Bergmannskostuem 13 Jh mit Arschleder und Bergeisen

The miner's apron (german: Arschleder, ''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; cutting, blasting, ...

s in the mining 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 A kidney belt is a wide elastic band that is placed around the lower torso that is intended to protect a person's internal organs from damage from either strain or shock. Kidney belts are often worn by weightlifters, and, sometimes, by manua ...

. 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 Slovakian 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 (1505) and on the miner's altar of St. Anne's Church in Annaberg (1521). Georgius Agricola 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, 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' parade The Miners' Parade is a parade traditionally held in places in Germany where ore was and is smelted. It was and is a public event held by a community or corporation whose employment is linked to mining and smelting. It is usually known in German a ...

s (''Bergparaden''). In events connected with mining

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

, 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 burned and the resulting smoke is typically breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, which have bee ...

s and nutcrackers made in the Ore Mountains. 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 ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , 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 2,800/km ...

and

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

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 kite, foil, and the leading edge inflatable kite, leading edge inflatable. There are also other less c ...

or kite surfing 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