Geislautern ironworks

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The Geislautern ironworks was an ironworks in Geislautern , today a district of Völklingen in Saarland . The company existed with interruptions from 1585 to 1874 and shaped the history and industrial development of Geislautern and the county of Nassau-Saarbrücken .

First messages (1585–1590)

The oldest news about the construction of an ironworks near Geislautern dates from December 26th, 1585. Count Philipp von Nassau-Weilburg allowed the two citizens of Heidelberg Johann Catho and Georg Leonhardt to build an ironworks near Geislautern with the necessary smelter, forge and stamping mill for smelting the iron ore and leased the works to them for 20 years (counted from the time of the first smelting). Certainly the same Johann Katho had received permission from Count Philipp in 1582 to build an iron mine and a smelter in the county of Saarbrücken. The hydropower of the dammed Lauterbach and Rossel brooks , the potential for compulsory labor in the county of Saarbrücken, the extensive forests of the Warndt suitable for the production of charcoal and nearby iron ore deposits formed the prerequisites for the establishment of an iron works. The poor quality iron ore should be improved by adding iron ore from the Dillingen rule .

The smelter Catho and his co-tenant Leonhardt operated the work at least until 1590. A statement from 1590 contains information about production from 1588 to 1590. Apparently the work was then abandoned and fell into disrepair.

The Metz Admodiators (1605–1635)

As a result, the work was leased for a shorter or longer period to Metz merchants of the Reformed faith. In 1605 Nicolas Unbehend appeared as the new tenant, at the same time owner of the Neunkirchen ironworks , together with Robert Maulpassant, another citizen of Metz. The two for Geislautern had a term of 25 years. Instead of the tithing to be paid, an annual rent of 500 guldenbatzen was used. It was promised to the tenants that no other smelting or steel works would be built in the county of Saarbrücken. The text of the contract shows that the hut was a new facility. The lease did not seem to have been completed in a careless manner, as Paul Peltre, the Metzger, was a smelter in Geislautern in 1617. Peltre had been the owner of the Neunkircher ironworks since 1610 and in 1614 operated another ironworks and hammer mill in the Kurtrierischen at "Schwebelbach" (today's threshold stream) in the Saarburg district near Saarhölzbach .

1619 allowed Count Louis of Nassau-Weilburg the Diedenhofener citizens Johann Wolckringen, 50 or 100 ingots to forge iron on the iron and steel Geislautern and purify; Already in 1618 he had received permission from the elector in Trier to look for iron ore in the Saarburg office. From Easter 1621 the ironworks was lent to François Devaulx for a period of 30 years in exchange for an annual smelter interest of 1,600 guilders (reduced to 1,000 guilders in 1625). Devaulx had iron ore transported from Hayingen near Diedenhofen to Geislautern at high costs . Around Pentecost 1621, coal was found near the Geislauter iron works when the ore graves were looking for iron ore. The coal deposits in the area were subsequently exploited by the Geislautern mine .

During the Thirty Years' War the work was received in 1635 at the latest. Almost 100 years passed before a new beginning at the old Hüttenplatz.

Princely period (1733–1790)

After the county of Saarbrücken fell on the Nassau-Usingen line, they wanted to create a new smelter in 1728 "to make use of the dead capital of the forests". Taken plates from 1733 document the new beginning. Under Prince Wilhelm Heinrich (1740–1768) the work enjoyed a great boom.

Napoleonic period (1800-1815)

In 1802 Napoleon decreed the establishment of a mining and metallurgical school in Geislautern, which developed new operating methods for metallurgy and mining.

Prussian period (1815–1874)

The Prussian authorities decided to leave the “Royal Prussian Ironworks in Geislautern, which had previously been administered for the account of the state, to private industry through public sale at the highest bid”. In 1827 Dillinger Hütte bought the plant for 40,000 thalers. With the acquisition of the Geislauter plant, Dillinger Hütte got a competitor under control. From then on, the plant was only a subsidiary of Dillingen. Coking attempts aimed to use coke made from hard coal instead of charcoal in the smelting process. In 1840 the oldest coke oven in the Saar district was blown in Geislautern. When there were better traffic conditions elsewhere, production in Geislautern was cut back and finally stopped in 1874. In 1884 the factory was sold for demolition. Today the former company premises are owned by the Abel & Schäfer mill.

literature

  • Walter Petto: The first ironworks near Geislautern 1584–1635 . In: Journal for the history of the Saar region . Vol. 44, Saarbrücken 1996, pp. 112-122.

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ^ Rolf Spang : Die Gewässernamen des Saarlandes , Saarbrücken 1982, p. 84. ISBN 3-921-646-45-6

Coordinates: 49 ° 14 ′ 7.3 "  N , 6 ° 49 ′ 59.4"  E