Ore mining in the area around Kamsdorf is older than mining in the Ore Mountains. As early as the 13th century, people were digging here for silver, copper, nickel, cobalt, and later for iron flag. For centuries, the miners held together and organized themselves. Thus, until the last century, there was a miners' association, a miners' choir and a miners' brass band.

A small group of tradition-bound people from different professions and walks of life got together to try to preserve and bring to posterity what was still available in the way of material evidence of centuries-old mining. For this purpose they founded the Kamsdorfer Verein zur Pflege der Bergbautradition e. V. on 23.03.1994. Mr. Werner Groll was elected chairman of the association.