The University of West Bohemia (ZČU) has archaeologists and mechanical engineers who are jointly examining the mining and processing site of Sauersack in the Ore Mountains.[2] The site lies near the vanished village of Rolava in the Karlovy Vary area and has existed since 1939 in connection with tin mining. [2]
The four-year project, which still has two years to run, is funded by the Ministry of Education from the Operational Programme John Amos Comenius. The project aims to describe the current state of the site and, using archival records as well as field data, create a three-dimensional virtual model of both its present and historical appearance. [2] Archaeologist Petr Hasil uses photogrammetry, 3D scanners and classic archaeological tools during fieldwork. University staff managed to pump the water out of a boiler room that was deliberately flooded in the late 1940s and is now accessible again for the first time. [2] Jan Hlaváč from ZČU's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering said that the mechanical engineers describe the purpose and operation of the machines and create their 3D models.[1][2] The outcome is meant to be a virtual model of the site that can be explored using virtual reality. [2] The resulting virtual model is intended to allow a tour of the site using virtual reality. [2]
The university's archaeologists are also examining other sites in the Ore Mountains, for example facilities used for processing uranium ore, mainly in the 1950s.[1]
According to archaeologist Petr Hasil, a major technological reconstruction of the site took place in 1943. [2]
Ore processing at the site ended in May 1945, and all activity ceased in 1947. The place has been completely abandoned since the 1990s, as it lies in the border zone. [2]
According to archaeologists, Sauersack also served as a prisoner-of-war camp, where hundreds of prisoners of war worked, first from the French army and later predominantly from the Soviet Union. [2]
Chronology
- — A team of archaeologists and mechanical engineers from the University of West Bohemia documents the remains of the Sauersack mining site near the vanished village of Rolava in the Ore Mountains in the Karlovy Vary Region and creates its virtual three-dimensional model. → Deník: Karlovarský kraj Karlovarská Drbna
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Sources
- Deník: Karlovarský kraj
- Karlovarská Drbna — 6 October 2026