Saxon Mining Office

Following the chancellery law (Kanzleiordnung) passed on 5 August 1547 by Elector Moritz, five districts were created, each headed by a chief official (the Oberhauptmann).

Those appointed as Oberhauptmann in the mountain district were not therefore the functional predecessors of the later chief mining officials (the Oberberghauptmann/Berghauptmann) – they acted as heads of a special or technical authority, the Mining Authority (Oberbergamt) – but were the first representatives of territorial administrative units that were hierarchically arranged between the newly established privy council (Hofrat) of the ducal court and the local district offices.

The function of the (later so called) district captains (Kreishauptleute) continued even after the disbandment of the Electorate of Saxony's mining authority (with a Oberberghauptmann or Berghauptmann at the head of this specialized department) until well into the 18th century.

It was accompanied by the creation of a geological service (later the Department of State Geognostic Research).

For example, in 1713, Oberberghauptmann Hans Carl von Carlowitz introduced the concept of sustainability.

During the Industrial Revolution and the rise of liberalization, the divisional concept was superseded by the Mining Act (Berggesetz) of 16 June 1868 which came into force on 3 January 1869.

[2] The Bergregal was replaced by the Mining Rights for Ore and the State Clause for Salt.

[4] Another important task is the remediation of historic closed mining facilities, especially old adits like the Rothschönberger Stolln and the Marx-Semler-Stolln.