MINERS IN THE ORE
This deck of Schnapsen cards draws inspiration from photographs depicting the working environment at the Erzberg in Austria around 1900. These images highlight the labor and activities that characterized the region during this period.
This deck of Schnapsen cards draws inspiration from photographs depicting the working environment at the Erzberg in Austria around 1900. These images highlight the labor and activities that characterized the region during this period.
Iron has always been a driving force behind the economy, which is why the Erzberg, simply referred to as “the mountain” in Eisenerz, was long considered the “bread loaf of Styria.” It offered abundant job opportunities. Around the turn of the century, many people were drawn to it, settling in the communities on the mountain or in the valleys below. They undertook hard and sometimes dangerous work both above and below ground to extract valuable ore from the mountain. Notably, the shape of the pyramid that defines the Erzberg was formed in stages starting in 1890 due to mining activities.
THE CARDS
In tribute to these miners, the playing cards – Ace, King, Queen, and Jack in the suits of Hearts, Bells, Leaves, and Acorns – depict central figures or groups from everyday life on the Erzberg during that time. These figures are shown with characteristic work tools or in traditional work attire. The cards illustrate historical figures in a contemporary style, with the symbols of hearts, bells, leaves, and acorns also reflecting a modernized design. As is customary in Austrian Schnapsen, this deck contains five cards in each suit, ranked as follows: Ace, Ten, King, Queen, and Jack. Mining-specific professions and activities are explained in four cards, along with relevant technical terms. This Schnapsen game provides insight into a bygone era of the Erzberg.
HOW IT ALL CAME ABOUT
The idea originated as an entry for a souvenir competition organized by eisenerZ*ART 2021, in collaboration with Creative Industries Styria. The design is based on historical photos from the archives of the Eisenerz City Museum. Research into various mining professions led to the collection of images. These images served as the foundation for the final figures on the cards. Since many of the photos were taken in the late 19th century, their quality was often quite poor. To enhance and improve them for our graphic needs, we utilized AI technology. Once the images were enhanced and contained more detail, we began the process of graphic abstraction to create illustrations. During this phase, additional retouching was performed. Specific professional tools and clothing items were selected and colorized using the project's color palette.
WEBSITE
Schnapsen is a 2-player card game widespread in Central Europe, with over 300 years of history. For this Austrian Schnapsen, we used a single German-suited pack with 24 cards. The four additional cards provide information to explain the various figures and the work hierarchy in the mining industry. The cards are divided into the following worker groups.
ACE (ASS): Miners and Smelters from the Erzberg. The Ace features groups of figures from mining areas.
KING (KÖNIG): High-ranking mining officials and specialized mining professions. Some of these roles are unique to the mining industry.
QUEEN (DAME): Extraction, processing, mining, and smelting. The four Queen cards represent figures along the value chain from ore to pig iron.
JACK (BUBE): Ore extraction in surface mining areas. Until the 20th century, blast holes were used for the manual extraction of slag heaps in open-cast mining.
KING (KÖNIG): High-ranking mining officials and specialized mining professions. Some of these roles are unique to the mining industry.
QUEEN (DAME): Extraction, processing, mining, and smelting. The four Queen cards represent figures along the value chain from ore to pig iron.
JACK (BUBE): Ore extraction in surface mining areas. Until the 20th century, blast holes were used for the manual extraction of slag heaps in open-cast mining.