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Silver, Speik, and Sumpters

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The late Middle Ages in the Murtal region.

The 14th century.

When someone explores
the Alps in the Middle Ages

one enters a world of rare minerals,

of fragrant Alpine herbs
and ancient legends.

In the 13th century, the 'Berggschroa',
mountain's call, breaks out

in the side valleys of
the Triebener Tauern.

The search for rare ores attracts
people from far and wide to the region.

Miners, traders, charcoal burners,
and vagabonds receive the news.

For in the hearts of the
mountains lies the silver

the greatest treasure of Styria.

Alongside the pumpkin seed oil, of course.

Silver was the most widespread form of
currency in the 13th and 14th centuries.

And mining attracted
job seekers from all over.

Greetings, lad! I've heard that anyone
could get a job in your silver mine.

Here we go with another vagabond.

Pardon me?

Good Day! Have you ever
worked in a mine before?

No, but I've done plenty of things already!

Good - because down
there, you need to do "plenty".

But you can apprentice with me.

What, you work down there too?

Of course, my whole
family works for the mine.

And now I bring them food and other things.

Then can you take me with you?

Vagabonds, tramps, and itinerant
workers — also called 'Sandler'

could become part of this mining
community alongside the local families.

I can recommend you to the mine master

if you promise not to cause any trouble.

Deal!

Start packing the food then. But
woe betide if anything is missing.

There, you'll need these.

Thanks!

Among other tasks, children
were used for errands in the mine.

In doing so, they learned the trade.

He's done plenty already, he says

So, come on now, let's go!

As can be seen at the
borders of present-day Austria,

the Murtal lies at the
eastern foothills of the Alps.

The villages connected by valley
routes, were already important

transshipment and trading
posts in the Middle Ages

through which the silver flowed into
the Habsburg lands as Zeiringer Pfennig.

In the tunnels, strict order prevailed

overseen by a so-called
'Hutmann' (hat man).

Even though he probably
didn't wear that Hat all day.

God protect you!

God protect you!

I would like to help you with
the silver mining in the mine.

Are you the master?

I am Big Stefan. And we
can find use for you indeed!

You are here in the mine
of the Admont Abbey.

And I am your Custos Fodine.

I control the shares in mining there.

And from today, these are your mates.

Greetings!

Cheers!

Every second resident of
Oberzeiring works in the mine.

In the 13th century, Oberzeiring
possessed all the rights of a mining town

At its peak, it was the
largest silver mine in Styria.

Especially in the mountains, mining was

considered one of the
most lucrative trades.

You're on your way down
to your uncle, aren't you?

Then you can take him with you
and introduce him in their work group,

So they can teach him the craft. Grab
a backpack and don't bump your head!

And at the end of the shift,
we'll see how you've performed.

And, um, what about payment?

We're not serfs here.

You'll get paid.

The special thing about
the payment that awaited

at the end of the shift was
that real money was involved.

Other tasks in agriculture and forestry

were carried out as bonded labor by serfs.

But the miners were
not serfs of the nobility,

the heads of families were paid in
silver according to the work done.

But only after the work was done.

As long as you're not
a member of the guild,

you'll get your daily wage only
after your service in the mine.

And where do I live and sleep?

Well, down below, of course!

But just bundle up warmly, because
down there the cold is constant.

Cozy is something else

it was 8 degrees Celsius
underground in the mine all year round.

The bucket of ore now
belongs to the landlord.

Are you joining the bowling
today? The entire Societas

is coming together - you
should definitely be there again!

The Societas was the union
of free and equal partners,

the community of miners.

Since Roman times,
efforts have been made to

find ways to transport
goods across the Alps.

The 15th century.

With the help of donkeys, mules,
and horses, known as sumpters

or pack animals, the mountain
paths could be conquered.

With the decline of the
Roman roads and the necessity

for goods to be transported in
a way suitable for pack animals

we enter the time of the Middle Ages.

And see that the heyday of the pack animal

transport system was in
the 12th to 16th centuries.

A "Saum", derived from the Latin "Soma"

expressed the maximum
weight a pack animal could carry.

Depending on the animal, this
was typically 120 to 160 kilograms.

The goods were transported in columns.

300 to 400 animals a day,

and they always trampled the path firmly,

which made for a
solid trail even in winter.

Yet the routes remained perilous,

often requiring 15 hours of travel per day

and involving ascent of up
to 1300 meters in altitude.

Between each mountain
lodge, there might have been

overhanging rocks or something of the sort,

where one could take shelter,
but certainly no safe havens.

Avalanches, freezing, falling,

these were constant
dangers for people back then.

Today, from records, we
mainly know of three goods

that were transported:
Salt, grain, and wine.

These routes were most heavily trafficked

after the snowdrifts cleared
in February and March.

After the thaw in May and June,

as well as after the
grape harvest in October.

In the Middle Ages, when
crossing the Tauern Pass,

one sought refuge

and found it at the Inn at the Elbow,

presumably named after the serpentine road.

Over time, the village of Hohentauern

developed around this inn.

Despite the fact that
the annual income of the

muleteer handler barely equaled
the value of one of their animals,

Many drunken stories revolve
around the merrymaking

of the muleteers after their daily stages.

In the center of Hohentauern,
alongside the inn,

a church stood from the 14th century,

which is why people referred to it as

a small church hamlet for a long time.

It can be assumed that not everyone

appreciated the company of the muleteers.

However, it was the duty of the
innkeepers to provide them with shelter.

I know you have to provide
accommodation for the muleteers,

but it's quite a task you
have on your hands now!

Don't wobble so much...

A tavern license is
still a tavern license...

That's better already.

I can do better than that.

I thought that maintaining the roads
was already enough work for you,

but nearby there's already
another serpentine road to fix.

The condition for the tavern license was to

provide accommodation for the muleteers.

Additionally, it's the
innkeeper's duty to keep

the roads in a passable condition.

Go on, innkeeper! Another round!

You've had enough to drink already!

Enough? - You can have something to eat.

We don't even know when
we've had enough ourselves!

Especially not you! So, what now??

I'll get you some food.

Get us water at least!

At least bring us a jug of water, huh?

Water you can have, yes.

Responsible alcohol consumption
was important to the muleteers,

as they wanted to deliver
their goods intact and on time.

Make the barrel a little lighter.

The load has become a bit lighter.

Pass the jug here! Do
we need to refill, huh?!

The term "Lagel" derives
from the Latin "Lagena" - bottle

and is one of the two oval barrels

used for transporting wine
on the backs of pack animals.

It is a standardized unit
of approximately 60 liters.

You moron!

Those slackers!

Well, do you like that?!

The muleteers were naturally very careful

to maintain the weight measurement

and compensate for any
wine losses with water.

In the name of the Lord!
That's why the sacramental

wine from the lower Styria is so diluted.

No wonder then, if every little village
from here to Salzburg has its own brewery.

Even in Salzburg, they now
have this... "Stiegenbräu"!

He deserves it...

Even though nothing can compare
to Judenburg's Citizen Brewery.

What kind of beer is that?

Judenburg's Citizen Brewery...

since 1462!

Amen! The priest is right.

Let's have a beer then!

Yes, but a certain amount of
wine is also due to us muleteers!

In the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, the muleteers could insist
on a certain share of their wine cargo,

which was granted to them for their work.

The problem was that they often
arrived drunk at the recipient's.

Well, if we're entitled to wine, then
let's forget about that bloody beer!

Hey! Don't you insult my bloody beer!

Then what is it?!

According to stories, few muleteers
boasted of good manners and general piety.

I'm going to bed now.

I certainly hope we'll see each
other in church on Sunday, right?!

Yes, of course, I'll come
to church, absolutely!

An official document states

that the muleteers preferred
to indulge in their drunkenness

at the inn rather than attending mass.

There was a complaint
sent from Gurk to Admont.

And then, if the weather
permits, we'll use the pickaxe

to create a new ventilation
shaft in the tunnel,

so that not everything has to be
drawn out through the main entrance.

That's called a ventilation chimney.

I only understand mining jargon...

By the way, each tunnel has a name.

And what's that one called?

That's the Beer Pit!

I like it, then that's mine.

The mines were given their own
names for orientation purposes.

Whether beer was brewed
or just enjoyed there,

that's a matter of speculation for science.

But perhaps for safety reasons,
they already had non-alcoholic beer.

That one sure is pretty huge!
There must be a lot of silver inside.

No, it's that big because it's
been mined empty for a long time.

I always thought that only
little dwarves worked in a mine.

But in there, it seems
like everyone has space!

Don't be fooled!

The other day, I met a man from
Italy. He looked like a little dwarf.

He must have been
looking for a copper violet.

Wherever you found copper violets,
you also found copper in the ground.

And the Venetian ‘Mandln’ (manlets),
small and mysterious, searched for them.

Their foreign language and secret knowledge

made them the subject of many legends.

Their goal was to find
colorful minerals like malachite,

and the rare zeiringite, which they
sold for glass coloring in Venice.

With dowsing routes and
taste tests, they also found

silver veins - which often
occurred together with copper.

We ́ll look for silver veins here

and here we'll see if we find anything.

Oh, there's little Stefan!

That's little Stefan, my mining dog.

Then the uncle must be
somewhere around too.

The mining activities
were organized into work

groups or family units, always
led by an experienced member.

This foreman was responsible for the
orderliness and training of new miners.

He supervised the progress of the tunnels
and was an important decision-maker.

To avoid constantly hitting their
fingers, the miners needed light.

Pine splinters from
resinous coniferous trees

had been cheap lamps
here since the Stone Age.

The team's task was to recognize ore
veins in the rock by their discoloration

and to follow them with hammer and chisel.

Each blow required skill and
understanding of the mountain.

Again, again, again! Yes!

- That ́s how you do it!
- The energy of the people and the tools

that had to measure themselves against the

hard rock of the Tauern
were limited resources.

To successfully mine, one had to be strong

and closely acquainted with the blacksmith.

Because the tunnel
could only be deepened by

about one to two centimeters per day,

it was necessary to carefully
consider where to place hope for silver.

Perfectly suited for the crawling
tunnel were in addition to small built men,

of course, children from the age of ten.

Separating the ore from the barren rock

and carrying out the penetrating water

were among their most amusing tasks.

Because the light of the
exit was always distant,

one had to rely on the
simplest lighting tools.

Down there in the
mine, this splinter is the

last thing shielding you from the darkness.

Make sure you always
have one with you - there!

Thank you!

And tuck a bundle into your
belt or hang it around your neck.

Be careful - we always
dip the tip into pitch.

If you run out of that
down there, you can only

call for help or find your
way to the fire on your own.

Yes, and you don't have
torches or oil lamps down there?

No, we don't have
anything like that down there.

When hollowing out the mountain,

one also encountered natural caverns.

Starting from these,
digging slowly continued

while precisely following
the found silver ore veins,

as progress with hammer and
pick was extremely arduous.

Damn it, you stupid thing, light up!

Damn it!

Damn it!

Light up, you stupid thing!

Hey, there, come here!

Ah!

Has it gotten dark?

The stay in the mine lasted up to 5 days.

Despite the unpleasant environment,
people also ate and slept down there.

For this, they gathered in groups
that corresponded to the work shifts.

These lasted between 7 and 12 hours.
Work was done for 260 days a year.

Welcome to a new edition of:

"Baking like back then"

Today, our cooks have come
up with something special,

this time there's no light cuisine.

Because a fresh Alpine
mountain range is on the menu!

Finest marble and slate from Styria.

Many substances form such a mountain range.

Marble is mainly made of calcite.

Mica schist from muscovite and biotite.

But many other elements
form the rock layers.

And they all occur mixed
together in the earth.

Where they were pressed
together 100 million years ago,

like into a dough

by unimaginable forces.

Oh, and heat was released
during that process, phew.

But beware: There's more in the dough!

The galena or lead glance,

consists not only of sulfides,

in it we find the silver.

Of course, only in small quantities.

In very small parts.

But it's what makes the
rock of the Alps so special.

And so the mountain range
consists mostly of marble,

a tiny portion of galena, with its silver,

and mostly of mica schist.

Hidden beneath many
more dense layers of rock.

And forms an enticing mountain range.

That makes one very curious

about its sweet, silvery filling!

When the late medieval muleteers
followed the Mur past Knittelfeld,

they soon heard hammer blows
coming from the direction of Wasserleith.

What was special about the
forge in Wasserleith at that time:

It was the only scythe
forge in the whole region.

A tradition for which the iron-rich
Styria later became famous.

Along their trails, the muleteers could
supply numerous farmers with these scythes.

The rarity of scythes traded before is

evidenced by the toll
records from that time.

Their production was reserved only for

the most competent metalworker specialists.

Ah!

The muleteers who
crossed the Triebener Tauern

also liked to come to Oberzeiring,

as there was a very active mining industry.

And they brought goods from the south,

fabrics, lighting materials.
And from Oberzeiring

they took silver and speik
and

transported it further
across the Triebener Tauern.

If muleteers and hikers didn't
reach a shelter before nightfall,

they had to find a place to sleep
in caves and under overhangs.

Oh, thank you! But unfortunately,
I only have wine to trade.

No, I don't drink wine.

But I heard that you often
visit the inns in the Pölstal area.

Can you tell us a story
from the area right away?

Yes, of course, I'll tell you a story!

Look up there on the hill! Until
recently, wine flowed there every day!

Be very quiet and look deep into the fire.

Then it's as if the robber knight
himself is telling you the story!

Many stories are already circulating
in the Murtal about how it happened.

And not every one describes
him as a God-fearing man...

I think I was not always the
most excellent of my class.

For as the last lord of Offenburg Castle,
I was indeed a notorious robber knight.

Plundering and killing was our pleasure.

So that soon a watchtower
could be seen on Offenberg.

High enough that no one
wandering in the Pölstal

could escape our sharp gaze.

My neighboring rascals from Reifenstein
and Sauerbrunn were just the same,

with whom we took them on.

Why did they always
have to stroll with their

expensive goods when
we were on the lookout.

All too easy prey, these wealthy merchants!

How wonderfully cunning it
was for us to communicate with

the most modern signals
to our blood brother.

The view from tower to tower
reached across the entire Pölstal.

So my fellow murderers
quickly sprung into action when

I brandished my weapons
to seize rich booty.

One fine evening, I invited the
man from Sauerbrunn to join me.

And there we feasted
on the rich plundered food,

noble and mannerly, as was our custom.

And with hearty swigs
from the free beer barrel,

we boasted ample
sportsmanship and team spirit.

And did not shy away
from any sin or pleasure.

Finally, we indulged in
courtly dances and games.

But as long as God did not take me

we became even more unrestrained.

It was just midnight when three powerful

knocks echoed at the outer castle gate.

But that can't be the holy Feme, can it?

Silence fell over the entire hall,
even the most boisterous ones paled.

I am afraid to announce the arrival of

a foreign knight, in black
armor, on a dark horse!

He summons, the knight of
Offenburg, out to the square.

Thus, the knocks were widely
known: The sign of the Holy Feme,

that even the wildest of fellows dreaded.

No lord of Offenburg could I call myself,

if I had lost my composure there.

Each one listened to the hoof beats

and beheld with horror how
the punishment in person,

on hellish steed, circled me -
Offenburg's hero - and the full moon

illuminated the night's
darkness all around.

Then one heard fierce clashing of swords.

With my sharp sword,
I wanted to cleave her!

But through the hall windows,
they saw how the Feme

tore me from my feet, dragged me
down the steep slope of the castle hill,

and disappeared into a fiery
chasm at the edge of the forest.

So that the castle hill
trembled, the guests fled,

and the stately castle
crumbled into a thousand pieces.

The robber knight legend may perhaps
trace back to Dietrich von Füllenstein,

lord of the castle in the 13th century,

who repeatedly carried out
attacks on the nearby Seckau Abbey.

Apart from the keep, not much
is left of Offenburg Castle today.

Even though it was
already heavily dilapidated

in the late Middle Ages, it
finally burned down in 1590.

Opposite it, in plain
view, on the southern side

of the Pölstal, lies the
ruin of Reifenstein Castle.

Together, the two
castles jointly controlled

the old trade route through the Pölstal.

Together with Sauerbrunn
Castle, the castles form

a Murtal Bermuda Triangle in
many versions of the legend,

where many trading caravans disappeared.

Although Sauerbrunn
Castle in its current form

was actually built on a
spring after the Middle Ages.

Hewed climbing trees
made of weather-resistant

oak wood were much
better than ladders and ropes.

But even these were
consistently damp and dangerous.

And be careful, okay? The steps on
the climbing tree are really slippery.

And you know the saying: Rumpeldipumpel...

Ah!

And gone is the miner.

At locations with richer ore deposits,
the mines were expanded into tall shafts.

These connecting tunnels were spacious

while crawl tunnels were
often only one meter high.

Well, and why is there straw
lying around here anyway?

You stuff that into your hat or your hood.

It's not that cold, after all.

- Watch out, there's the cave fright!
- What, where, who? Ah!

Damned Ouch!

Now you know.

It's there, so you don't bash your skull.

What even is a cave fright?

Quietly and unassuming, the
pale-patterned Rhaphidophoridae,

called ‘Höhlenschreck’ (cave fright),
creeps through abandoned tunnels.

Despite their intimidating
appearance, they are harmless.

These five-centimeter insects cannot fly,

But with their legs, they can both
dig and hop through the depths.

Many endangered bat species
seek refuge in the mines.

That's why one should never
disturb their beauty sleep.

With the active mining operations,
mine dogs also entered Zeiring's depths.

They likely took on transport
services in the low tunnels.

Wear and tear on skeletal remains
indicate the strain on the dogs' backs.

It wasn't until later, in the 16th
century, that four-wheeled carts,

known as mine hounds, became
established and are still known today.

Perhaps the name developed
from the animal mining tradition.

Hop! Yes! Yes!

That humans and dogs
shared their snack in the tunnel

has been documented since the late Bronze
Age, based on bite marks on pig bones.

It's said that the dogs never
saw daylight in their entire lives.

Rest in peace, little Stefan.

Your whole life, you were in the
mine and never saw the light of day.

But one time too many, you stole our snack.

Carefully arranged, the remains of several

mine dogs were found
in a grave in the mine.

Their loss was mourned.

Stefan! Come here!

But the time of little
Stefan had not yet come.

Hey you rascal, stop!

According to old maps,
the network of tunnels

extends extensively beneath
the town of Oberzeiring.

An effective way to expand the
tunnels was by using fire-setting.

For this, a dense ventilation
shaft made of wood,

moss, and clay, called a
‘Bewetterung’, had to be installed.

The rock wall was first heated
by a leaning stack of wood

and after several hours,
it was shock-cooled

with ice water to break the hard rock.

Well, until then! Goodbye!

Tragically, despite all safety measures,

the mine was a dangerous place.

Ouch...

There you are...

I'll get help, hang on! I'll get help!

The loss of a family member could have

catastrophic financial
consequences for the survivors.

And what happens now to him and his family?

The community will take care of them.

Accidents of this kind were not uncommon

and the mining community had to
find ways to collectively deal with them.

The miners' spiritual
care is still provided

for today in their own miners' chapel.

This is indeed a special treasure,

as this church houses
an entire cycle of frescoes

from the heyday of Zeiring mining.

In the mid-14th century,
the Church of St. Elizabeth

was adorned with frescoes
from an Obermurtal workshop.

One of the frescoes depicts
Saint Mary Magdalene

as a penitent, covered
only by her own hair.

Others depict a youth
possessed by the devil,

and three crosses of the apostles.

Held by two angels the sweat cloth of
Saint Veronica with the head of Christ.

Christ flanked by
apostles and the crucifixion.

All frescoes form a unity,

which illustrates the
religiously dominated thinking

and life of medieval people.

Francis of Assisi, King
Ludwig, Anthony of Padua,

tools, as well as a sleeping
couple, which could indicate

that on Sundays and holidays, one
should not stay in bed but go to church.

For hundreds of years,
the miners' church has

been part of the mining tradition
and is still used as such today.

Since the time of the Holy Roman Empire,

Hanfelden Castle has
also stood in the Pölstal.

As early as 1493, Hans Han was
granted a barren farm in lower Zeyring.

By Maximilian the First
- Roman German King.

King? Hans, we'll send
the count as planned.

And we ask for their support and help

for the pilgrimage to Rome

and for the coronation as emperor.

In 1506, Maximilian is said to
have personally stayed in the Pölstal.

Possibly even in present-day
Hanfelden, at least that's

what is said in the
inscription in one of the rooms.

Austerity, austerity.

Maximilian was active in the Pölstal.

Deliveries were documented
and many messages were sent.

For example, the delivery of 24
bushels and three-quarters of oats

for feeding the horses on October 13, 1506

during the king's stay,
is specifically recorded.

Good, I was afraid the last delivery
might have strained our finances.

Especially since pumping out the
mine tunnels hasn't led to anything.

Oh, it's always just about silver.

But soon, very soon, we'll be emperor.

Then there'll be no
obstacle to further expenses.

But until then, tell Fugger, we need...

Further loans!

But even his creditors
were not bottomless pits, and

Maximilian's mountain
of debt grew increasingly,

so he had to look for
other sources of money,

such as through marriage.

What, what's this?

We'll sell this one!

He's a scoundrel!

Or by granting further
fiefs and noble titles to

the Augsburg banking family, the Fuggers.

He can go to hell! Tell Fugger
he can go Fugger himself!

Can he really do that?

No, better not tell him.

Better not tell him. We'll
wait until we're emperor.

And until then, we want to
live - we must live, like a monk!

Through the salaries of
mercenaries in his numerous wars,

his lavish lifestyle including
jousting tournaments,

and 30 illegitimate children, the so-called

last knight drove state
expenses to unimaginable heights.

So that's him. He's magnificent! A beast!

Certainly not exactly
cheap even individually,

but as a hunting dog, a true king! No!

We meant emperor, of course - emperor!

Emperor, good, good.

Maximilian also loved hunting trips.

Alright then, order me a full

hundred such beasts... a hundred!

And the mountain of debt
would not exactly get any smaller.

We've been working on Schloss Hanfelden for

about 7 years now, trying
to bring the castle into a state

where it doesn't further deteriorate.

Since the castle was inhabited until 1970,

most recently by refugee families

from Serbia, it has been
maintained almost until today.

Schloss Hanfelden has attracted attention,

also in terms of tourism,
early on in the 19th century

because a room is
furnished with the so-called

Maximilian's inscription.

This inscription states
that Maximilian resided here

while he dealt with the flooded mine.

Since the inscription was created
over a hundred years after his stay,

it remains uncertain, whether
he held court exactly here.

Schloss Hanfelden has uniquely remained

essentially unchanged
for about 250-300 years.

There have been signs of decay,
but nothing significant has been rebuilt.

Moreover, there are
also medieval routes here,

which have favored the construction
of such remarkable castle complexes.

We know of a toll that was
collected exactly at this location,

so the connection
between the silver mine and

Schloss Hanfelden is actually obvious.

In the Middle Ages, tolls were
demanded at numerous locations.

In the Reformatio Sigismundi of 1476,

the duties of the toll
stations were defined,

but there was still great
arbitrariness in this work.

The maintenance of the roads was one of the

less strictly enforced
duties of the toll lords.

Travel with God, pilgrim. You
don't have to pay a transit toll here.

May God reward you.

Good day! Name and reason for travel!

Good morning! I just wanted to point out

that the roads are not
exactly well maintained.

And at the last station, you
dug quite a lot out of my purse.

Do you see anything?

Oh, today they seem
to take especially long,

I don't even have anything to declare.

Forgive me, young lady, 4
denarii and a pound have been

the standard rate of the
small toll for hundreds of years

and only deviates for
expensive goods, as you know.

And obviously not every road can be kept
wagon-ready constantly in this weather.

What do you have in your luggage?

In principle, a distinction was made
between large tolls and small tolls.

The large toll - "muta magna"
- was assessed depending

on the value and weight of the goods,

while the small toll, "lusezoll"
or "leiszoll," was more like

a usage fee depending on
the means of transportation.

I have nothing of note with me.

And anyway, only small
amounts for personal use.

Personal use is generally
exempt, as you know.

So you won't mind a cautious look.

The beautiful gold of the
Alps! In large quantities!

For that, muta magna is required!

Hey, those are dandelion roots for my
rabbits! Or does it look like speik to you?

Perhaps it's not genuine
speik, but the Italian nobility

loves the imitation just as much!

We'll measure it with gold.

Excuse me, what? This is robbery,
not a toll - as everyone always says!

Individual social groups were
favored or even exempted from the toll.

But those who were asked to pay

often had to transport their
goods on specific routes

and were hardly allowed to deviate.

The controlling authorities
could be very unpleasant at times.

I'm used to it already, but today
they're particularly annoying!

Look at them!

The strictly controlled toll
stations were not easy to bypass.

Personal favors and bribes to
officials were certainly not uncommon.

Pilgrims were usually
not required to pay tolls,

but they were not safe from the
arbitrariness of the officials either.

Today they even tax
pilgrims as if they were Jews!

What? Twice as much as usual?

Specially tariffs applied to
Jews, which were usually

twice as high as the
generally customary ones.

Moreover, they had to
pay body toll, which was

levied even when transporting a dead Jew.

Avoidance of toll stations
by circumventing the control

or using secret routes
was punished as smuggling.

At least you couldn't get caught.

Smuggler! Stop! Hold him!

When smuggling, the aim
was to bypass the toll stations,

and this was of course
punished more severely than theft.

Because it wasn't just about the smuggled
goods, but also about the unpaid toll.

Get lost!

Mica schist is the basic component of
the mountain, along with white marble.

Between these layers
lies the coveted galena,

mainly with silver and
other metal inclusions.

Other stones are also
found in the mountain,

such as white barite
or the rare Zeiringite,

named after Oberzeiring.

To extract the silver from the galena,

a clay furnace called ‘Rennofen’
had to be built first.

The furnace's shape was slowly built
up by hand in layers of stacked rings.

Once the furnace was
completely dry and fired,

it could be heated
through a central opening.

Galena was alternately
stacked with coal in the bloomery.

The furnace had to reach about a thousand

degrees Celsius for the silver to melt.

After several hours, it was
carefully cracked open at the bottom.

The silver was collected and
passed on for coin processing.

In the mint, the tool
issue was meticulously

controlled by the ironworker.

At the end of the shift,

none of the inventory
items could to be missing.

This foreman checked the
silver alloy for its copper content.

The coinage standard.

On behalf of the sovereign, the mintmaster
purchased silver at his own risk.

His goal was to achieve
a quality level that was

just high enough to
put it into circulation.

The caster poured the
silver onto hard metal plates.

The dyesmiths hammered the
rough cast into sheets - called 'Zaine'.

The well-coordinated team
hammered in the same rhythm.

It was exhausting work, but the prospect

of a drink during lunch
break lifted the morale.

Slowly, Zaine, as thick as
paper, formed from them.

The mintmaster always checked
the quality during this process.

Between all work steps in
which rejects are produced,

The mintmaster always checked
the quality during this process.

If, for example, the scrap
master returns with the blanks,

not only are they weighed, but also

the offcuts, what is left
all around is weighed.

To control that so silver went missing
and no one could have pocketed anything.

Above all, the mintmaster
earned with the annually inferior,

thinner pennies, which led to inflation.

After the dyesmiths were
allowed to rest their hammers,

the scrap master took
over cutting the silver into

‘Schrötlinge’ meaning coin blanks.

Gradually, with a lot of imagination,

a circle could be recognized
in the shape of the coins.

These skilled craftsmen
belonged to the civic elite.

The specialists had uniquely trained ears
to determine the quality of the blanks.

The timbre determined whether
the budding penny was sent back

for melting or further for stamping.

Coins that sounded too high or
low were ruthlessly sorted out.

Weight was the main factor in
determining the value of the coin

and more important than
the shape or minting quality.

As everyday currency, the coins
were only engraved on one side,

called 'bracteates' in technical terms.

The minting was done with a
single precise and powerful blow.

And the coin was ready.

There are finds of the 'Zeiring Penny'

which means the execution
site already exists for a long time

Mining goes further back
historically than the late Middle Ages.

We're talking the about the Roman times.

There are also coin finds
from the execution site.

Imagine it like a
festival. Miners, farmers,

children came to witness
and watch this execution.

Court proceedings and
executions took place outdoors.

When will you finally
start!? Get on with it!

A distinction was made
between serious felonies

robbery, murder, and manslaughter -

and lesser offenses.

Such as theft, insult,
brawls, and adultery,

which led to illegitimate children.

Keep your foul mouth shut!

People! We are gathered
here to exercise high jurisdiction.

This is as a court by
God and Emperor's grace,

charged with the announcement of penalties

on skin and hair as well as with the
execution of judgments of neck and hand.

Unlike turnips, apples, and onions,
lemons were rare in the Middle Ages,

and only recently introduced
by Crusaders from the Orient.

Punishments on skin and hair could include

head shaving for adultery and fornication,

the whipping punishment
for disobedient serfs,

and the chopping off of
the head for noble felons.

Your first time?

Already known in the Middle Ages
was broccoli, then fell into oblivion

and has been - more or less -
popular since the 1970s again.

However, there is no evidence that a banana

would have made it's
way to Europe at that time.

Where is he?!

Did we forget something?

Vigilantism was not a legal
option for the common people.

Don't do that, that won't
hold, that's a specialist's work.

They're getting quite restless,
ah, where the heck is he?

What do you mean, they couldn't afford you?

Couldn't or wouldn't,
it's all the same to me.

As long as they don't pay,
the head stays on the neck!

Such an execution was very expensive.
A hangman had to come from Graz.

He had to come specially, spend the night.

So, where is the hangman?

Execution without a
hangman proved difficult.

Couldn't they afford the hangman?
Then what are we even here for?

Just acquit him!

What? Acquit him? No, not again!

Your Honor! You must admonish
the rabble, we have no executioner.

Not again. Oh, yes, exactly, we'll do that.

Fine, we'll do that.

So they have behaved themselves nicely,

they have behaved well in the
cell, they were decent the last 3 days,

they only ate a little, didn't throw any
excrement at the wall or at the guards.

They behaved well, we can
say they had good conduct.

And so I sentence them
to depart with a warning.

And in the future, behave!

Medieval jurisprudence still
suffered from great arbitrariness.

Does that apply to me too?

Just don't say anything,
it doesn't matter anyway.

Even today, remnants
of a gallows can be found

between Unterzeiring and Katzling.
Before this there stood a wooden gallows,

where in the Middle Ages the high
court was held in the Birkachwald,

punishments were carried out,

and delinquents had to be
buried outside the cemetery.

Macabre, as I always say - the
mountain miners didn't get very old then,

and back then one probably
died from the poor air quality,

especially in the mine.
Because setting fires created

a lot of smoke, and the strong
draft and moisture on top of it.

Well, woodcutter, did your
old lady let you out again?!

How ruined do you look for God's sake?

That's what you look like when you're rich!

You won't have your silver for long anyway,

soon as the devil always
takes you mountain miners.

We wouldn't want to
get as old as you anyway!

I'm only 12!

Yeah, that's how it is.

Alright, now we're going bowling.
Bye! See you later, woodcutter!

The fact miners rarely lived
past 35 due to the lack of oxygen,

they they with a healthy
dose of black humor.

Ironically, a lung sanatorium today
offers patients recovery in dust-free,

radon-rich air at the same location.

At least minor air circulation
was provided by shafts

for the removal of debris and water.

The spool with the rope was
greased with tallow at both ends.

Next to ascending the climbing trees,

such cranks or reels, were an
additional means of transportation

while wearing backpacks,
also known as "rope riding."

Go on, fill it up and lift it!

Good job boy!

You did a good job too!

Abseiling in the hauling buckets was only

possible in a few places in Oberzeiring.

The massive raw material
demand of the mine ensured that

the mountains in the surrounding area

were already deforested in the Middle Ages.

Timber!

Not only for building
timber and pine splinters,

vast amounts of spruce wood were
also consumed by charcoal burners.

Older and injured miners found employment
in quieter activities on the surface.

For example, with the charcoal burners.

So, how are you doing?

Uh... yeah.

Smelting was only
possible in forested areas.

The charcoal burners, who
lived secluded in the forest,

represented an important
profession for the industry.

The guild of the miners resembled
a modern insurance company.

They stepped in for the family of the
disabled person and found him a suitable job.

Due to the toxic gases emitted,

the charcoal kilns were always
located outside the villages.

The insurance of the
profession was not limited.

As a result, recovery
sometimes took a bit longer.

Speik, "Valeriana Celtica,"
had been a coveted medicinal

and cosmetic plant from the
Eastern Alps since antiquity.

Root diggers or speik harvesters were
landless members of rural lower classes.

These were mainly woodcutters,
former miners, and charcoal burners,

later also specially employed women.

For harvesting, a sophisticated,
specialized tool, the speik hoe, was used.

The work was extremely
laborious and left no leisure time.

Boiled in milk or wine, speik
became a popular medicine.

Thus, Styria was very significant
for the extraction of genuine speik.

Particularly notable is Judenburg,
which was a center of speik processing.

The harvesting season for speik was
from mid-August to mid-September,

when the leaves turned yellow
and it developed the most fragrance.

Where the habitat is
suitable, where there are

alpine meadows, that's where
speik really grows frequently.

So there's one plant, and next to
it, another and another and another.

In addition to their main transport
goods grain, wine, and salt,

muleteers were also available
for transporting small quantities.

Muleteers formed into
columns or pack trains.

They would travel with up to 30 animals.

And sumpter - or pack animal transport
was actually practiced everywhere.

Long before the horse was used as a
riding animal, it served as a pack animal.

To avoid congestion at narrow
passages in the mountains,

muleteers announced
themselves from afar with bells.

From this time comes the German expression

'keine Zeit versäumen'

Speik is most widespread
in the eastern Styrian Alps.

Judenburg had an imperial trade
monopoly and through Genoa and Venice,

several tons were exported annually
to the Orient, especially Egypt.

However, the journey of the muleteers
should not end at the borders of Austria.

It led them in lands where the people
knew how to appreciate good smells

and the refined life of the slowly
emerging early Renaissance.

Italy

Venice was the final
destination for the Alpine herbs.

Where something, perhaps
the scent of the canal,

made aristocrats particularly appreciate
the soothing scents of Alpine herbs.

However, the journey of the
muleteers here was fraught with risk:

They were not allowed
to travel further south

than this point, and
there were strict customs.

At the Fondaco dei
Tedeschi on the Grand Canal,

all journeys of the Germans,
Flemish, Hungarians,

and Austrians came to an end;
only the Venetians went further south.

And so, they could only
conduct their business

under official supervision. The
goods were strictly controlled.

Buongiorno

The speik had to be
checked for authenticity.

The noses of the Venetians were discerning,

so muleteers with counterfeit
speik made the journey in vain.

All the happier were the traders
when they could claim success.

For the weight of the speik
was weighed in gold - it is said.

Fortunately, the Styrians were already
known as a lovable people back then.

And people gladly did business with them.

And because extraction of
perfume had been invented as early

as the 13th century the substances
could be preserved in alcohol.

An invaluable treasure.

The scent of the Alps.

We muleteers are like
Murtal crumbled cheese.

With age, we only get stronger and sharper.

In my time, we used to play
with only a piece of wood.

Or went bowling.

Or don't you know that here, in the old
days, they used to bowl with silver balls?

And do we remember!

In Zeiring, in the marketplace
near the Green Woodpecker,

people merrily bowl, laugh, and carouse.

Laugh, scold, carouse, and curse,

not even the devil himself
could do any worse.

Drunken brawlers and quarreling dogs,

and dancers and harlots mix and mingle.

And deep in the corner,
clinking and tapping,

the dulcimer player kept the beat.

Wine drips from table and bench,

coins roll on the ground.

And the innkeeper smiles cheerfully,

as if he heard the angels fiddle.

And do you know who today,
at the Green Woodpecker,

bowls, makes noise, and
carouses so cheerfully,

it's the miners of Zeiring.

The pockets full of silver,
the silver in the mine,

has made everyone's heads spin.

They fancy themselves
free of lords and kings,

and would've even
dethroned God Father himself.

"Hey, scoundrel," shouts
now the foreman loudly,

"come forth, whoever dares to bowl with me.

I'll boldly wager this jar of coins here,

that I'll swiftly knock down all nine."

"Good luck, comrades! So be it, so be it!"

The gang cheers wildly, with chaotic cries.

"Good luck, good luck,
let's empty the cups,

so the devil may grant us luck!"

Then steps in, a
delicate child by the hand,

wrapped in a poor, gray garment,

an elderly woman from the street,

to see what all the jubilation is about.

The joyful child is greatly amused,

It hops and peers back and forth.

And as outside, the pins fall,

so it laughs with a bright sound.

"Do you like it out
there, you monkey face,"

shouts one at it: "Don't
stare your eyes out then!"

Another sneers: "That's funny, isn't it?

I'll show you something
even better up close!"

Then he decapitates
the child and cruelly rolls

the bloody head out into the pins,

so swiftly, as if with eerie strength,

it knocks them all down to the ground.

Then the wild, ugly crowd

erupts in mad and neighing laughter.

But the old woman is silent and stares,

ghastly into the scene,
trembling and nodding.

And she bends down and
throws gravel and earth,

in a circle around with strange gestures,

and murmurs a terrible incantation,

wherein every word is a tenfold curse.

There stood horrified, hair bristling,

the pale crowd, still with laughing faces.

But the old woman in the gray garment,

like storm clouds against
the mountain, disappeared.

And when in the mine on the next workday

the first hammer strikes resound,

the ground trembles
and with thunderous roar

shaft and miner plunge
into darkness and horror.

Many legends are told
of the supposed flooding.

One chilling tale recounts
the demise of the mine,

where 1400 women of Oberzeiring
are said to have become widows.

In actual fact, large parts of the tunnels

below Oberzeiring are
still flooded to this day.

The depletion of the ore deposit and the
increasing effort to pump out groundwater

led, at the end of the Middle Ages,

to the inhabitants of Zeiring
largely abandoning mining.

Zeiring without a mine,
huh? Hard to imagine.

Guess we'll have to come
up with something else.

Like what?

You've already done
so many different things.

What was the next best
thing after being a miner?

Peddler! That's it.

That's the profession of
the future, mark my words.

Another peddler, great.

What?

It's fine, I'll explain
to you how it works.

First, we need an investor.

And little Stefan,

he needs to learn how to use an abacus.

Hmm, could it be that the
smart gentleman doesn't know

quite as much about this
topic as he does about mining?

I have an uncle who will
show us how it's done.

Here - Stefan!

Come here!

Good boy!

Well, look at that, they're not doing too
badly for their first time outside, huh?

Wouldn't it be nice if they
could bring us a rabbit?

That would be something.

That's true.

Well, maybe they'll
figure it out. Let's see.

Somehow we'll make it work.

It's going to be exciting,
just the two of us.

While we still have to
feed those two as well.

The side valleys of the Triebener Tauern

are still marked by
their legends and history.

Even today travelers hike
along old muleteers paths

and visit the enchanted ruins

...and the impressive mine.

Ah goddammit!