Wellesweiler Pit

Wellesweiler Pit
General information about the mine
Palm tree studs
Mining technology	Underground mining
Information about the mining company
Start of operation	16th Century
End of operation	May 15, 1936
Successor use	Housing estate
Funded raw materials
Degradation of	coal
Geographical location
Coordinates	49 ° 21 '18.4 "  N , 7 ° 13' 16.1"  E Coordinates: 49 ° 21 '18.4 "  N , 7 ° 13' 16.1"  E
Location Wellesweiler pit
Location	Wellesweiler
local community	Neunkirchen
State ( NUTS3 )	Saarland
country	State of Saarland
Country	Germany
District	Saar district

The Wellesweiler mine was the oldest coal mine in the Saar district . It existed from the 16th century until it was closed on May 15, 1936.

History of the pit

The pit can be proven from the 16th century. On April 14, 1575 Albrecht acquired part of the village of Wellesweiler from Samuel von St. Ingbrecht. The associated contract also referred to the “Kollgrubengeld”. The mine continued to mine during the rule of the Counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken and served as an employer for miners in the region. At that time the coal was already being mined underground , but no safety standards had yet been met in the tunnels . You just kept digging until water entered the cave or the tunnels collapsed. Numerous accidents, some of them fatal, were the result. In 1749 this was also publicly issued. The complaint covered all of the pits in Ottweiler, but the Wellesweiler pit was particularly highlighted. The lack of wood in the region was blamed for the overexploitation . Although the tenants subsequently got access to the manorial holdings, attempts were also made to transfer the mine to a foreign company. In 1753 there was finally a lease agreement with a Paris company, but the promised output could not be kept and so the mine fell back again. Wilhelm Heinrich finally subordinated the coal mining in his entire domain to his mining inspector, who helped the mine to recover.

In 1766 the first administration building for the steel coal mining in Nassau-Saarbrücken was built on the site. Between 1779 and 1792 the mine became the most efficient in the Saar area. In the specialist book Atlas et description minéralogique de la France it was even described as the most beautiful coal mine in the country. In the turmoil of the French Revolution , the mine was initially supposed to be sold, but ended up in the hands of the revolutionary troops and was nationalized. The pit was then leased and managed by the Equer company. In 1808 they reverted to the state.

The mine fell back to Germany through the 1st Peace of Paris and was then taken over by Prussia in 1815 . In 1816 a fossil sensation was discovered in a tunnel. The tunnel was renamed as the “palm tree tunnel” because the fossils were mistaken for the remains of a palm tree. In fact, it was a petrified seal tree . Under Prussian administration, the mine experienced its second spring. The nearby ironworks, in particular, became increasingly important to the region. So the pit was constantly enlarged and expanded. Dormitories, military hospitals and other administrative buildings were built. The success of the mine also ensured an economic upswing in the village of Wellesweiler. In particular, the catering business expanded. In 1842 the mine reached its peak with an annual production of 49,000 tons. After that, development stagnated and there was a serious economic crisis. Then it was the Heinitz mine that became more important due to its better connection to the railroad and, in particular, supplied the Neunkircher Hütte with coke. From 1875 civil engineering started , but this could not prevent the pit from collapsing. In 1911 operations were severely restricted. The mine recovered somewhat during the First World War . In 1917 a cable car was set up that led to a siding at the Müller brickworks. In 1918 a compressor building was built. During the occupation of the Saarland, the mine was merged with the Mittelbexbach mine and ceased to be an independent mine. Immediately after the annexation to the German Reich , operations were stopped on May 15, 1936.

A few seams near the pit and the monumental palm tree tunnel still remind of the mining operation . This still contains the seal tree found in 1816 today.

Further use of the site

After the mine was closed, it was initially closed. After the Second World War , a settlement began to be created, which was mainly reserved for people who had become homeless during the war and which was intended to defuse the situation in the slums. The settlement came into being on April 26, 1956, and the name was simply “mine complex”. However, the settlement quickly degenerated into a social hotspot that was isolated from the rest of Wellesweiler. After that, attempts were made to upgrade the residential area. It also got a new name. The circular road has been called “An der alten Schmiede” since June 14, 1967.

literature

• Armin Schlicker: Street Lexicon Neunkirchen. Streets, squares and bridges in the past and present . Published by Historischer Verein Stadt Neunkirchen eV Neunkirchen 2009. ISBN 978-3-00-027592-0 . Pp. 330-331

Individual evidence

1. ^ Hans Günther Sachs: Brief history of mining in Wellesweiler and the Wellesweiler mine . In: Hans-Werner-Krick / Delf Slotta (ed.): Bergbauweg Bexbach - Wellesweiler (=  paths into the region ). No. 7 , ISBN 3-928419-34-X , pp. 27–35 ( geschichtswerkstatt-im-vfg.de [PDF]).
2. ^ Hans Günther Sachs: Brief history of mining in Wellesweiler and the Wellesweiler mine . In: Hans-Werner-Krick / Delf Slotta (ed.): Bergbauweg Bexbach - Wellesweiler (=  paths into the region ). No. 7 , ISBN 3-928419-34-X , pp. 35 f . ( geschichtswerkstatt-im-vfg.de [PDF]).
3. ^ Hans Günther Sachs: Brief history of mining in Wellesweiler and the Wellesweiler mine . In: Hans-Werner-Krick / Delf Slotta (ed.): Bergbauweg Bexbach - Wellesweiler (=  paths into the region ). No. 7 , ISBN 3-928419-34-X , pp. 40 f . ( geschichtswerkstatt-im-vfg.de [PDF]).
4. ^ Hans Günther Sachs: Brief history of mining in Wellesweiler and the Wellesweiler mine . In: Hans-Werner-Krick / Delf Slotta (ed.): Bergbauweg Bexbach - Wellesweiler (=  paths into the region ). No. 7 , ISBN 3-928419-34-X , pp. 42 f . ( geschichtswerkstatt-im-vfg.de [PDF]).
5. ^ Hans Günther Sachs: Brief history of mining in Wellesweiler and the Wellesweiler mine . In: Hans-Werner-Krick / Delf Slotta (ed.): Bergbauweg Bexbach - Wellesweiler (=  paths into the region ). No. 7 , ISBN 3-928419-34-X , pp. 48 f . ( geschichtswerkstatt-im-vfg.de [PDF]).
6. ^ Wellesweiler mine. Saarlandbilder.net, accessed on January 22, 2016 .