Mining Landscapes in Mountain Regions: The St. Andreasberg Mining District (Harz Mountains, Northern Germany) from an Anthropogeomorphological Perspective

Human mining activities have been reshaping landscapes for millennia, but their pace and scale have accelerated substantially on a global level. As a result, mining has become a key indicator in the Anthropocene discourse. Moreover, increasingly complex landforms, shaped by both natural and anthropogenic forces, are emerging, resulting in hybrid landforms that necessitate a reevaluation of traditional geomorphological approaches. The study focuses on mining landscapes in mountain regions, which are under growing pressure due to increasing resource demands. Understanding past landscape development is crucial for addressing current and future socio-environmental challenges.

In this context, the Harz Mountains were selected as study area, as they represent one of the oldest and most significant historical mining regions in Central Europe. Using a multi-proxy environmental-historical approach, the study investigates when, how, and to what extent human activity has modified the relief landscape with a case study from the St. Andreasberg Mining District in the Oder and Sieber Valleys. An interdisciplinary conceptual approach was developed to address hybrid landform assemblages considering geological-geomorphological aspects in the light of the socio-cultural setting. The approach outlines the spatio-temporal interconnections between mining and its associated energy systems, the historical water management and charcoal production, and considers aspects such as the emergence of the global metal trade, economic and political systems as well as knowledge networks during the Early Modern Period. The study is part of the LEHA-project „UNESCO World Heritage Upper Harz Water Management: Landscape Change and Energy Use in the Harz in the Anthropocene“ financed by zukunft.niedersachsen.