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Welcome to one of Europe's oldest and dampest mines. Before you is St. Leopold (1770), six years older than the United States. In Lower Silesia, where every third church is older than America, that’s hardly an achievement. Our second mine, St. John (1576), marks its 450th anniversary this year. We mined tin here, a low-melting-point metal (140°C) used as a cheaper substitute for silver—see the "Adam and Eve" pewter plates for reference. In the 17th century, we moved to cobalt. Miners called it "Kobold" (goblin ore), believing demons had devoured the silver and left this blue residue. By 1641, this "blue gold" (Smalt) reached price parity with actual gold. Despite the wealth, miners lived grim lives: taxed 50% by the Schaffgotsch family and burdened by the Prussian "chimney tax." Children started work at age 6; average life expectancy was 30. Occupational alcoholism was the only medicine against frostbite in the 8°C water.