Bergkittel and Biberstollen

The two most important, traditional items of clothing are the Bergkittel (miner's scmock) and the Biberstollen.

The miner's smock is made of black cloth and has 29 gold-plated buttons symbolising the 29 years of life of St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners. The golden buttons are supposed to represent the sun, the black cloth the darkness in the shaft underground. Depending on the status, the symbol of mining (= mallet & iron), metallurgy (= mallet, iron, crucible tongs) or the university's coat of arms is sewn onto the upper arms. The mining smock is worn together with a white shirt, black bow tie, black suit trousers and black shoes.

The Biberstollen, originally the gala skirt of the mountain official, is also made of black fabric. It is tailored close-fittingly, has a stand-up collar and is fastened with nine buttons to the top. These are slightly larger than those of the miner's smock and are also gold-plated.

The miner's leather, also called ass leather, is a component of the miner's costume. In the past, it was used to protect against damp and cold, as miners often had to work underground in a sitting position.

A headgear can be worn with the miner's smock: Either the shaft cap (similar to a uniform shuttle) or the kalpak.