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80-784: As part of the Upper Harz Water Regale it was built in the 18th century and was used to lift the water needed in Clausthal for the mining industry from the Dyke Ditch ( Dammgraben ) to the level of the highest pond, the Hirschler Pond. Aside from this water hoist, the Dyke Ditch supplied, and still supplies, water over ditches and tunnels to the Hausherzberg Ponds and the Lower Peacock Pond ( Unterer Pfauenteich ). The problem

160-710: A non-governmental organization in the service of international educational development since December 1925 and joined UNESCO in 1969, after having established a joint commission in 1952. After the signing of the Atlantic Charter and the Declaration of the United Nations , the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education (CAME) began meetings in London which continued from 16 November 1942 to 5 December 1945. On 30 October 1943,

240-467: A Commission to study the feasibility of having nations freely share cultural, educational and scientific achievements. This new body, the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation (ICIC), was created in 1922 and counted such figures as Henri Bergson , Albert Einstein , Marie Curie , Robert A. Millikan , and Gonzague de Reynold among its members (being thus a small commission of

320-482: A Preparatory Commission was established. The Preparatory Commission operated between 16 November 1945, and 4 November 1946 — the date when UNESCO's Constitution came into force with the deposit of the twentieth ratification by a member state. The first General Conference took place from 19 November to 10 December 1946, and elected Julian Huxley to Director-General. United States Army colonel, university president and civil rights advocate Blake R. Van Leer joined as

400-656: A United Nations Conference for the establishment of an educational and cultural organization (ECO/CONF) was convened in London from 1 to 16 November 1945 with 44 governments represented. The idea of UNESCO was largely developed by Rab Butler , the Minister of Education for the United Kingdom, who had a great deal of influence in its development. At the ECO/CONF, the Constitution of UNESCO was introduced and signed by 37 countries, and

480-638: A biennium, as well as links to relevant programmatic and financial documents. These two distinct sets of information are published on the IATI registry, respectively based on the IATI Activity Standard and the IATI Organization Standard. There have been proposals to establish two new UNESCO lists. The first proposed list will focus on movable cultural heritage such as artifacts, paintings, and biofacts. The list may include cultural objects, such as

560-493: A declaration of anthropologists (among them was Claude Lévi-Strauss ) and other scientists in 1950 and concluding with the 1978 Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice . In 1955, the Republic of South Africa withdrew from UNESCO saying that some of the organization's publications amounted to "interference" in the country's "racial problems". It rejoined the organization in 1994 under the leadership of Nelson Mandela . One of

640-536: A full member. As a result, the United States withdrew its funding, which had accounted for about 22% of UNESCO's budget. Israel also reacted to Palestine's admittance to UNESCO by freezing Israeli payments to UNESCO and imposing sanctions on the Palestinian Authority , stating that Palestine's admittance would be detrimental "to potential peace talks". Two years after stopping payment of its dues to UNESCO,

720-543: A global movement in 1990 to provide basic education for all children, youths and adults. In 2000, World Education Forum in Dakar , Senegal, led member governments to commit for achieving basic education for all in 2015. The World Declaration on Higher Education was adopted by UNESCO's World Conference on Higher Education on 9 October 1998, with the aim of setting global standards on the ideals and accessibility of higher education . UNESCO's early activities in culture included

800-613: A member as well. The Constitution was amended in November 1954 when the General Conference resolved that members of the executive board would be representatives of the governments of the States of which they are nationals and would not, as before, act in their personal capacity. This change in governance distinguished UNESCO from its predecessor, the ICIC, in how member states would work together in

880-444: A platform for the dialogue between cultures and provide a forum for international debate". Since March 2006 it has been available free online, with limited printed issues. Its articles express the opinions of the authors which are not necessarily the opinions of UNESCO. There was a hiatus in publishing between 2012 and 2017. In 1950, UNESCO initiated the quarterly review Impact of Science on Society (also known as Impact ) to discuss

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960-416: A result, mines - particularly the richer, deeper ones - started to use hydropower systems, able to work continuously, 24 hours a day. To do this, streams were diverted onto water wheels that drove reciprocating pumps in order to raise water from greater depths and in greater quantities. The principle was to raise water with water. To operate these water wheels , a continuous and substantial supply of water

1040-582: A role in flood protection and the supply of drinking water . On 31 July 2010 the Regale was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site affiliated with the Mines of Rammelsberg and the Historic Town of Goslar because of its importance in the development of mining techniques and testimony to the medieval history of ore mining. The water system covers an area of roughly 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi) within

1120-573: Is 35 kilometres long. It collected water from the mines in Bockswiese, Lautenthal, Zellerfeld, Clausthal and Wildemann and led it to Gittelde on the edge of the Harz. About 80–90% of the ponds in the Upper Harz Water Regale were created in the 16th and 17th centuries, whilst the system of dam ditches was further expanded in the 19th century. These structures contributed significantly to

1200-549: Is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It has 194 member states and 12 associate members, as well as partners in the non-governmental , intergovernmental and private sector . Headquartered in Paris , France, UNESCO has 53 regional field offices and 199 national commissions. UNESCO

1280-490: Is another example of an early major UNESCO project in the field of natural sciences. In 1968, UNESCO organized the first intergovernmental conference aimed at reconciling the environment and development, a problem that continues to be addressed in the field of sustainable development . The main outcome of the 1968 conference was the creation of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme . UNESCO has been credited with

1360-450: Is corrupted and manipulated by Israel's enemies... we are not going to be a member of an organisation that deliberately acts against us". 2023 saw Russia excluded from the executive committee for the first time, after failing to get sufficient votes. The United States stated its intent to rejoin UNESCO in 2023, 5 years after leaving, and to pay its $ 600 million in back dues. The United States

1440-461: Is governed by the General Conference composed of member states and associate members, which meets biannually to set the agency's programs and budget. It also elects members of the executive board, which manages UNESCO's work, and appoints every four years a Director-General, who serves as UNESCO's chief administrator. UNESCO and its mandate for international cooperation can be traced back to a League of Nations resolution on 21 September 1921, to elect

1520-549: Is not precise enough, because in the last hundred years an intensive, modern water management system has been put in place in the Upper Harz in the form of a number of new dams and their associated structures and ditches. The Upper Harz was once one of the most important mining regions in Germany. The major products of its mines were silver, copper, lead, iron and, from the 19th century, zinc as well. The main source of income, however,

1600-948: Is used by the public utilities of Clausthal-Zellerfeld to supply drinking water to Clausthal-Zellerfeld and Altenau; similarly Zellerfeld uses the Upper and Middle Kellerhals Ponds. Hahnenklee gets its drinking water from the Auerhahn Pond, the New Grumbach Pond and the Upper Kellerhals Pond. There are similar water supply systems in the historic silver mining region near Freiberg in Saxony , in Norwegian Kongsberg , in Schemnitz (today part of Slovakia) and in Sweden, and records show that there

1680-801: The Acropolis of Athens (Greece). The organization's work on heritage led to the adoption, in 1972, of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. In 1976, the World Heritage Committee was established and the first sites were included on the World Heritage List in 1978. Since then important legal instruments on cultural heritage and diversity have been adopted by UNESCO member states in 2003 (Convention for

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1760-751: The International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia , launched in 1960. The purpose of the campaign was to move the Great Temple of Abu Simbel to keep it from being swamped by the Nile after the construction of the Aswan Dam . During the 20-year campaign, 22 monuments and architectural complexes were relocated. This was the first and largest in a series of campaigns including Mohenjo-daro (Pakistan), Fes (Morocco), Kathmandu (Nepal), Borobudur (Indonesia) and

1840-951: The Jōmon Venus of Japan, the Mona Lisa of France, the Gebel el-Arak Knife of Egypt , The Ninth Wave of Russia, the Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük of Turkey, the David (Michelangelo) of Italy, the Mathura Herakles of India, the Manunggul Jar of the Philippines, the Crown of Baekje of South Korea, The Hay Wain of the United Kingdom and the Benin Bronzes of Nigeria. The second proposed list will focus on

1920-499: The Lower Saxon part of the Harz , the majority of structures being found in the vicinity of Clausthal-Zellerfeld , Hahnenklee , Sankt Andreasberg , Buntenbock , Wildemann , Lautenthal , Schulenberg , Altenau and Torfhaus . Regale in this context means a royal prerogative . Through the so-called Bergregal , or "mining rights", the monarch granted the right to mine and, through

2000-800: The Samson Pit : the Grüner Hirsch power station at a depth of 130 metres and the Sieberstollen power station at 190 metres. Following the closure of power stations the facilities of the Water Regale were initially transferred to the Lower Saxony State Forestry Department, which maintained them through the Clausthal-Schulenberg Forestry Office at the cost of much labour and money. In order to relieve

2080-428: The United Nations member states (except Israel and Liechtenstein ), as well as Cook Islands , Niue and Palestine . The United States and Israel left UNESCO on 31 December 2018, but the United States rejoined in 2023. As of June 2023 , there have been 11 Directors-General of UNESCO since its inception – nine men and two women. The 11 Directors-General of UNESCO have come from six regions within

2160-586: The Wasserregal , he granted the right to use local water supplies for the purpose of mining. Other water users, particularly mill owners , had a lower priority . This 'water regale' or 'right to use water' was part of the overall Bergfreiheit or mining rights that were valid in Lower Saxony until the 1960s. In German, the term Oberharzer Wasserwirtschaft ("Upper Harz Water Management") has also been frequently used to refer to these historic facilities. But this

2240-819: The Directors-General of UNESCO since its establishment in 1946 is as follows: This is the list of the sessions of the UNESCO General Conference held since 1946: Ahmet Altay Cengizer Biennial elections are held, with 58 elected representatives holding office for four years. [REDACTED]   Finland [REDACTED]   Portugal [REDACTED]   Turkey [REDACTED]   Albania [REDACTED]   Belarus [REDACTED]   Bulgaria [REDACTED]   Cuba [REDACTED]   Grenada [REDACTED]   Jamaica [REDACTED]   Saint Lucia [REDACTED]   Saint Vincent and

2320-598: The Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Henry the Younger . But it was his son, Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg , who gave added impetus to existing mining operations in the Upper Harz and initiated the creation of a large number of ponds and ditches. It was the extensive use of hydropower that made the mining boom in the Upper Harz possible. As the mines became ever deeper over time they needed more and more energy. The lack of water following months of little rain or long periods of frost

2400-501: The Harz High Road, the B 242 . 51°47′43″N 10°24′08″E  /  51.79528°N 10.40222°E  / 51.79528; 10.40222 Upper Harz Water Regale The Upper Harz Water Regale ( German : Oberharzer Wasserregal , pronounced [ˌoːbɐhaːɐ̯tsɐ ˈvasɐʁeɡaːl] ) is a system of dams, reservoirs, ditches and other structures, much of which was built from the 16th to 19th centuries to divert and store

2480-415: The Harz becoming the largest industrial region of Germany in the early modern period . The invention of the steam engine and the discovery of electrical energy did not immediately change the use of hydropower . These other forms of energy were introduced relatively gradually in the Upper Harz. Of course, with the introduction of the steam engine, the difficulties of acquiring coal in sufficient quantities

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2560-577: The Heller Valley Ditch ( Hellertal Graben ) from the Heller valley and from the Fortune Pond over its Bottom Ditch ( Grundgraben ), but frictional losses and poor efficiencies meant that a considerable amount of headrace water was required in order to lift just a few litres of water from the Dyke Ditch. These wheels transferred their output power over 260 and 560 m long flat rods made of wood to

2640-622: The League of Nations essentially centred on Western Europe ). The International Institute for Intellectual Cooperation (IIIC) was then created in Paris in September 1924, to act as the executing agency for the ICIC. However, the onset of World War II largely interrupted the work of these predecessor organizations. As for private initiatives, the International Bureau of Education (IBE) began to work as

2720-602: The Lower Saxon State Forestry Department or are even in private hands. The principle of water diversion is to collect the water in ditches, running almost parallel to the contours of the slope, and to divert it to the mining areas. These supply channels can easily be ten or more kilometres long (like the Dam Ditch or the Upper Schalke Ditch). Sometimes the water so collected was not fed directly to

2800-791: The Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage ) and 2005 ( Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions ). An intergovernmental meeting of UNESCO in Paris in December 1951 led to the creation of the European Council for Nuclear Research , which was responsible for establishing the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) later on, in 1954. Arid Zone programming, 1948–1966,

2880-537: The United States and Israel lost UNESCO voting rights in 2013 without losing the right to be elected; thus, the United States was elected as a member of the executive board for the period 2016–19. In 2019, Israel left UNESCO after 69 years of membership, with Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon writing: "UNESCO is the body that continually rewrites history, including by erasing the Jewish connection to Jerusalem... it

2960-520: The Upper Harz continued until 1992, but it only needed to use a small fraction of the facilities of the Upper Harz Water Regale. Following the demise of the mining industry in 1930, water from the Upper Harz Water Regale was switched to generating electricity, some new structures being built as a result. The generation of electricity was carried out by Preussag until 1980 in the Kaiser Wilhelm (maximum output 4.5  MW ) and Ottiliae (maximum output 1.5 MW) mines. These hydropower stations were closed in

3040-447: The Upper Harz mining industry produced a considerable number of innovations and inventions, including such important advances as the man engine , the water-column engine ( Wassersäulenmaschine ) and the wire cable . Mining becomes a very energy-intensive activity as soon as excavation extends any significant distance underground. In the Upper Harz, vein mining ( Gangerzbergbau ) was the main form of extraction, with excavation following

3120-503: The absorption of the Kingdom of Hanover into the Kingdom of Prussia , the Royal Prussian Mining Inspectorate ( Königlich-Preußische Bergbauinspektion ) and, later, Preussag took over the operation of mines in the Upper Harz. An inventory dating to the year 1868 reveals that a total of 198 water wheels of various diameters and a total capacity of about 3000  horsepower were driven by the Upper Harz Water Regale . Around 1900, mining shaft depths of 1,000 metres were attained. But

3200-412: The commission, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Seán MacBride ). The same year, UNESCO created the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), a multilateral forum designed to promote media development in developing countries. In 1993, UNESCO's General Conference endorsed the Windhoek Declaration on media independence and pluralism, which led the UN General Assembly to declare

3280-421: The construction of so-called Wasserläufen (also Wasserüberleitungsstollen ) or water tunnels. These enabled the distance travelled by the water to be significantly shortened. It also guaranteed winter working, because the water running underground did not freeze up. In addition the maintenance cost of a short section of tunnel was much cheaper than that of a long ditch run. But a particularly important advantage

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3360-470: The cost of mining at greater and greater depths continued to rise. At the same time the industry had to compete with other metal mining areas at home and abroad in an era of improving transportation. Overexploitation during the First World War and plummeting metal prices during the Great Depression caused, at its peak, a great wave of closures, as large mines in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Bockswiese and Lautenthal had to shut down. In Bad Grund, however, mining in

3440-429: The date of its adoption, 3 May, as World Press Freedom Day . Since 1997, UNESCO has awarded the UNESCO / Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize every 3 May. UNESCO admitted Palestine as a member in 2011. Laws passed in the United States after Palestine applied for UNESCO and WHO membership in April 1989 mean that the United States cannot contribute financially to any UN organization that accepts Palestine as

3520-422: The diffusion of national science bureaucracies. In the field of communication, the "free flow of ideas by word and image" has been in UNESCO's constitution since it was established, following the experience of the Second World War when control of information was a factor in indoctrinating populations for aggression. In the years immediately following World War II, efforts were concentrated on reconstruction and on

3600-417: The ditch keepers, as well as a bar ( Schankstube ). At the beginning of the 20th century the wooden structures were replaced by electrically-drive pumps; the original can still be seen in the pumphouse by the ditch. Today the building is listed . It is purely run as a restaurant and is a popular destination for walkers from Altenau and Clausthal-Zellerfeld . Like the nearby Sperberhai Dam House it lies on

3680-418: The early 1980s when water rights had expired and the profitability of power stations steadily declined against a background of sharply increasing wages and stagnating energy prices. Nevertheless, in Sankt Andreasberg the water of the Oderteich, transferred along the Rehberg Ditch, is still used to generate electricity today. In addition to the Teichtal and Grundstraße power stations, there are two stations in

3760-447: The early work of UNESCO in the education field was a pilot project on fundamental education in the Marbial Valley, Haiti, which was launched in 1947. Following this project one of expert missions to other countries, included a 1949 mission to Afghanistan. UNESCO recommended in 1948 that Member countries should make free primary education compulsory and universal. The World Conference on Education for All , in Jomtien , Thailand, started

3840-458: The facilities entrusted to the Harzwasserwerke there is a large number of dam ruins, tunnel entrances and several hundreds of kilometres of ditches that are not maintained. These structures enjoy the status of a so-called passive protected monument . That means that they are like the ruins of castles, subject to very gradual decay, but which may not be destroyed by modern measures without legal permission under conservation law. The Hirschler Pond

3920-581: The facilities of the Upper Harz Water Regale. In all, 143 dammed ponds, 500 kilometres of ditch and 30 kilometres of tunnel were built for the collection, diversion and storage of the surface runoff water in the Upper Harz. In addition about 100 kilometres of drainage adits are included as part of the Regale . These facilities were not, however, all in operation at the same time. The Harzwasserwerke today operates and maintains 65 dammed ponds, 70 kilometres of ditch and 20 kilometres of tunnel. Several smaller dammed ponds still belong to

4000-458: The heavy demand for water, led to even more strenuous attempts to develop the available water power. The miners usually built new water structures in those periods when no ore could be extracted due to the lack of water to power the wheels. When the water wheels stopped running, the underground water that ingressed the mine could no longer be removed; the mine drowned and the miners were driven out. During these phases work concentrated on upgrading

4080-411: The identification of needs for means of mass communication around the world. UNESCO started organizing training and education for journalists in the 1950s. In response to calls for a " New World Information and Communication Order " in the late 1970s, UNESCO established the International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems, which produced the 1980 MacBride report (named after the chair of

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4160-529: The influence of science on society. The journal ceased publication in 1992. UNESCO also published Museum International Quarterly from the year 1948. UNESCO has official relations with 322 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Most of these are what UNESCO calls "operational"; a select few are "formal". The highest form of affiliation to UNESCO is "formal associate", and the 22 NGOs with formal associate (ASC) relations occupying offices at UNESCO are: The institutes are specialized departments of

4240-412: The length of the ditches the Upper Harz Water Regale is best explored on foot. Thanks to the Harzwasserwerke a large number of waterside footpaths have been created in recent years: the so-called Wasserwanderwege . Visitors can get to know about the typical elements that make up the Upper Harz Water Regale by means of information boards along the clearly marked routes. With a few exceptions, most of

4320-562: The mines to be threatened. This led to several mines having to be closed. In their heyday, the mines of the Upper Harz were among the deepest in the world. For example, as early as 1700, shaft depths of 300 metres were exceeded and, around 1830, a depth of 600 metres was attained; this was now so deep that the mine was actually below sea level - something which was considered significant at that time. Deep shafts, however, demanded correspondingly high levels of energy to lift ore and pit water . This high energy consumption, combined with

4400-406: The mines, was managed by the Cistercian abbey at Walkenried . The Black Death in the Middle Ages depopulated the Harz to a great extent and almost brought mining operations to a standstill. Another factor was probably that mining had reached its technical limits at the time with depths of up to about 60 metres. A clear recovery followed from about 1520 onwards, initially at the instigation of

4480-462: The near-vertical lodes straight down into the earth. Only a few metres down the ingress of water increased the difficulty of excavation considerably. Initially it was mopped up using men standing on ladders, the so-called Wasserknechten ("water servants"), with their leather buckets. Later, the introduction of horses and whims ( Göpel ) enabled larger quantities of water to be lifted. But horses were expensive and had to be changed every few hours. As

4560-436: The necessity for an international organization was expressed in the Moscow Declaration, agreed upon by China , the United Kingdom, the United States and the USSR. This was followed by the Dumbarton Oaks Conference proposals of 9 October 1944. Upon the proposal of CAME and in accordance with the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO), held in San Francisco from April to June 1945,

4640-423: The need for that continued to grow as mines became deeper, there were attempts early on, to dewater mines using drainage adits ( Wasserlösungsstollen ). This entailed driving tunnels from the mines to the valleys, through which water could drain away under gravity. The deeper the level of drainage, the longer the adit had to be. The longest of these tunnels is the Ernst August Adit, built in the mid-19th century, which

4720-582: The organization that support UNESCO's programme, providing specialized support for cluster and national offices. UNESCO awards 26 prizes in education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, communication and information as well as peace: International Days observed at UNESCO are provided in the table below: As of July 2023 , UNESCO has 194 member states and 12 associate members. Some members are not independent states and some members have additional National Organizing Committees from some of their dependent territories . UNESCO state parties are

4800-445: The organization's fields of competence. As member states worked together over time to realize UNESCO's mandate, political and historical factors have shaped the organization's operations in particular during the Cold War , the decolonization process, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union . Among the major achievements of the organization is its work against racism, for example through influential statements on race starting with

4880-401: The organization: West Europe (5), Central America (1), North America (2), West Africa (1), East Asia (1), and East Europe (1). To date, there has been no elected Director-General from the remaining ten regions within UNESCO: Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central and North Asia, Middle East, North Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, South Africa, Australia-Oceania, and South America. The list of

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4960-410: The ponds can be used by swimmers during the summer months. The majority are also leased to local angling clubs. Mining activity in the Harz goes back to the 10th and 11th centuries. The first water wheels in the Harz were erected in the 13th century in the Pandelbach valley southeast of Seesen . At that time mining, including this early use of the so-called waterworks ( Wasserkünste ) for

5040-702: The power they generated had to be transmitted over several hundred metres to the mine itself using flat rods ( Feldgestänge ). Important mines also had a reciprocal water wheel which was used to provide power for transporting the ore and the material to be crushed. All water wheels were of the overshot type. Apart from a few reconstructions, the water wheels all disappeared during the last century. The 143 reservoirs or storage ponds, known as Teiche (singular: Teich ), were impounded using earth-fill dams . Dam heights varied between 4.0 and 15.0 metres; impoundment volumes were, on average, about 150,000 cubic metres. The ditches are supply channels almost parallel to

5120-400: The pumping station on the Polsterberg hill. In the pumping station the water from the Dyke Ditch was pumped 8 m higher and fed into drinking troughs from which it was then further transported via the Hutthal Ditch and Huttaler Widerwaage to the Hirschler Pond, or via the Jägersbleek Tunnel and Ditch. The Polsterberg Pumphouse also acted as living accommodation for the master pumper and

5200-461: The state purse, in 1991 the Harzwasserwerke was given the task of operating and maintaining 65 reservoirs, 70 kilometres of ditch and 20 kilometres of water tunnel. The Harzwasserwerke has delegated the management of the Upper Harz Water Regale to its Clausthal office. No public money is spent; the cost of maintenance, a seven-figure sum annually, has to be borne by the Harzwasserwerke through its sale of drinking water. In addition to

5280-400: The terrain contours, with a very slight incline of around 1-2 per mille and are accompanied by an inspection path. The underground water tunnels of between 20 and 1000 metres long were the most expensive investments in the Upper Harz Water Regale. They were worth the cost however because of their low operating costs and high hydraulic capacity. Due to the sheer number of structures and

5360-599: The water over as many wheels as possible, it had to be collected, stored and routed around at the highest possible elevation. The technology of the time did not enable dams to be built with heights of more than about 15 metres. This meant that many small ponds had to be laid out rather than a few larger ones. By arranging the ponds in a cascade, water could be retained at a high elevation in order to drive as many water wheels as possible. A number of these pond cascades were built, comprising four to six ponds. The majority of water wheels were used to drive pumps. Occasionally,

5440-411: The water that drove the water wheels of the mines in the Upper Harz region of Germany. The term regale , here, refers to the granting of royal privileges or rights ( droit de régale ) in this case to permit the use of water for mining operations in the Harz mountains of Germany. The Upper Harz Water Regale is one of the largest and most important historic mining water management systems in

5520-452: The water wheels, but into large, artificial, dammed ponds ( Teiche ) which acted as reservoirs, in order to ensure enough water was available for the wheels even in times of drought. From the bottom outlets of these ponds the water could be led into a ditch system in order to power the water wheels. Usually several wheels were arranged one after another, like a cascade, so that the water could be used to drive more than one wheel. In order to lead

5600-461: The world's living species, such as the komodo dragon of Indonesia, the panda of China, the bald eagle of North American countries, the aye-aye of Madagascar, the Asiatic lion of India, the kākāpō of New Zealand, and the mountain tapir of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. UNESCO and its specialized institutions issue a number of magazines. Created in 1945, The UNESCO Courier magazine states its mission to "promote UNESCO's ideals, maintain

5680-424: The world. The facilities developed for the generation of water power have been placed under protection since 1978 as cultural monuments. The majority are still used, albeit nowadays their purpose is primarily to support rural conservation (the preservation of a historic cultural landscape), nature conservation , tourism and swimming . From a water management perspective, several of the reservoirs still play

5760-633: Was a regular exchange of experience and know-how between these regions. Nevertheless, the Upper Harz Water Regale, is the largest and most interconnected system of its kind in Europe, with significantly more dams and ditches as well as larger structures than all its counterparts elsewhere. Mines of Rammelsberg, Historic Town of Goslar and Upper Harz Water Management System UNESCO Official Website NESCO Official WebsiteU UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ; pronounced / j uː ˈ n ɛ s k oʊ / )

5840-667: Was also a factor until the construction of the Innerste Valley Railway . With the nationalisation of the mines on 1 January 1864 by the Kingdom of Hanover , not only did mining rights now transfer to the state, but also the rights to water usage. So the Kingdom of Hanover also claimed the Water Regale, which was first legally defined in the Prussian Water Law ( Preußisches Wassergesetz ) of 1913 in sections 16 and 381. Following

5920-896: Was founded in 1945 as the successor to the League of Nations ' International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation . UNESCO's founding mission, which was shaped by the events of World War II , is to advance peace , sustainable development and human rights by facilitating collaboration and dialogue among nations. It pursues this objective through five major programme areas: education, natural sciences , social / human sciences , culture and communication/information. UNESCO sponsors projects that improve literacy , provide technical training and education, advance science, protect independent media and press freedom , preserve regional and cultural history , and promote cultural diversity . The organization prominently helps establish and secure World Heritage Sites of cultural and natural importance. UNESCO

6000-612: Was however, that, as it happened, the most productive silver mines in the Upper Harz mining region , the Caroline Pit and the Dorothea Pit, were high up in the mountains and could only be supplied with water power from the Hirschler Pond. The motive force for the wooden piston pumps was won in the Polster valley below by two water wheels . The headrace for these water wheels was brought via

6080-414: Was needed. Although the Upper Harz, with an annual precipitation of over 1300 millimetres per year, received copious amounts of water, the mines often lay high up in the mountains close to the watersheds where there were only a few streams of any size. In addition the flow of mountain streams in the rocky terrain was very variable. It often only needed a few weeks of low rainfall for the water supply to

6160-577: Was readmitted by the UNESCO General Conference that July. UNESCO implements its activities through five programme areas: education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information. UNESCO does not accredit institutions of higher learning. The UNESCO transparency portal has been designed to enable public access to information regarding the Organization's activities, such as its aggregate budget for

6240-561: Was silver. From the 16th to the middle of the 19th centuries about 40–50% of the entire German silver production originated in the Upper Harz. The taxes raised from this contributed significantly to the revenue of the royal houses in Hanover and Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and helped to secure their positions of power and influence within the Holy Roman Empire . Its lucrativeness justified a high commitment in terms of investment and effort. Hereby

6320-429: Was the higher discharge capacity. The tunnels descended the same height difference over a shorter distance and therefore had a steeper incline. Initially the underground sections were laboriously hewn out with hammer and chisel . Later gunpowder was used as an explosive, making the construction of water tunnels considerably easier and faster. Because most of the energy was needed to drain the mines of water and because

6400-454: Was time and again a limiting factor for the mines. The expansion of the water system was achieved by raising the existing pond dams, building new dams, laying new ditches and extending existing ditch runs. One example of the expansion of the Water Regale network was the optimisation of several ditch courses (the Dam Ditch, Upper and Lower Rosenhof Chutes), mainly during the 19th century, by

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