The town of Klingenberg am Main runs independently a mine for special clay . At the beginning of the 18th century the underground mining was started. The mine has been run either by the town’s administration or different tenants. In consequence of over-exploitation and because the pits were lacking maintenance, the mine got severely damaged. Therefore in 1855 the town’s administration decided to run the mine itself. In contrast to the habits at that time, the town succeeded in pushing through its right of ownership against the archbishop.


By this decision and by the clay’s unique quality (the dark gold), the town got its legendary wealth, which lasted on until World War I. The clay helped to finance many representative buildings and technical innovations which still influence the town’s appearance. Until today the demand for this high quality clay hasn’t stopped. Like in many other fields the sales volume has strongly been subject to technical developments. The computer technology for example first had negative consequences for the demand for clay by the pencil-industry. On the other side more and more metallic materials are replaced by ceramics.

At present the clay is mined and processed by a 6-men workforce. The mining itself is still done in the traditional way, by using compressed air machinery.
   

The following map can give you a survey about the main export destinations of the Klingenberg clay in 2002.