Glashütte Minichwald
1600 – 1600
The Minichwald glassworks is an exceptional archaeological site. During excavations in 1950/1951, Herma Stiglitz uncovered two furnaces, providing one of the few completely documented floor plans of early glassworks. The circular melting furnace (5 x 3 meters) featured external brick buttresses and a rectangular cooling oven attached to its southern side. A remarkable detail is the interior floor, which was paved using a millstone. Finds of melting pots and glass fragments suggest a dating ranging from the Roman period (c. 200 AD) to the 16th or 17th century. This site offers unique insights into early Pre-Alpine glassmaking techniques.
Sources
- Stiglitz Herma - Grabung im Minichwald bei Kreisbach-Wilhelmsburg (BH. St.Pölten). In: Pro Austria Romana, Jahrgang 1 (1951)
- Kinga Tarcsay - Frühneuzeitliche Glasproduktion in der Herrschaft Reichenau am Freiwald, Niederösterreich, Horn / Wien 2009