In Jakob Vogel’s talk the focus was strongly on networks evolving around the trade, collection and systematization of minerals. What relates his talk to my own research interest is, that those researchers collected their minerals during travels. There is an interesting parallel between Jakob Vogel’s mineralogists and the ‘casual’ travellers I am researching. Although the former group had a professional interest in the minerals and thus in mining mines, mines were also popular tourist attractions to any traveller in the Habsburg Empire.

This poses new questions: While it is clear, why professional mineralogist where visiting mines it’s not as obvious why they developed into tourist attractions. What are the notions, expectations and reasons for travellers for visiting mines? One aspect could be the ‘Industrial Revolution’. British travellers were very much aware of the implications of mines for progress and development and they were perceived as a necessary means to advance. But on the other hand Jakob Vogel is very much focused on the 18th century and it need to be clarified if mines also attracted travellers in this period. If this proves to be the case the Industrial Revolution contributes only partially to mines as a tourist attraction.

Martin Schaller