Aschergraben Ditch

The Aschergraben ditch is one of the prominent, technical masterstrokes from Altenberg’s early mining days. The artificial waterway was created between 1452 and 1458, reliably supplying waterwheels and treatment plants with water for more than 500 years. The name of the trench presumably came from the asher profession. Ashers burned potash in the forests to manufacture suds. Once mining ceased, the water from the Aschergraben was no longer needed, though the trench has been preserved as a functional waterway. It is supplied with water from the transborder forests in the Totes Kind (Cínovecky hřbet) high moor above Böhmisch-Zinnwald (Cínovec). It transported the water 7.4 km, at an incline of 0.3% to 0.6%, from Böhmisch-Zinnwald (Cínovec) to Altenberg. Nearby the Römer shaft the ditch flows into the valley of Tiefenbach creek. Both waters then delivered the stamping mills and ore washers.