Category:Charcoal clamp in Tharandt

Camera location	50° 58′ 10.83″ N, 13° 34′ 43.19″ E	View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap	50.969675; 13.578664

English: Burning of charcoal in a clamp in Tharandt was established by Carl Heinrich Edmund von Berg. He was director of the Royal Saxon Academy of Forestry from 1845 until 1866. Berg had published a vade-mecum of charcoal burning in 1830. By stacking a clamp, the prospective forestry scientists should be taught in charcoal making. Since 1846 every year one wood pile had to be processed, but later every second or third year a clamp was prepared. This tradition fell into oblivion when bituminous coal became available. In the early 1950’s Erich Zieger, professor of forest management in Tharandt, suggested to set up this tradition again. Since 1980 the clamp is piled by Bernd Papperitz under assistance of his son Sven Papperitz. The coal is only used for barbecues now. Beechwood tar as by-product is derived from the fumes of the clamp. Trees get painted with undiluted beechwood tar and wild boar rub up against the painted trees and thus present them to the hunters.

On a flat ground the charcoal-burner builds the quandel, a squared shaft. Around this quandel he stacks split oak, beech, or maple logs in the shape of an igloo. To avoid empty spaces, he sets the logs closely together. Then he covers the clamp with branches of fir needles, leaves, soil, and coal slack. To set the clamp afire he brings glowing pieces of wood down the quandel. For regulating the flow of air inside the clamp the charcoal-burner pierces holes into the covering and seals them when the burning gets stronger and the temperature rises. He must climb up to three thirds of the pile. This work is dangerous because the clamp can generate a heat inside of 520 up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit. By colour and smell the charcoal burner can perceive if the carbonization proceeds properly. The Tharandt clamp uses 1000 – 1500 cubic feet of timber and yields about three or four tons of charcoal. The burning takes three or four weeks depending on the sort of wood and the size of the clamp. During the smouldering, the charcoal-burner attends the clamp consistently at any time of the day or night. He builds a round cabin like a tent and covers it with pieces of bark. It is called “Spitzköte”, i.e. tipped hut. When the carbonizing ends, the charcoal burner chills the clamp with water. Then he takes the coating away with rakes and shovels. The finished coal is removed, sieved, weighed, and filled in sacks. Producing charcoal by clamps is very seldom in Germany because kilns took the place of clamps. In other parts of Europe, the clamp is coated with a thick paste of charcoal grindings, ash, and water.

Deutsch: Der Kohlenmeiler in Tharandt wurde 1846 von Carl Heinrich Edmund von Berg (1800—1874) eingerichtet, der von 1845 bis 1866 Direktor der Forstakademie Tharandt war. Berg hatte schon 1830 eine Anleitung zum Verkohlen des Holzes als Handbuch für Forstmänner, Hüttenbeamte und Cameralisten veröffentlicht. Der Meiler wurde errichtet, um die Studierenden in der Praxis der Köhlerei zu unterrichten. Nach einer Verordnung von 1876 sollte jährlich ein Meiler gezündet werden. Der Unterricht in der Köhlerei wurde eingestellt, als genügend Steinkohle zur Verfügung stand und weniger Holzkohle genutzt wurde. Auf Initiative des Professors für Forstnutzung Erich Zieger wurde der Meiler in den 1950er Jahren wieder als Lehrmeiler in Betrieb genommen. Otto Wienhaus nutzte den Meiler für Verschwelungsversuche, um geeigneten Ersatz für Buchenholz zu finden. Seit 1980 wird der Meiler jährlich von Bernd Papperitz unter Mithilfe seines Sohnes Sven Papperitz und vieler anderer Helfer betrieben. Die Holzkohle wird heute als Grillkohle verkauft. Als Nebenprodukt wird Buchenholzteer gewonnen, der unverdünnt an Malbäume gestrichen, als Lockmittel für Wildschweine verwendet wird.