "Josefi Berghaus,“ it served as the accommodation for the miners who toiled in the tunnels of the Mitterberg. The ground floor housed a large room with long stoves and multiple hearths. In this communal kitchen, each miner had his "Koststock,“ a wooden chest with a lid and lock to store his food. The upper floors served as sleeping quarters with hatches to the kitchen, providing them with heat. Since 1984, it has been used as a youth hostel by the Radacher family.