Charcoal Kiln
In the district of Oberkohlstätten, a "schwameiler" and a "charcoal hut" indicate the origin of the place name and simultaneously remind of the ancient craft that dates back to the Iron Age. The first settlers were charcoal burners who produced charcoal from beech wood for iron foundries, glassworks, blacksmiths, brickworks, and for the production of gunpowder. With the increasing mechanization in the middle of the 20th century, demand steadily declined, and so the last charcoal kiln was ignited in 1938 before the craft became extinct in our region.
Today, a schwameiler, a charcoal hut, and information boards tell the story and origin of charcoal.
To revive the old tradition, a charcoal kiln is built every two years, producing charcoal in a "model" process. This is a job that requires a lot of skill, knowledge, and patience, as it takes 14 days from the ignition of the kiln, in which beech wood is "carbonized" under controlled air supply, to the "harvesting" of the charcoal. The charcoal burner must be present at all times during this period and monitor the smoke coming from the kiln. The color and smell of the smoke is the most important indication of the process within the kiln, where temperatures can reach up to 800 °C. The charcoal hut served as a dwelling for the charcoal burner during this time. A kiln with 50 to 70 m³ of wood yielded 8 to 12 tons of charcoal.
But not only the kiln and the charcoal hut are worth seeing; the unique view from the hill over the neighboring villages and the Bernsteiner Mountains is also impressive.
Lime Kiln
To preserve the trade of lime burning in Unterkohlstätten from being forgotten, an authentic demonstration lime kiln was built in 2002 in a patch of forest in Unterkohlstätten. The lime kiln is easily accessible from the towns of Ober- and Unterkohlstätten (just follow the signs). Every two years, the lime kiln in Unterkohlstätten is heated and, through an elaborate multi-day process, quicklime is produced.
Here, you can convince yourself with the help of information boards how people in the past created the highly desired quicklime from natural stone using simple tools and through chemical processes.
Background Information:
During the interwar period, some farmers utilized the lime stone deposits around Unterkohlstätten to produce the valuable building material "lime". Primarily, stones were quarried from the rock face in the Ried Steinwandriegel; this limestone was the raw material for the lime kiln.
The lime kiln was constructed from bricks and was partially built into the ground. The limestone was stacked cylindrical in the kiln. About 5000 kg of stones were necessary for one filling. The oven had to be heated to 1100 °C. Approximately 10 cubic meters of wood were burned during one firing process.
Previous Applications:
- In house construction for the production of mortar
- As slaked lime for whitening walls
- For grain traitement
