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A thousand years of mining, the mines of Rammelsberg and the historic town of Goslar.

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Goslar began as a sleepy town located on the north-western slopes of the mountains in central

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Germany.

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It began to develop as a mining town during the 10th century.

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This is the Frankenberg district with its rows of miners' houses.

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There is a clock in Markt Square in the town centre.

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A puppet show tells the story of the town's mining history.

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According to legend, in 968 a knight reached the foot of the mountain.

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His horse tapped its hoof on the ground.

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They dug the spot and discovered high-quality deposits of silver.

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Silver mining began by order of Emperor Henry II.

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It was one of the largest silver deposits in the world.

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Originally a strip mine, mine workers gradually began cutting deeper into the ore, digging

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mine shafts.

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The biggest obstacle for mining in Rammelsberg was the huge quantity of underground water

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flooding into the shafts.

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A solution was found in 1250.

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A 10-metre wide water wheel was installed to pump out the underground water.

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The technological innovation brought further prosperity to the Rammelsberg mines.

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A statue of coins coming out of a man's buttocks humorously depicts the town's heavy production

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of silver coins.

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Henry II built an imperial residence to protect and maintain the town's prosperity.

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The Imperial Assembly of the Holy Roman Empire was held at the palace from 1009 to 1219.

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Goslar flourished as an economic centre during those 200 years, producing silver coins widely

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accepted throughout Europe.

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The mines of Rammelsberg were used for a thousand years.

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The last mine was closed in 1988.

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That ended a major chapter in the town's history.