Development of the Iron and Wire Industry on the Drahthandelsweg

Here is an intermediate point on the wire trade route.

Development of the iron and wire industry
"Since the Middle Ages, iron ores close to the surface have been smelted in blast furnaces. Manually operated bellows brought them to 1200 °C, then the liquid slag was drained off. The resulting "iron ingot" was processed further by forging. In the 13th century, water-driven blowers made higher temperatures possible. The iron also became liquid in these smelting furnaces. Both were processed into malleable iron or steel. The smelting works, forges and hammer mills located in the valleys produced a semi-finished product developed for wire drawing, the Osemund. Osemund production required specialization from the operators of the wire rolls."
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