Built over 300 years ago as a home for a mining family, Haus Silbererz is located in the old town center of the former free mining town, offering a coveted view of the Glockenberg and the town’s landmark, the ancient bell tower.
The street name “Danielstraße” as well as the surrounding streets “Erzwäsche,” “Bergmannstrost,” “(Transport) Herrenstraße,” “Faktoreigasse,” and “Lämmerhirtsgasse” still bear witness to the rich mining and cultural history of this centuries-old town.
During the Great Fire of 1796, the timber-framed house, along with over three hundred other houses, was severely damaged. However, by the following year, 1797, the rebuilding was complete – the result of a level of mutual neighborly assistance that is almost unimaginable today.
After the end of active mining in the early 20th century, a part of the house housed the mineral water and lemonade factory Schubert.
To this day, Sankt Andreasberg has its own spring in the Oder Valley, which produces soft water of excellent quality. Tea and coffee connoisseurs will particularly appreciate this. The tap water is also a true delight to drink.
After World War II, the Blessmann family lived in the house. Walter Blessmann, a passionate expert on mining and local history, passed away at an advanced age in 2016. The careful restoration and preservation of the house’s original character as a classic Upper Harz miner’s house would certainly have pleased him greatly.
After a comprehensive survey and documentation by an experienced architect, the careful gutting of the building began in 2017, removing many problematic building elements that had been added over the past decades. The main part of the extensive renovation then took place in 2018 and early 2019.
For the renovation, centuries-old tried-and-tested natural building materials were used, such as solid wood, bio-based natural paints and varnishes, natural stone, and exclusively pure hemp fiber insulation.
The building and furnishing materials, both inside and out, were carefully selected based on strict criteria of ecology, health-conscious living, and material aesthetics (solid wood floors, solid wood furniture, high-quality wooden windows, hemp fiber insulation, natural paint coatings, LED lighting, and the latest condensing boiler technology, etc.).
Electricity in the mining town of Sankt Andreasberg is provided through renewable sources, using hydroelectric power from the historic Oderteich via the Grube Samson’s own power plants, which harness the water of the Upper Harz Water System.
