Review // Günther Oestmann: Markscheider-Instrumente
Günter K. Strauss, Jochen S. Beck, Günther Oestmann: Markscheider-Instrumente – Geschichte und Entwicklung im mitteleuropäischen Bergbau vom Altertum bis zur Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts (Surveyor’s Instruments – History and Development in Central European Mining from Antiquity to the Mid-19th Century). ATHENA at wbv, Bielefeld, 2025, 748 pages, two volumes in a slipcase, hardcover with ribbon bookmark, print edition €128.90, order no. I79028, ISBN 978-3-7639-7902-8, e-book £98.90, order no. I79011, ISBN 978-3-7639-7901-1.
“Without mine surveying, orderly mining would simply not have been possible,” says Prof. Günther Oestmann. The art of mining surveying was crucial for safe shafts, precise mine plans and efficient extraction – and thus formed a foundation of industrialisation.
Oestmann is co-author of the two-volume publication “Markscheider Instruments: History and Development in Central European Mining from Antiquity to the Mid-19th Century”. Together with Günter K. Strauss and Jochen S. Beck, he has compiled a comprehensive overview of the history of mine surveying. The two-volume work combines scattered research literature with contemporary sources, illustrations and work instructions to form a systematic presentation – from the early forms of mining through the Middle Ages and Renaissance to the dawn of the industrial age.
A special focus is placed on Strauss’ internationally significant collection in Madrid: 370 historical surveying instruments have been fully documented, scientifically recorded, evaluated and professionally photographed for the first time. “The collection is unique in this form – many of the objects were previously only known to specialists,” explains Beck.
In addition to analysing the instruments, the work also highlights units of measurement, important manufacturers and the role of mine surveyors. This reveals how closely technical precision, mathematical innovation and economic development were intertwined.
“Markscheider-Instrumente” is much more than a catalogue: It is a fundamental work on the history of technology and science that opens up new perspectives on European mining – and at the same time an important reference work for researchers, museums, collectors and specialist journalists. This is also reflected in the elaborate design of the publication: two hardcover volumes (text and catalogue) with ribbon bookmarks in a slipcase. wbv Publikation, Bielefeld/Germany
