Bergmannskostuem 13 Jh mit Arschleder und Bergeisen

The miner's apron (, ''Bergleder'' or ''Fahrleder'') is part of the clothing worn, especially historically, by

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutt ...

s in the

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

industries of German-speaking Europe. Variously called in English a miner's apron, a miner's after-apron, breech leatherBucksch, Herbert (1997). ''Dictionary Geotechnical Engineering'', Vol. 2, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, p. 77, . or miner's leather apron,Pohs, Henry A. (1995). ''The miner's flame light book'', Flame Pub. Co., pp. 107 and 119. it was a leather apron that served to keep the seat of the trousers from wearing out when working or moving around the mine (''Fahrung'') as well as keeping out the cold and moisture when sitting. It also provided protection especially when entering inclined mineshafts. Another advantage was that it stabilised the internal organs from mechanical shock and vibration by acting as a sort of kidney belt. The miner's apron was a triangular or, more rarely, semi-circular piece of leather and was supported by the

body belt A body belt is any waist belt which has D-rings or other attachment points. The belts can be used as medical restraints in institutions for bed and wheelchair restraints, and for safety in activities such as abseiling or construction work. Whe ...

. In Germany the design of the modern miner's apron is governed by DIN standard 23307 ''Gesäßleder für den Bergbau (Arschleder)''.

History

The mining apron was introduced to German mining regions in the 15th century from the

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

n mining area around Schemnitz (Banská Štiavnica). Early illustrations of it are found on the title page of the "Little Mining Book" (''Bergbüchlein'') by

Ulrich Rülein von Calw Ulrich Rülein von Calw (1465–1523) was a doctor, mathematician and well-known mining engineer. He was also active as a surveyor, town planner and astrologer and was the mayor () of the mining town of Freiberg for five years. Life Rülein von ...

(1505) and on the miner's altar of St. Anne's Church in Annaberg (1521).

Georgius Agricola Georgius Agricola (; born Georg Bauer; 24 March 1494 – 21 November 1555) was a German Humanist scholar, mineralogist and metallurgist. Born in the small town of Glauchau, in the Electorate of Saxony of the Holy Roman Empire, he was b ...

wrote in this book '' De re metallica'' (1556): Permission to wear the miner's apron was only granted to miners and mining officials. Analogous to the

hammer and pick The hammer and pick, rarely referred to as hammer and chisel, is a symbol of mining, often used in heraldry. It can indicate mining, mines (especially on maps or in cartography), or miners, and is also borne as a charge in the coats of arms of ...

, it represented a unifying symbol of miners' status. Later, it was also worn outside work in decorative styles as part of the miner's uniform (''Berghabit'') or parade uniform (''Paradeuniform'') for miners' parades (''Bergparaden''). In events connected with mining

customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...

, this device is also used for the so-called "leather jump" (''Ledersprung''), a form of miners' initiation ceremony in Austria.

Folk art and music

The apron of the miner is incorporated into the design of the wooden

smoking figurine Smoking is a practice in which a substance is combusted, and the resulting smoke is typically inhaled to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream of a person. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, whi ...

s and

nutcracker A nutcracker is a tool designed to open nuts by cracking their shells. There are many designs, including levers, screws, and ratchets. The lever version is also used for cracking lobster and crab shells. A decorative version, a nutcracker doll ...

s made in the

Ore Mountains The Ore Mountains (, or ; ) lie along the Czech–German border, separating the historical regions of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany. The highest peaks are the Klínovec in the Czech Republic (German: ''Keilberg'') at ab ...

. It has also made its way into the mining songs. Thus we read in the last stanza of the version of the mine foremen's song (''Steigerlied'') sung in the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...

and

Saar Saar or SAAR has several meanings: People Given name * Sarr Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player * Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist * Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), E ...

Similar uses

In stunt kite flying the leather apron is used especially in

power kiting A power kite or traction kite is a large kite designed to provide significant pull to the user. Types The two most common forms are the foil, and the leading edge inflatable. There are also other less common types of power kite including rig ...

kite surfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, snow, sand, or other surface. It combines the aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snow ...

using powered kites. The pilot sits on a leather apron that protects the seat of his trousers and is hauled by the kite over rough ground (e.g., pastureland).

References

{{Reflist

Literature

* Walter Schellhas: ''Das Arschleder des Bergmanns'', in: Sächsische Heimatblätter Heft 6/1987, pp. 280–281 * Carl Friedrich Richter: ''Neuestes Berg-und Hütten-Lexikon.'' 1st Volume, Kleefeldsche Buchhandlung, Leipzig, 1805

External links