2 ‚Deutscher Türstock‘
The German door frame

It symbolically forms the entrance portal to the mining trail. The door frame is a wooden carpentry, with which the miners supported the rock, which tends to collapse. Thus, when driving the tunnels, they place one door frame after another under the rock exposed on site. The distance between the door frames depends on how friable the rock is.

Each door frame consists of a cap at the top and two punches that support it. In terms of construction, we distinguish between the German and the Polish door frame. In the Polish door frame, the punches are perpendicular to the cap. In contrast, in the German door frame, the punches are placed with their base at an angle against the butt (cleat wall). In the latter, the cap and the punch are battened together, while in the Polish, the punch head is fluted to receive the cap.

„Wood warns!“ said the old miners. This was the great advantage over the steel extension. If the pressure became too great, the lining began to groan and crack. A sure sign for the miners to reinforce the lining further, or to leave the area as quickly as possible before it broke.

With this in mind, we wish you a safe hike with many adventures and new experiences.