Gold mines in Germany were operated for 1,600 years before they were buried by glaciers in the 16th century.
“The abandoned workings revealed by the receding glaciers are over 9000 feet above sea level. It will be some time before they are worked out, but they are being examined. The Hohen Tauern mines were mentioned by Polybius in 140 B.C. They had, however, been worked in prehistoric times. The 16th and 17th centuries saw their mining ceased until this year.”