Klüttenbäcker

Klüttenbäcker on the Catharinenberg pit (near Kierberg ) when stepping on the coal mass. In the background the dump of the cliffs to be dried

A Klüttenbäcker was a craftsman who, in pre-industrial times, dug coal in so-called "Kuhlen" or Klüttengrund in lignite mines in the Rhenish Revier and produced Klütten from it . These were hand-made lignite pellets that were used as fuel similar to briquettes .

The profession, which is no longer performed today, has been practiced since the 16th century mainly by farmers, forest workers and day laborers in the region west of Cologne . These mixed the brown coal with water and stamped it into a coal mass, which was then pressed into molds and dried. This profession died out due to the industrial lignite mining in opencast mining .

literature

• “Klüttenbäcker” In: Rudi Palla : Falkner, Köhler, Kupferstecher. A compendium of the lost professions. btb Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1997; P. ISBN 3-442-72120-X .