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A Kunstgraben is a type of man-made Canal that was once used by mines to drive the needed for power, mine drainage and a host of other purposes. The term is German (plural: Kunstgräben). Similar ditches supplying in England are called .
To enable mine workings to be driven ever deeper, more and more power was needed. The water available in the vicinity of the pits was insufficient for that purpose and springs frequently dried up as a result of be diverted for use in the mines. As a result, the water needed for the mine workings sometimes had to be transported over long distances.
Typically a Kunstgraben started at a weir or divert ( Wasserteiler) and ran along Röschen and via water storage ponds or to the pit. The water power engine usually had a headrace and a tailrace ( Aufschlagrösche and Abzugsrösche). A footpath was laid parallel to the Kunstgraben that acted as an access route for the ditch overseer ( Grabensteiger), whenever he went to the weir to adjust the paddles. These paths are frequently used as walking trails today, where they have survived.
The Kunstgräben were often covered by rough boards ( Schwarten). These acted, on the one hand, to keep the ditches clear and protect them from becoming overgrown and, on the other hand, to protect the ditches from destruction by cattle. It also helped to defend the owners of the ditches from the claims of neighbouring landowners, who had otherwise to be compensated for the loss of income and land resulting from the construction of Kunstgräben and who often brought claims as a result of allegedly drowned livestock and game.
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