Silberhütte was once a village in the formerly free mining town of Sankt Andreasberg in the Harz mountains in Germany, but since its merger on 1 November 2011 it has been part of the borough of Braunlage.

The silver works was located at the confluence of the Wäschegrundbach and the Sperrlutter - so that there was enough water power to drive the machines in the smeltery.

When the silver mining industry flourished again in the 1680s, a new larger smelting works was built, which - rebuilt and extended several times - was in operation until 1912.

Most of the silver smelting works were purchased by Rudolph Alberti, who temporarily operated the Harz "Glück Auf" factory at this location, but they were all shut down in 1929.

In addition, further plots of land and real estate were purchased by Bauholzwerke und Kistenfabrik St. Andreasberg, the Prussian State Forestry Commission, the firm of C. F. Hertwig and Mr and Mrs Albrecht.

In October that year, Federstahl AG Kassel moved its headquarters to Sankt Andreasberg and changed its name to Metallwerke Silberhütte.

In 1938, 16,562,000 rounds of ammunitation were manufactured at Shed I, and in 1940 the factory was expanded with the addition of air-raid shelters and laboratory buildings.

As a result of the war, production figures continued to rise, although the quantities demanded by the army were not attained, with the exception of a few months.

The production of the ammunition clips was moved to Shed I in order to erect RAD barracks on the site where the forced labourers were accommodated.

In addition, residents of Sankt Andreasberg were required to work and skilled workers recruited by the Wehrmacht were recalled from duty.

In 2004, a study by the Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES) on heavy metal pollution in red deer and roe deer, found high concentrations of lead and cadmium in the area of the silver smelting works in their livers and kidneys and partly also in their muscles.

Afterwards, the excavated area was covered with unpolluted soil and a loose layer of mountain meadow hay was laid out to prepare for reforestation.