Rhonarderzug

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The Rhonarderzug is located about three kilometers southeast of Olpe near the settlement of Rhonard on the mountain of the same name. It is considered to be one of the most ore-rich mountains in Germany, the Rhonarderzug was one of the most important ore deposits in the Duchy of Westphalia . Mainly copper was extracted. The Grubenhalde is now under protection as a nature reserve Grubenhalde Rhonard .

Geography and geology

The settlement of Rhonard ( Rodenhart ) was first mentioned in writing in 1383. The Grünseifen mine, which was owned by Bergmeister Engelhardt in 1668, was about 400 m from the village. The aim was to extract silver , lead , copper and iron . However, drainage proved impossible.

Much more important were the occurrences of the Rhonarderzug. This was about 500 m north of the Grünseifen mine. It connects about 1.5 km northeast of the Altenbergerzug and stretches almost to Littfeld in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district . The corridor runs below the height of the Rhonard mountain, essentially in a west-east direction. The length of the train is about four kilometers. A distinction should be made between the mining areas Neue Rhonard, the United Rhonard and several other smaller pits. The Neue Rhonard mine has been the only mine in Germany to have extracted mercury since the 1860s. However, operations were stopped again in 1873. The name "United Rhonard" also comes from the 19th century, but the history goes back a long way. There was probably ore mining already in the Middle Ages. This is indicated by signs on the oldest pits. However, no real mining archaeological investigation has yet taken place. There is evidence of mining there from 1552.

In the core, the ores of the main course were mined. This led to copper pebbles lying down and hanging on the wall . In addition, nickel , cobalt , bismuth , galena and iron ore were found. Several ore trains were known towards the end of the 19th century. In the United Rhonard mine there was a tunnel with a thickness of 0.15 m made of spate iron stone, copper gravel and quartz . The Catharinenkzug is about 1.2 m thick and carries similar rock. The main course finally divides towards the east into three rubble with the names Beck, Brenzler and Hauptgang. The main course is about 1.2 to 2.4 m thick. It contains brown and spade iron stone, copper pebbles and acidified copper ores, solid copper, cupronickel and nickel ocher . The Felicitasgang in the hanging wall of the main aisle has copper gravel and quartz.

Early phase

The first news about mining comes from the year 1552. This suggests that the Archbishops of Cologne and the Counts of Nassau were already involved in the mining at this time, as in the 18th century . In the specific case, it was about the Nasse Brothers shaft, which was at the upper end of the corridor and had different trades than the other parts of the Rhonard. It is known that from 1562 to at least 1569 Count Johann von Nassau , Count Hermann von Neuenahr and Hermann von Hatzfeld were co-owners of the Rhonard train. The trades employed a specialist to manage the mine. In 1567, six miners , two washers and two blacksmiths were employed. Many surface facilities were required for processing the copper ore. Even at that time it was problematic to obtain the necessary charcoal. In 1562, the trades brought a lawsuit against Friedrich von Fürstenberg because he sold charcoal to the neighboring Siegerland.

In 1596, the Duchy of Westphalia recorded the following:

“The first two quarters, as the Zechetner indicates, has around 150 Reichstaler. The following is what the mining foreman entered as follows: First of the coppers from the mining called the other and third masses, so the mining foreman Caspar Vischer built on the old Romart all alone, made 66 quintals 3 pounds ... Hendrich Khrucks the old treasure trove on the Romart pauet, made 19 quintals 28 pounds ... Clement Reube on the aforementioned Romart made 2 1/2 quintals ... Mayor Petter Khlünzig and Johan Kip made the previously named Romart 15 quintals 16 pounds ... "

There are different figures for the yield from the Rhonard for the period after 1600. The assertion of the decline of the mine was probably an interest-led misinterpretation. The fact that Elector Ernst von Bayern personally visited the mine in 1605 speaks for its lasting importance . In 1612 alone, the mine brought in 150 Reichstaler copper tithes in two quarters  .

During the Thirty Years War there were changes of ownership. In addition, the output decreased. The ore was processed on the Esloher hammer . In 1651 parts of the mine came to the Bergmeister Engelhardt. In his report on the situation of the mines in the Duchy of Westphalia, he also described the situation of the Rhonard mine in detail as the best expert on the subject. Overall, the condition of the Alte Rhonard mine and the associated processing plants were in good condition. The complaint was made about the low copper price. The situation was not as good at other pits. Complaints about the effects of the war, lack of money and workers were made at the Nassen Brothers mine. Others had problems with dewatering. Other investments were also necessary. In contrast, the Junge Rhonard mine was put back into operation.

Around 1668, mountain master Caspar Engelhardt reported on the mines in the Archbishopric of Cologne, including the Rhonarder mines:

"1.) First of all, the copper mine of the Alte Rohnarth [2] foundtgruben, which is located in the place of Olpe, as its three different copper and iron tongues and every course in several places is sometimes mighty laughing with a strict, stern, if not wanting to melt, what else would the others give up the shaft, stretches and tunnels next to straws and sinks, its still good food. And bawet nuhmer Henrich Engelhardt of the mountain master's son with the publishing house master Arndtt Frießen kupferschmidts zu Eßloh and his money, because the copper was sold a time hero in bad price and you have to get this back work at a heavy cost, so there is no excess, dan the ertz go under before much mountain has to be challenged.

2.) Soevill the 2 and 3 are located on the front roof of the foundtgruben, I and the wittibe build Stümmelß, but while the tunnels next to a number of schechten, kunsthauß, radtstube, radt and pole art have been built up, we have such a ram in a good one Well brought, but then cost a hundred goltg [ulden]. Because now most of the earths have to be won at the 14 puddles under the tunnel and they are very rich in copper, if you still have to bury yourself every day, because then you have to wait even better, for which a new tunnel and water art is necessary , but less than 1000 rthlr. We will not be able to taste, but if such a thing is educated, it will hopefully be so powerful that hero has not been won over the years. But because our publisher m [eister] Arndt kupferschmidt zu Eßloh [3] is emaciated because of the much too long thawing and can no longer miss the previous suggestion, so we can get on because of the lack of uvel.

3.) The kupferberghwerck there, the 4 and 5 dimensions, is due to the publisher and the lack of workers in retirement.

4.) The kupferberckwerck the Junge Rohnardt has fallen into disrepair and has started to build up master arnd der kupfer [schmidt] & consorten selbigs aries.

5.) The kupferberckwerck called the Nassen Brothers is also due to the war, as well as a lack of publishing houses and workers. "

Brabeck era

Later, the future Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim, Jobst Edmund von Brabeck , who came from the not too distant House Letmathe , bought the gangway. The exact time is unclear. The years 1674 or 1684 are discussed. It is clear that he systematically expanded his mining-industrial possessions from Hildesheim. The Rhonardzug played an important role in this corporate conglomerate. He hired Johann Wilhelm Freusberg as administrator for this as well as for the Stachelauer Hütte, who was later related by marriage to the Engelhardt family, who had previously owned it.

During the time when the von Brabecks owned the mine, mining on the Rhonardberg flourished again. From the Franciscan monastery of Attendorn comes a song of praise to the prince-bishop from the year 1700, in which mining was also discussed. After that, eighty miners and forty-three divorce boys were employed there. During the week it took a ton of gunpowder to blow it up and eighty pounds of candles to light up. For the processing of the ore by the divorce boys, there were various buildings above ground. Below the pits, according to a map from 1787, there was a wash house, the ore laundry and a facility for ore roasting.

From a later report it is known that the years between 1719 and 1724 were problematic because the existing water art could not cope with the dewatering in the depths. Therefore only in the old man was promoted. In 1730 a water-dissolving tunnel was excavated in the Stachelauer Seitental, which dissolved the water from the pit. But since the tunnel did not bring the depth that the die already had, the construction of a new water art was started. Like the first art of the pit, this was laid out for days and pushed its articulated rods through the newly built tunnel. In the description of mines all over the world by Franz Ernst Brückmann (Magnalia dei ...) from 1732, the Rhonard was mentioned as one of the few mines in the region. It said: "... has an ancient, rich Kupffer mine, called the Ronart." Between 1760 and 1765, a new water art, completely underground, was finally built. The investment sum for the then owner Jobst Edmund (III.) Von Brabeck is said to have been 25,000 Reichstaler. She was able to raise the pit water forty laughs . In 1762, a windmill is said to have been built to help drive the water art. However, in the reading "The water management of the Rhonard copper mine" by Mario Watzek and Oliver Glasmacher for the Rhonard mine, this is almost impossible.

At the time of the Weber factor (from 1770), who also left detailed reports, mining continued to gain in importance. The yield was also increased. About 2.5 pounds of copper had previously been extracted from a hundred pounds of ore. Now it was 3.5 pounds. During this time, the mines developed into a large-scale operation according to the circumstances of the time. At times there were 130 people working there. 32 of them were employed for days.

In 1786 a large water vein was found. Again, drainage became a major problem. A 1.5 kilometer long tunnel was built for drainage. The costs for this were so high that the owner at the time, Moritz von Brabeck, successfully applied to the mining administration for a ten-year waiver. The additional penalties between 1788 and 1799 would have been more than 28,000 Reichstaler. The construction of the deepest tunnel turned the pit into a civil engineering mine . An artificial die going from the tunnel reached a depth of 176 m. In 1794 the von Brabeck owned four mines on the Rhonardberg. These were the old and new Rhonard, the Nasse-Brüder-Schacht and the brawler. In 1808, the pits were summarized in "Rhonard with its sideline in the hanging wall." This did not include the Zänker pit. This was on the way from the Stachelauerhütte to Neuenkleusheim .

The Oberbergamt Bonn stated at the end of the 19th century that with two Krummöfen and one cooking stove, when the pits were owned by the von Brabeck family, copper would have been produced for 150,000 marks. At that time there was the upper tunnel, called the driving tunnel. This was 147 m in the lying position and drove 418 m long on the main corridor. The deep tunnel started in the side valley to the east of the Stachelauer Hütte , was 1594 m long and connected to the main passage. The shaft descended in steps to a total depth of 205 m. The chain shaft and the Nasse brothers shaft were also added.

19th and 20th centuries

In 1805, Count von Brabeck put the arts to a standstill, as the water management costs and the operating costs were no longer in proportion to the yield. The pit sank. From 1805 to 1807 he leased the mine to his factor Weber from Stachelau. In 1809 the von Brabecks sold the mine to them. At this time, however, the pits were already largely exploited. It was mainly the slag heaps that were dismantled with around ten to twelve men. Mainly iron ore was extracted, which was of little interest to the old mining industry. In 1816 a new union wanted to mine copper again. This was not very successful. The Neue Rhonard union purchased the mines in 1821. Since there was no dismantling, the rights were granted again in 1828. The new owner first mined older, easily accessible ores before moving to mining under the deepest tunnel floor in 1850. In 1853 the pits were sold to an English mining company "Rhenish Mining Company" later renamed "Rheinische Bergbaugesellschaft". Numerous measures were carried out for a number of years. Mainly exploration work was carried out. Since the ores obtained in this way proved to be non-salable, the mine was sold to the Finnentroper Hütte in 1887 . After it was only continued to a limited extent for a long time, the company experienced another brief boom. In 1873 a roasting furnace was built next to it by an entrepreneur from Krombach , who extracted iron from the dump rock. Mining was then completely stopped in 1890.

The development of the Neue Rhonard mine was somewhat different. This was sold in 1858. Analysis of red runoff showed a high level of tin; H. Mercury sulfide . Various exploration work was carried out before cinnabar ore was discovered in 1863. The extraction of mercury peaked in the following years. Special ovens were set up at the Stachelauer Hütte for processing. The production rose in 1864 to 159 t and brought in a proceeds of 10,875 marks. In 1865 it was still 269.7 t (6327 marks), but after that it fell quickly. In 1878 dismantling was stopped. From 1912, the Neue Rhonard mine was temporarily operated again for the extraction of red dye. In 1922 340 tons were extracted.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Grubenhalde Rhonard" nature reserve (OE-009) in the specialist information system of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia , accessed on March 9, 2017.
  2. ^ Winfried Reininghaus, Reinhard Köhne: Mining, smelting and hammer works in the Duchy of Westphalia in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Münster, 2008, p. 329 f.
  3. ↑ a b c Winfried Reininghaus, Reinhard Köhne: Mining, smelting and hammer works in the Duchy of Westphalia in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Münster, 2008, p. 330.
  4. ^ Description of the mountain areas Arnsberg, Brilon and Olpe as well as the principalities of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Bonn 1890, p. 102 f.
  5. ↑ a b c Rhonaderzug on alterbergbau.de The Rhonarderzug near Olpe. By Mario Watzek for alterbergbau.de.
  6. ↑ a b Winfried Reininghaus, Reinhard Köhne: Mining, smelting and hammer works in the Duchy of Westphalia in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Münster, 2008, p. 331.
  7. ^ Landesarchiv NRW Rhineland Department, Kurköln IV, 1275, Regalien Bergwerke 1668-1757.
  8. ^ Winfried Reininghaus, Reinhard Köhne: Mining, smelting and hammer works in the Duchy of Westphalia in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Münster, 2008, p. 332 f.
  9. ↑ a b c d Winfried Reininghaus, Reinhard Köhne: Mining, smelting and hammer works in the Duchy of Westphalia in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Münster, 2008, p. 333.
  10. ↑ Mario Watzek: The water arts of the Rhonard pit. In: Olpe in the past and present. Editor: Heimatverein für Olpe und Umgebung eV and Stadtarchiv Olpe, Volume 21 (2013), p. 31.
  11. ↑ Mario Watzek, Oliver Glasmacher: The water management of the copper mine Rhonard - A reference work on the measures for the drainage of copper mining , 2015
  12. ^ Winfried Reininghaus, Reinhard Köhne: Mining, smelting and hammer works in the Duchy of Westphalia in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Münster, 2008, p. 333 f.
  13. ^ Winfried Reininghaus, Reinhard Köhne: Mining, smelting and hammer works in the Duchy of Westphalia in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Münster, 2008, p. 334.
  14. ^ Description of the mountain areas Arnsberg, Brilon and Olpe as well as the principalities of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Bonn 1890 p. 103.
  15. ^ Description of the mountain areas Arnsberg, Brilon and Olpe as well as the principalities of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Bonn 1890 p. 104.

literature

  • Winfried Reininghaus, Reinhard Köhne: Mining, smelting and hammer works in the Duchy of Westphalia in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Münster 2008, v. a. Pp. 329-334.
  • Mario Watzek: The water arts of the Rhonard pit. In: Olpe in the past and present. Volume 21 (2013), pp. 29-36.
  • Mario Watzek, Oliver Glasmacher: The water management of the copper mine Rhonard: A reference work on the measures for the drainage of the copper mining. Olpe 2015.

Web links

Coordinates: 51 ° 1 ′ 14.5 ″  N , 7 ° 53 ′ 35.7 ″  E