No copper mining

Retreat! British relinquish mining rights in Grossarltal

Großarl and Hüttschlag (picture) as a mining area again? The company wanted to work on historical and new sites.(Bild: TVB Großarltal)

An international company wanted to mine copper in Grossarl and Hüttschlag again after a centuries-long break. Now the project has suddenly been buried. People in both Pongau communities are breathing a sigh of relief.

Miners toiled in the side valleys of the Grossarl Valley centuries ago. They tapped and dug for copper. In Hüttschlag there was even the largest copper mine in the entire prince-archbishopric of Salzburg. What ended in 1863, a British company wanted to resurrect 160 years later. The Austrian branch of the mining company secured 316 mining rights. However, Ekometall Exploration GmbH has now pressed the stop button.