Stadtberger union

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The middle hut with copper smelter and lye plant. In the background the so-called house of prayer where the access to the Kilian tunnel was located

The Stadtberger union since 1872 Stadtberger Hütte AG was a mining industrial company founded in 1834 for the mining of copper ore and the production of copper in Marsberg . It existed until 1930. A successor company produced copper again between 1935 and 1945. With more than 500 employees at times, the company was by far the largest company in the former Brilon district . The dump residues ( pebble red ) turned out to be a major environmental burden. The company's Kilian tunnel is now a show mine.

prehistory

The Mina mine at Eresberg was still operated as an opencast mine in 1872
Pit plan of the Mina pit around 1890

The copper ore around Marsberg occurs in the Kupferletten. Secondary deposits can also be found below the Zechstein in crevices or disruption zones. Copper ores have accumulated there due to seepage.

Copper mining had a tradition in the Marsberg area that went back to the Middle Ages. As early as the 8th century, copper ore was mined on the mountains of the Marsberg urban area and smelted in the valleys. Perhaps the conquest had Eresburg by the great Karl also economic reasons. Copper ore was mined and copper was produced at the Eresberg in the 10th to 13th centuries. King Conrad III. granted the abbot Wibald von Corvey in 1150 the right to mine gold, silver, copper, lead and tin at Horhusen .

The ore was done in small pits that of individuals or families in the open pit were exploited. The first small tunnels were driven into the mountain. The first shafts were sunk at the end of the 16th century. After a period of decline, copper production experienced a new boom in the early modern period . Ulrich von Brilon received the permission in 1650 to dismantle the copper bars "on art". In 1660 Johann Pielsticker acquired the mining rights on the Jittenberg. It was around this time that unions were formed. Only their capital allowed the transition to civil engineering.

After all, there were six copper works and a copper hammer around Marsberg . Since 1712, the necessary ore was mined at Essentho from 1729 also at Borntosten . In contrast, the deposits in Marsberg itself were considered exhausted.

The older form of copper extraction is based on melting the copper out of the surrounding rock in copper smelters using charcoal. However, this was only profitable with a copper content of at least 5%. In 1761, the Bergmeister Kropf was enfeoffed by Elector Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels with the courage and smelting of poor ores. By gasification using pyrite and washing away by hydrochloric acid , emerged vitriols . With the help of iron, the copper could be precipitated from it. This also made it possible to use less rich ore.

Ironworkers of the Stadtberger Hütte in front of the locksmith's shop in 1896. Among them are very young employees in the bottom row

Similar to iron production in the area, the copper smelters also fell into crisis at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century. In 1809 there were only two huts left. The former Maxhammer copper hammer had been converted into an iron hammer. The smelting of copper ore was not very profitable because of the relatively low copper content on the one hand and the high and expensive need for charcoal on the other. Much of the charcoal needed had previously come from the neighboring Waldeck . This source of supply was canceled for various reasons, so that copper production had to be stopped completely around 1810. In 1818, at the instigation of the new Prussian government, production was resumed in 1821 and again in 1831, but it remained of little importance.

Stadtberger union

Number of employees 1836–1864
year Pits Huts total
1843 93 63 156
1844 97 66 163
1845 122 72 194
1846 134 132 266
1859 76 161 237
1860 150 266 416
1861 233 312 545
1862 307 293 600
1863 413 226 639
1864 414 274 688

The situation changed when in 1832 the company JD Hundsdicker from Altena acquired all mining rights around Marsberg. On this basis, the Stadtberger Unions Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1834. The company was initially based in Altena. In 1834 Christian Rhodius, co-owner of the company Rhodius from Linz on the Rhine, acquired the Stadtberger union and introduced new extraction methods. In the years that followed, the company opened up the Friederike , Oskar and Mina mining fields . In doing so, passable tunnels were driven into the mountain from the valley floors. The most important tunnels were the Beusttollen from the valley of the Diemel to the Grube Friederike and the Kilianstollen from the valley of the Glinde to the Grube Oskar (1842). The Friedrichsstollen to the Mina mine was built later. The company gradually bought up all mine fields and in 1859 united them to form the "Stadtberger Kupferdistrikt" district field.

The high investments for development only made sense due to the advancement of mining and geological knowledge. Unlike in the past, it was not the primary but the secondary ore that was mined. The changing direction of strike and faults in the folded basement made mining more difficult.

Oxidic ores with a copper content of 1.5–3.5% were extracted. A chemical process was now used to extract copper. Sulfuric acid was added to the ore. This resulted in a vitreous copper solution. By adding scrap iron, impure cement copper was precipitated out of it. Processing has been carried out on the lower hut since 1835 and on the upper hut since 1845. The so-called Middle Hut was built in 1857. In this the poor oxidic copper ores were mixed with hydrochloric acid. Here, too, cement copper was obtained by smelting it in a water-jacketed shaft furnace and then extracting chemically pure copper in further steps. The Obere Hütte was also converted to this procedure. In preparation, the ore had to be crushed using rolling mills powered by steam power. The smelters needed pebbles and zinc blende as raw materials for the chemical process . The union had its own pits near Wulmeringhausen in the Ramsbeck district. Raw materials were also obtained from the pebble mine in Meggen .

Probably also these very favorable conditions led to the fact that in the Marsberg area in 1856 a second company in the branch was established with the union Kupferfreund based in Unna . This also opened up its own deposits, but was acquired by the Stadtberger union in the 1860s. The Stadtberger union itself suffered from economic difficulties in the 1850s and was therefore converted into a stock corporation in 1856.

The workforce made up 156 workers in 1843. 60 t of copper were produced from 2667 t of ore extracted. In 1883 the workforce was 456 strong. This processed 39,389 tons of ore and produced 510 tons of copper.

Stadtberger Hütte AG

Production of the Stadtberger union 1874–1903 as a percentage of the values ​​from 1874
Compilation of the operating results of Stadtberger Hütte 1874–1902 as a percentage of the results for 1879

Even the conversion into a stock corporation did not overcome the company's economic problems. Production reached a low point in 1870. The production had decreased from almost 50,000 t in 1863 to only 20,000 t. With the growing demand, especially from the electrical industry, in the decades that followed, prices rose again and made operations more profitable. In the 1880s, 42,000 t of raw ore were mined again. The production of copper rose from 414 t in 1864 to 735 t in 1890.

In 1872 the company was reorganized to Stadtberger Hütte AG. The new company acquired the entire copper district from the predecessor company. This reached from Beringhausen via Korbach to Wrexen to Meerhof and again to Beringhausen. The shareholders were Basse, Selbe and Thome. The latter's son-in-law, Dr. Rentzing, served as the hut director for over 40 years and was at times volunteer. The capital of the new company was 2.5 million marks.

The company experienced an upswing through the connection to the Upper Ruhr Valley Railway ( Ruhr - Diemel -Bahn, Dortmund - Schwerte - Arnsberg - Brilon-Wald - Marsberg - Warburg ) in 1873. In contrast to the region 's iron industry, which is under strong competitive pressure from the Ruhr area , the products of the Marsberger Kupferhütte (raw copper and iron vitriol) hardly had any direct competition. On the contrary, the copper industry benefited from cheaper raw material supplies. Thanks to the good quality, the company supplied customers to southern Germany, France and Belgium .

Sulphidic copper ore was increasingly being mined in the tunnels in the 1880s. This made it necessary to change the production process again by repeatedly leaching with hydrochloric acid. This made it possible to use ore with a relatively low copper concentration (around 2%). However, not all of the copper was loosened from the rock. The remains lying on the dump still contained 0.4–0.6% copper. It was discovered by chance that rainwater washed this out and then systematically collected this copper solution in order to extract copper from it by adding iron scrap and refining it by fire. This elaborate process has increased production costs. Pits and huts were connected by mine railways. In the area of ​​the middle hut, in addition to the other hut facilities, there were also sumps for the heap water . In the area of ​​the lower hut there was a plant for vitriol production.

The new production process required cheap coke from the Ruhr area. Cost increases in this area also made the products of the Marsberg copper industry more expensive. At the same time, the company was dependent on the general price trend for copper on the world market. In this respect, production was heavily dependent on the economy. The falling copper price since the end of the 19th century had a negative effect. A recovery in prices prevented a deeper crisis. In the longer term, the image of a less dynamic company emerges.

Workforce

Miners of the Mina mine in miner's uniform in 1896
Stadtberger Hütte staff from 1874–1904

The number of the average mine workforce varied at times. At the beginning of the 1880s it fluctuated between 340 and 380 workers. Because of the drop in copper prices in 1884, the company got into a crisis. The mine workers decreased. Their number fell to 170 workers in the following years. After that, the workforce remained relatively constant. They were 190-200 men. From 1908/9 to 1914 they fell slightly to 170–180. In the smelting area, the workforce initially increased over a longer period of time. Their number was more than 200 men in 1887/88. The peak was reached in 1902/3 with almost 300 workers. After that, the number decreased slowly at first, from 1910/11 onwards significantly.

Most of the workers came from Marsberg itself and the surrounding area. With the decline of iron ore mining in the Brilon district, the Marsberg copper industry was one of the few larger industrial companies in the Brilon district. The company therefore attracted shuttle workers from the surrounding areas. Most of the employees had their own house, some livestock and some had a small farm. These workers were closely associated with rural society and only gradually began to feel like workers.

An economic slump in 1896 led to a drop in wages and a reduction in the number of workers. The displeasure came in the wake of the great miners' strike in the Ruhr area in 1889. In the Marsberg area, too, the miners and ironworkers followed this example, stopped working and made demands on employers. Thanks to the company's concession, the strike was quickly ended. Just a year later, the workforce again made demands and submitted the notice of termination. After the Christian miners' association opened up to members outside of the Ruhr area in 1897, miners and, initially, the ironworkers in Marsberg also joined it. In 1906 there was a strike lasting several months to enforce the demand for higher wages. The conflict was exacerbated by anti-union action by new management.

Crisis and end

Today's condition of the mouth of the Kilian tunnel

The outdated production facilities and falling copper prices were responsible for the fact that the company had to discontinue copper production on various occasions during the Weimar Republic . Between 1918 and 1924 in particular, production was interrupted several times and it became increasingly clear that the company was no longer profitable. Mining was temporarily stopped in 1924. Thanks to an improved production process, production could be resumed. In 1930, against the backdrop of the global economic crisis, all operations were stopped. As part of the autarky policy of the Third Reich , production by the United German Metal Works was resumed in 1935 .

Since 1938 a new production process has been used. The ores were severely crushed and burned in rotary kilns with the addition of 8% salt. The copper could then be separated from the dead rock.

Production ended on March 29, 1945 after the Allied invasion. Liberated prisoners of war and civilian forced laborers destroyed the plant. In 1952 the Ritzenhoff glass factory settled on part of the company premises . The legal successor today is the Kupferbergbau Stadtberge zu Niedermarsberg GmbH, based in Werdohl .

The smelting process, which has been in use since 1938, left behind the so-called pebble red as waste products , which was stored on heaps. These remnants were used commercially in the 1950s / 60s and used in large quantities as covering for sports or playgrounds. It had been known since the early 1990s that this slag was significantly contaminated with dioxin. As a result, numerous sports and playgrounds had to be closed and extensively renovated. The refurbishment of the dumps in Marsberg itself lasted until 2001.

swell

  • Report of the board of the Actiengesellschaft Stadtberger Hütte for the year of operation (1874 / 75–1903 / 1904)

literature

  • Uwe Beckmann: Copper extraction in Westphalia. Stadtberge-Niedermarsberg. In: Friedrich Armbrecht among others: "The blow that resounds in the ears". On the history of copper extraction and copper processing. Hagen 1990, pp. 15-26
  • Felix Bieker, Klaus Latteck: Kilianstollen. Mining and geology in Marsberg. Marsberg 1992
  • Hans-Hubert Walter: The structural change in the Northeast Sauerland mining and metal industry in the 19th century. In: Geographical Commission for Westphalia (Hrsg.): Income from geographical and regional research in Westphalia (= Westphalian Geographical Studies. 42). Münster 1986, ISSN  0943-1721 , pp. 269-289

Web links

Commons : Stadtberger Hütte  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hans-Hubert Walter: The structural change of the Northeast Sauerland mining and metal industry in the 19th century. In: Geographical Commission for Westphalia (Hrsg.): Income from geographical and regional research in Westphalia. Münster 1986, p. 269, on geology: various contributions by Franz Bieker in: Bergbau und Geologie in Marsberg. Marsberg 1992, pp. 19-30
  2. ^ Wilfried Reininghaus: The history of mining in the Cologne Sauerland. An overview. In: Sauerland 3/2010, p. 116
  3. ↑ Klaus Lattek: Historical overview of the copper mining in Marsberg. In: Felix Bieker, Klaus Latteck: Kilianstollen. Mining and geology in Marsberg. Marsberg 1992, p. 4, Christoph Bartels: Ore mining in Westphalia - an overview. In: Geology and mining in the Rhenish-Westphalian region. Münster 1994, p. 43
  4. ^ Hans-Hubert Walter: The structural change of the Northeast Sauerland mining and metal industry in the 19th century. In: Geographical Commission for Westphalia (Hrsg.): Income from geographical and regional research in Westphalia. Münster 1986, p. 271
  5. ↑ Felix Bieker: On the smelting of Marsberg ores. In: Felix Bieker, Klaus Latteck: Kilianstollen. Mining and geology in Marsberg. Marsberg 1992, p. 32f.
  6. ^ Hans-Hubert Walter: The structural change of the Northeast Sauerland mining and metal industry in the 19th century. In: Geographical Commission for Westphalia (Hrsg.): Income from geographical and regional research in Westphalia. Münster 1986, p. 275, Uwe Beckmann: Copper extraction in Westphalia. Stadtberge-Niedermarsberg. In: Friedrich Armbrecht u. a .: "The blow that resounds in the ears". On the history of copper extraction and copper processing. Hagen 1990, p. 16
  7. ↑ Compiled from: Hans-Hubert Walter: The structural change of the Northeast Sauerland mining and metal industry in the 19th century. In: Geographical Commission for Westphalia (Hrsg.): Income from geographical and regional research in Westphalia. Münster 1986, pp. 278, 284, 285, 288f.
  8. ^ Hans-Hubert Walter: The structural change of the Northeast Sauerland mining and metal industry in the 19th century. In: Geographical Commission for Westphalia (Hrsg.): Income from geographical and regional research in Westphalia. Münster 1986, p. 278f., Klaus Lattek: Historical overview of the copper mining in Marsberg. In: Felix Bieker, Klaus Latteck: Kilianstollen. Mining and geology in Marsberg. Marsberg 1992, p. 4, Wilfried Reinighaus / Georg Korte: Commerce and trade in the districts of Arnsberg, Mesched, Brilon, Soest and Lippstadt (1800–1914). In: Karl-Peter Ellerbrock, Tanja Bessler-Worbs (Hrsg.): Economy and society in southeastern Westphalia. Dortmund 2001, p. 149
  9. ^ Hans-Hubert Walter: The structural change of the Northeast Sauerland mining and metal industry in the 19th century. In: Geographical Commission for Westphalia (Hrsg.): Income from geographical and regional research in Westphalia. Münster 1986, pp. 279, 281
  10. ^ Hans-Hubert Walter: The structural change of the Northeast Sauerland mining and metal industry in the 19th century. In: Geographical Commission for Westphalia (Hrsg.): Income from geographical and regional research in Westphalia. Münster 1986, p. 280, Uwe Beckmann: Copper extraction in Westphalia. Stadtberge-Niedermarsberg. In: Friedrich Armbrecht u. a .: "The blow that resounds in the ears". On the history of copper extraction and copper processing. Hagen 1990, p. 16
  11. ↑ Felix Bieker: On the smelting of Marsberg ores. In: Felix Bieker, Klaus Latteck: Kilianstollen. Mining and geology in Marsberg. Marsberg 1992, p. 33
  12. ↑ Compilation of the numbers in the graphics according to: Report of the board of the Actiengesellschaft Stadtberger Hütte for the year of operation (1874 / 75–1903 / 1904)
  13. ^ Wilfried Reinighaus / Georg Korte: Commerce and trade in the Arnsberg, Mesched, Brilon, Soest and Lippstadt districts (1800–1914). In: Karl-Peter Ellerbrock, Tanja Bessler-Worbs (Hrsg.): Economy and society in south-eastern Westphalia. Dortmund 2001, p. 158.
  14. ↑ Felix Bieker: On the smelting of Marsberg ores. In: Felix Bieker, Klaus Latteck: Kilianstollen. Mining and geology in Marsberg. Marsberg 1992, p. 33; Klaus Lattek: Historical overview of the copper mining in Marsberg. In: Felix Bieker, Klaus Latteck: Kilianstollen. Mining and geology in Marsberg. Marsberg 1992, p. 4; Uwe Beckmann: Copper extraction in Westphalia. Stadtberge-Niedermarsberg. In: Friedrich Armbrecht u. a .: "The blow that resounds in the ears". On the history of copper extraction and copper processing. Hagen 1990, p. 17
  15. ^ Hans-Hubert Walter: The structural change of the Northeast Sauerland mining and metal industry in the 19th century. In: Geographical Commission for Westphalia (Hrsg.): Income from geographical and regional research in Westphalia. Münster 1986, pp. 270, 279
  16. ^ Hans-Hubert Walter: The structural change of the Northeast Sauerland mining and metal industry in the 19th century. In: Geographical Commission for Westphalia (Hrsg.): Income from geographical and regional research in Westphalia. Münster 1986, pp. 281f.
  17. ^ Hans-Hubert Walter: The structural change of the Northeast Sauerland mining and metal industry in the 19th century. In: Geographical Commission for Westphalia (Hrsg.): Income from geographical and regional research in Westphalia. Münster 1986, p. 286f.
  18. ^ Uwe Beckmann: Copper extraction in Westphalia. Stadtberge-Niedermarsberg. In: Friedrich Armbrecht u. a .: "The blow that resounds in the ears". On the history of copper extraction and copper processing. Hagen 1990, pp. 21f.
  19. ↑ Jens Hahnwald: Black Brothers in Red Underwear… Workers and the labor movement in the Arnsberg, Brilon and Meschede districts. In: Karl Peter Ellerbrock, Tanja Bessler-Worbs (Hrsg.): Economy and society in south-eastern Westphalia. Society for Westphalian Economic History, Dortmund 2001, pp. 242f., 247, 253.
  20. ↑ Klaus Lattek: Historical overview of the copper mining in Marsberg. In: Felix Bieker, Klaus Latteck: Kilianstollen. Mining and geology in Marsberg. Marsberg 1992, p. 5, Felix Bieker: For the smelting of Marsberger ores. In: Felix Bieker, Klaus Latteck: Kilianstollen. Mining and geology in Marsberg. Marsberg 1992, p. 36, Uwe Beckmann: Copper extraction in Westphalia. Stadtberge-Niedermarsberg. In: Friedrich Armbrecht u. a .: "The blow that resounds in the ears". On the history of copper extraction and copper processing. Hagen 1990, p. 23f.
  21. ↑ Felix Bieker: On the smelting of Marsberg ores. In: Felix Bieker, Klaus Latteck: Kilianstollen. Mining and geology in Marsberg. Marsberg 1992, p. 36, Over two thirds of the polluted pebble red areas in North Rhine-Westphalia have now been renovated (Ministry of Environment North Rhine-Westphalia 2001)

Coordinates: 51 ° 27 ′ 12 ″  N , 8 ° 51 ′ 42 ″  E