Charcoal Pile In the district of Oberkohlstätten, a "Schaumeiler" and a "Köhlerhütte" (charcoal burner's hut) point to the origin of the village name and at the same time remind us of the old craft, which dates back to the Iron Age. The first settlers were charcoal burners who produced charcoal from beech wood for iron foundries, glassworks, farriers, brickworks and for the production of black powder. With increasing mechanization in the middle of the 20th century the demand decreased steadily and so in 1938 the last charcoal burner was lit before the craft died out in our region. Today, a charcoal pile, a charcoal burner's hut and display boards tell the story and origin of charcoal. In order to revive the old tradition, a charcoal pile is built every 2 years and charcoal is produced in a "model". This is a work that requires a lot of skill, knowledge and patience, because from the lighting of the charcoal kiln, in which beech wood is "charred" under controlled air supply It takes 14 days to "harvest" the coal. During this time the charcoal burner must be permanently present and observe the smoke coming from the charcoal kiln. The color and smell of the smoke is the most important indication of the process within the pile, where the temperature can reach 800°C. The charcoal burner's hut was used as a dwelling for the charcoal burner during this period. A pile with 50 to 70 m³ of wood provided 8 to 12 tons of charcoal. But not only Meiler and the charcoal burner's hut are worth seeing, but also the unique view from the top of the hill over the neighboring villages of the area and the Amber Mountains. Lime kiln In order to save the lime-burning trade in Unterkohlstätten from being forgotten, a show lime kiln true to the original was built in a wooded area in Unterkohlstätten in 2002. The lime kiln is easily accessible from the villages of Ober- and Unterkohlstätten (just follow the signs). Every two years the lime kiln is heated in Unterkohlstätten and burnt lime is produced in a complex process lasting several days. You can see for yourself here on display boards how people used to produce the much sought-after quicklime from natural stone using simple aids and chemical processes. Background information: In the interwar period some farmers used the limestone deposits around Unterkohlstätten to produce the old valuable building material "lime". Mainly in the Ried Steinwandriegel, stones were quarried from the rock face; this limestone was the starting material for the lime distillery. The lime kiln was made of brick and partly built into the earth. The limestones were piled up in a cylindrical form in the lime kiln. Approx. 5000kg of bricks were needed for one filling. The kiln had to be heated up to 1100 °C. During one firing process, about 10 room meters of wood were used. Former application: - In house construction to produce the mortar - As slaked lime to whiten the walls - For the grain stain
