Wismut

Wismut is the German name for the chemical element bismuth. Bismuth (symbol Bi, atomic number 83) is a brittle, lustrous metal in the heavy end of the periodic table. It occurs in sulphide minerals such as bismuthinite and is usually obtained as a byproduct of other metal ore processing. Bismuth has a number of distinctive uses, including pharmaceutical applications such as bismuth subsalicylate, pigments for cosmetics and paints, and alloys with lead, tin, or cadmium to form low-melting fusible alloys used in safety devices and heat exchangers. It is one of the heaviest elements that occurs naturally in a stable form and has a very low thermal conductivity and poor electrical conduction compared with many other metals.

Wismut also refers to the former mining enterprise SDAG Wismut (Sowjetisch-Deutsche Aktiengesellschaft Wismut), the uranium mining company operating in East Germany after World War II. Established in the late 1940s, the venture was a joint effort of Soviet authorities and the East German state to extract uranium ore for the Soviet atomic program. Mining and processing took place mainly in the Erzgebirge and Vogtland regions, producing large quantities of ore through the Cold War era. After German reunification, SDAG Wismut was wound down and replaced by Wismut GmbH to oversee environmental remediation of former mining sites. The operations left a lasting environmental legacy, prompting a major cleanup program that continues in parts of the former mining districts.