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The notary Jacob Haas of Bozen was the first man to throw light on when mining began at Schneeberg, when he discovered a document dated December 24 1237. Written in Latin, and first published in 1899, it refers to a purchase of swords. The passage in question reads:
‘... quod dictus Hainricus dedisset fratri Leonhardi de Ysele de iussu dicti Leonhardi fratri sui, quia ipse illo tempore socius eius erat, II marcas et I fierduncum minus dimidium loatum boni argenti de Sneberch, ut ipse et frater eius deberet conducere et dare ipsum argentum Pilegrino de Villach, quod ei emeret enses.
‘... The above-mentioned Heinrich, on the order of Leonhard of Ysele, gave his brother, who at that time was his partner, two and a quarter marks, less half a lot [a unit of measure, approx. 1/30th of a pound] of fine silver from Schneeberg, so that he and his brother could supply this silver and deliver it to Pilegrin of Villach, thus enabling him to buy the swords’.
A weight of 623.5 grams of fine silver from Schneeberg, in the form of bars, was thus a recognized means of payment at Bozen in 1237. The above quotation, discovered by chance, shows that Schneeberg and its precious metal were already well-known at that time, even outside the area. But, although on one hand this fact is an early clue to silver mining at Schneeberg, on the other, it is strange that there are no other written sources remaining from those times.
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history of mining on Schneeberg
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