Historic mining specimen from central Germany, the South Harz, specifically Bleicherode—one of the oldest mining regions in Germany. The workings are now completely backfilled, and no further material can be recovered from this locality.
Bleicherode is world-famous for producing mineral species of exceptional rarity, including kanhalite. This remarkable piece features manganese-bearing halite crystals of extraordinary size, exceeding 10 cm in edge length. The crystals are beautifully “parqueted,” perfectly preserved, and entirely undamaged. They have grown directly on historic mining memorabilia: an old steel cable once used to secure mine shafts, adding a unique industrial and cultural dimension to the specimen.
The locality is also of major historical significance beyond mineralogy, as Bleicherode played a role during the Second World War in the production of V2 rockets, after the launch facilities in Swinemünde were destroyed. This specimen stands as a true monument of mining history—further enhanced by its intense, vivid red UV reaction, which makes it especially impressive under ultraviolet light.
