Saving the Turmhofer Stamp Mill Waterwheel in Freiberg – a Unique Engineering Monument to 19th-Century Ore Mining in Freiberg

The Turmhofer stamp mill waterwheel is the last water wheel from the German ore mining industry that is still largely preserved in its original state and, at the same time, fully functional (Figure 1). From 1846 to 1889, it served as the driving force for a wet crushing mill at the Turmhofer stamp mill and ore dressing plant in Freiberg/Germany. Since May 2025, damage to the wheel shaft has prevented the plant from continuing to operate. To prevent further damage resulting from the shutdown and to preserve this unique technical monument for the long term, a working group from the Förderverein Himmelfahrt Fundgrube Freiberg/Sachsen e.V. is planning a comprehensive restoration. A crowdfunding campaign was launched on 1 October 2026 to finance the project. This article explains the historical significance of the waterwheel, the causes of the damage and the planned repair measures.