Welcome to our medieval shaft. This 15 meter long ramp leads to where the miners extracted the ore. The shaft is situated directly below the horizontal treadmill lift. If you look up, you will see the whole mechanism of the lift and the so-called "waterworks" - a machine for draining excess water from the galleries. The direct supervisor of the miners was called foreman or watchman. As a rule, there was one foreman per shift, though sometimes, there were more, especially in larger mines. The foreman was responsible for the labour. He needed the skills of a carpenter, so that he could build pit props. He was supposed to know how to drain mines, find veins and pan metals. Before each shift, he distributed tools and suet for the miners' lamps and collected them when the shift was over. He made sure that the miners worked properly and honestly. For them, he was the most important person in the entire mine. He was their direct superior and had an immense practical knowledge.