Alpine ore
An archaeological search for clues in the Montafon
Historical background - The origins go back a long way
Magnificent churches and valuable crosses bear witness to the heyday of Montafon mining in the Middle Ages. However, research by Goethe University Frankfurt am Main shows that its origins go back even further - at least as far as Celtic times. This makes the Montafon one of the oldest mining regions in the Alps.
To mark the 20th anniversary of archaeological research in the Montafon, an impressive documentary film about the mining history of Vorarlberg's southernmost valley was produced in 2019.
Documentary film about the mining history of the Montafon by Rüdiger Krause
Directed by Peter Prestel, known from Terra X and numerous historical documentaries, a film about the heyday of mining in the Montafon in the Middle Ages was made in collaboration with Goethe University Frankfurt, Montafon Tourismus, Montafon TV and the municipality of Bartholomäberg.
The film was shot on the Kristberg and Bartholomäberg, focusing on the mining archaeological excavations, the miners' church on the Kristberg and the magnificent Bartholomäberg church with its famous Romanesque vestibule cross. The idea for the film is based on the book Montafon Time Machine by Rüdiger Krause (2015).
