Niederberg colliery

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Niederberg mine
General information about the mine
Neukirchen-Vluyn, Niederberg 1-2 mine, 2018-08 CN-01.jpg
Today's condition (2018) of the fallow, mostly listed underground structures of pit 1/2 from the newly created park on Dickschenheide
Mining technology Longwall mining
Funding / year Max. 2,916,580 t
Information about the mining company
Operating company Niederrheinische Bergwerks AG
Employees up to 4940
Start of operation 1911
End of operation 2001
Successor use West mine
Funded raw materials
Degradation of Hard coal
Geographical location
Coordinates 51 ° 26 '37 "  N , 6 ° 33' 16"  E Coordinates: 51 ° 26 '37 "  N , 6 ° 33' 16"  E
Niederberg mine (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Niederberg mine
Location Niederberg mine
Location Neukirchen-Vluyn
local community Neukirchen-Vluyn
District ( NUTS3 ) Wesel
country State of North Rhine-Westphalia
Country Germany
District Lower Rhine

The Niederberg colliery (or Niederberg mine ) is a former hard coal mine in Neukirchen-Vluyn . The mine was initially run under the name Niederrheinische Bergwerksgesellschaft . In the second half of the 20th century, the mine was then renamed the Niederberg colliery. The Niederberg colliery, together with the Friedrich Heinrich colliery, formed the western border for hard coal mining in the Ruhr area . The new name of the mine was removed from the name of the first company Lower Rhine mountain formed factory company.

history

The beginnings

In 1855, that was mine field club to the club Bohrgesellschaft awarded . The mine field had a size of 61.5 km 2 . The foundation stone for the mine was laid by awarding the club field. In 1872 the union Verein bought the pit field. This union was a thousand-part union under the new law. The majority of the shareholders in this union were farmers from the area, but pastors, lawyers, small merchants and pharmacists were also involved in the union. However, the shareholders' finances were insufficient to start construction of the mine. In the years 1873 and 1874 the club field was divided into the fields of Northern Germany, Southern Germany, Ernst Moritz Arndt and Grand Duke of Baden. Independent unions with the name of the fields were founded for the fields. Each of the unions was founded with 1,000 kuxes. In 1907 the field of Northern Germany became the property of the Krupp family. In 1911 the trade unions of Southern Germany, Ernst Moritz Arndt and Grand Duke of Baden joined forces and on September 16 of the same year founded the Niederrheinische Bergwerks-Gesellschaft mbH in Neukirchen district of Moers. The share capital of the newly founded company was 30,000 marks. At the same time as the company was founded, a joint venture and a leasing contract were concluded. The purpose of this contract was the exploitation of the mine fields. The entire rights covered an area of ​​49.1 km 2 .

In 1912 the sinking work for shaft 1 (called Moers 1) began. The shaft was in the northern part of the field in Vluyn set . At the beginning of the following year, the sinking work for the Moers 2 shaft began. Shaft 2 was placed next to shaft 1. In the same year the Niederrheinische Bergwerks-Gesellschaft mbH joined the Rheinisch-Westfälischen Kohlen-Syndikat . The freezing process was used in the upper part to sink the shafts . A second segment column was installed between picota rings to seal the shafts . This double tubbing column had become necessary because cracks had formed in the first tubbing column. In 1914 the shaft reached the Carboniferous at a depth of 228 meters. Due to the outbreak of the First World War , the sinking work took more time than planned. In 1915, the first level was set in shaft 1 at a depth of 387 meters (−357 m above sea ​​level ). In the following year, shaft 2 reached carbon. In the same year, the second level was set in shaft 1 at a depth of 470 meters (−440 m above sea level). In 1917 was the promotion started.

The first years of operation

Share of 1000 RM in Niederrheinischen Bergwerks-AG from February 1929
Listed old colony of the Niederberg colliery settlements

During the First World War, the mine’s daytime facilities could only be built with delays. In the following years the mine developed rapidly. In 1919, shaft 2 was put into operation up to the second level. In 1920 the last daytime facilities were completed. In 1922 the corporate form of the company was changed again. On December 21, the Niederrheinische Bergwerks-Aktiengesellschaft was founded with its headquarters in Neukirchen in the Moers district. With effect from January 1 of the following year, Niederrheinische Bergwerks-Gesellschaft mbH was transferred to Niederrheinische Bergwerks-Aktiengesellschaft. The founding agreement for the new mining company was signed on February 24th of the same year. The mining company had a share capital of 105,000,000 marks. In the same year, shaft 2 received a half-timbered, single-storey German strut frame. The headframe had a height of 36 meters up to the pulley platform . In August 1924 a briquette factory was put into operation.

Due to inflation, the change to 8,000,000 Reichsmarks was made on November 27 of the same year. From the same year, the excess electricity generated in the coal mine power plant was fed into the RWE network. In 1928 the Niederrheinische Bergwerks-Aktiengesellschaft was incorporated into the Michel Group from Halle an der Saale. In 1931 were for the route promoting large-capacity trams used. The colliery, which initially only produced edible coal, was in economic distress in its early years due to the tense sales market. In 1931, there were party shifts on 67 days . In 1932 the self-developed "Niederrhein" offset method was used . In this process, separate mountains were used for the full backfill. In the same year, operations were temporarily suspended. Operations resumed on September 5th.

Furthermore, the field ownership was enlarged in a westerly direction. In 1936 the mine acquired the fields Vluyn, Vluyn 2 and Heinrich von der Zeche Friedrich Heinrich. In the 1940s, the mechanization of coal production was accelerated. For example, a coal extraction machine for thin seams was introduced at the mine at this time . In 1946, the rights covered an area of ​​55.7 km 2 , the main lift level was the 2nd level. In 1950, the sinking work on shaft 2 was resumed and the shaft was sunk deeper. The following year, the third level was set in shaft 2 at a depth of 630 meters (−598 m above sea level). This level was also referred to as the 600 meter level (600 mS). In the same year the Georg field was acquired. This field had a size of 14.7 km 2 . With the purchase of the field, the entire right now covered an area of ​​70.4 km 2 . In 1952, the fourth level was set in shaft 2 at a depth of 780 meters (−750 m above sea level). This level was also known as the 780 meter level (780 mS). In the same year, the sinking work on shaft 1 was resumed and the shaft was sunk deeper. In 1953, a coal washing plant for anthracite coal was put into operation. The coals were conveyed through shaft 2. Shaft 1 was put into operation up to the 4th level in the same year. On December 17 of the same year, the Niederrheinische Bergwerks-Aktiengesellschaft signed a corporate, profit and loss transfer agreement with Michel-Verwaltungs GBR. This contract also provided for a dividend guarantee for the free shareholders. In 1954, the transition to the reduction of anthracite stocks began. In the same year, the sinking work for shaft 3 began. The shaft was set up in the southern field near chapels. The first daytime facilities ( chew , lamp room and workshop) were built in the same year. It was also over days of another coal mine power plant started construction.

The other years

In 1955, the weather bed was set in shaft 3 . In the following year, a breakthrough was made on the 2nd level between shaft 3 and construction site 1/2. The shaft was put into operation that same year. The shaft was used as a weather shaft and for rope travel and material conveyance . In 1958 there was a firedamp explosion at the mine , killing eight miners . In 1959, the sinking work for shaft 4 began. The shaft was set up in Kempen- Tönisberg . The upper area of ​​the shaft was created using the freezing process . The operating part of shaft 4 was equipped as an external shaft system with a bucket and other daytime facilities. In 1963, shaft 4 was put into operation. A miners' settlement was built in Tönisberg for the employees working at shaft 4. In 1964, the sinking work for central shaft 5 began. The shaft was set up 300 meters north of pit 1/2. In 1966 the central conveyor shaft 5 with the 4th level broke through. In the following year, the central shaft 5 was put into operation as a weather shaft. In the same year there were two face breaks , each of which killed five miners. In addition, the sinking work on shaft 3 was resumed this year and the shaft was sunk deeper. In 1968 the Ruhrkohle AG was founded and the Niederrheinische Bergwerks-Aktiengesellschaft was incorporated into the newly founded Ruhrkohle AG. The mine was affiliated to "Bergbau AG Niederrhein". In the same year the assembly of a new pit ventilator started. The fan was able to suck 12,000 cubic meters of weather per minute from the mine . In addition, the weather shaft 3 to the 3rd level was put into operation. In 1969, the central shaft 5 was taken into production. In addition, the new pit ventilator was put into operation. It replaced the old fan that had been in operation since 1954. In the year the mine was renamed from Niederrheinische Bergwerks-Aktiengesellschaft to Zeche Niederberg. From 1973 Niederberg was the last house fire mine of Ruhrkohle AG with the only remaining briquette factory . This degree of specialization secured the continued existence of Niederberg for the time being. In 1974 a new land outlet was put into operation.

In 1976 there were three main production levels in the mine, these were the 1st level, the 3rd level and the 4th level. In 1977 the second extraction was set up in shaft 5. The shaft was now equipped with two four-rope hoisting systems. In the same year, coal production at shaft 1 was stopped. The shaft was still used for material transport and the cable car. In the underground area, diesel locomotives were used for extraction on the conveyor floors . The conveyance took place in trolleys with a capacity of 2400 liters and in trams with a capacity of 5000 liters. In the mining sections , the coal was conveyed using rubber belts , while the material was transported using overhead monorails and floor conveyors. The promotion in the struts was carried out by means of tank conveyors . Double roller cutter loaders or coal planers were used in the struts for extraction. As an extension , step extensions were used in the struts. In 1983 exploration work began in the northern field. In order to be able to use shaft 1 better for its new task, the modernization of the conveyor systems began in 1985. The shaft received a new headframe and a new hoisting machine. In 1986 an underground connection with the neighboring Friedrich Heinrich colliery was excavated on the fourth level . In the following year, a breakthrough was made on the 4th level with the Friedrich Heinrich colliery. As a result, the Niederberg mine building was now connected to the existing weather network between the Rhineland, Friedrich Heinrich and Walsum mines. As a result of the connection to this connection, it was no longer necessary to sink another weather shaft. In that year, the opening of the 5th level began. This bottom was at a depth of 1162 meters. In addition, the renovation work on shaft 1 was completed in 1987. Shafts 3 and 4 were now only used to ventilate the outer fields.

The last few years

Access to the Niederberg mine before it was demolished in July 2004

In 1988 the Niederberg colliery had an area of ​​120 km 2 . In 1990 the three management companies of RAG were merged into two newly founded companies. The Niederrhein colliery was incorporated into Ruhrkohle Niederrhein AG. In the same year the rock mountain reached the 5th level from the 4th level. In 1992 the alignment of the 5th level began. In the following year, the sinking work on shaft 1 was resumed and the shaft was sunk deeper. In 1998 the briquette factory was shut down. On August 13, 1999, methane or coal dust was ignited during repair work on a diesel towing trolley . Three miners were killed here. On December 28, 2001, production at the Niederberg colliery was stopped. As part of the politically decided funding adjustment, the Niederberg colliery was merged with the Friedrich Heinrich colliery to form the West mine .

Promotion and workforce

The first workforce at the mine dates back to 1912, in that year 39 people were employed at the mine. The first production figures of the mine come from the year 1917, in that year 7443 tons of hard coal were produced with 329 employees . In 1920, 906 employees produced 140,456 tonnes of hard coal. In 1925 the production rose to around 387,000 tons of hard coal, the workforce in that year was 1310 employees. In 1930 the workforce was 1,795, and the production amounted to 582,000 tons of hard coal. In 1935, the production was 622,638 tons of hard coal, the workforce was 1281 employees. In 1940 the production rose to around 964,000 tons of hard coal, the workforce was 1,870. In 1945 the extraction sank to around 307,000 tons of hard coal, the workforce was 1515 employees. In 1950 the production rose again to 905,312 tons of hard coal, the workforce was 3041 employees. In 1955, production exceeded the one million tons mark for the first time. This year, 4,323 employees produced 1,397,669 tons of hard coal. In 1960 the production rose to 2,039,945 tons of hard coal, the workforce was 4940 employees. In 1969, 2,736,376 tons of hard coal were extracted with 4,778 employees. In 1975 the mine reached its maximum output. This year, 2,916,580 tons of hard coal were extracted and the workforce was 4403. In 1980, with 4,284 employees, a production of 2,789,235 tons of hard coal was provided. In 1985, 2,772,195 tons of hard coal were extracted and the workforce was 4,139. In 1990 the production was 2,559,721 tons, the workforce was 3613 employees. In 1998, 2,705 employees produced 2,153,731 tons of hard coal. In 2000, 1964 people were still employed at the mine; 1,998,000 tons of hard coal were extracted. These are the last known sponsorship and workforce figures.

Current condition

Niederberg 4 mine in Tönisberg. (2010)

In 2003 the daytime facilities of the Niederberg 3 colliery were completely demolished. From 2003 to 2005, the daytime facilities of the Niederberg 1/2/5 colliery were completely demolished, with the exception of the headframes 1 and 2 as well as the machine house (energy center) and the building of the former mine rescue service, on which the gas extraction is attached. These are to be preserved as industrial monuments . In addition, there is the double building of the hoisting machines of shaft 1, the hoisting machine house of shaft 2, the gatehouses of the old colliery entrance, the high-bay warehouse with the associated offices and the Ohlmannshof used as an administration building in the u. a. the offices of the works management, the staff department and the mine were housed. (Status: August 17, 2015) The Niederberg 4 mine in Tönisberg is still completely intact. A decision regarding the further handling of the monument will be decided (as of March 2015) in a procedure under monument law.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak Joachim Huske : The coal mines in the Ruhr area. Data and facts from the beginning to 2005 (= publications from the German Mining Museum Bochum 144) 3rd revised and expanded edition. Self-published by the German Mining Museum, Bochum 2006, ISBN 3-937203-24-9 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wilhelm Hermann, Gertrude Hermann: The old collieries on the Ruhr. 4th edition, Verlag Karl Robert Langewiesche, successor Hans Köster KG, Königstein i. Taunus 1994, ISBN 3-7845-6992-7 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Walter Buschmann : Collieries and coking plants in the Rhenish coal industry, Aachen district and western Ruhr area. Gebr. Mann Verlag, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-7861-1963-5 .
  4. ^ A b Günter Streich, Corneel Voigt: Zechen Dominanten im Revier. 2nd expanded and revised edition, Verlag Beleke KG, Nobel-Verlag GmbH, Essen 1999, ISBN 3-922785-58-1 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Gerhard Gebhardt: Ruhrbergbau. History, structure and interdependence of its societies and organizations. Verlag Glückauf GmbH, Essen 1957
  6. ↑ a b Joachim Huske: The hard coal mining in the Ruhr area from its beginnings to the year 2000. 2nd edition. Regio-Verlag Peter Voß, Werne 2001, ISBN 3-929158-12-4
  7. ↑ 100 years of mining in Kamp-Lintfort . In: Board of Directors Deutsche Steinkohle AG (Ed.): The reliable partner; The Chronicle. Heining & Müller, p. 11
  8. ↑ Karl-Heinz Stenmans: completion of the coal industry in the lower Rhine . In: Gesamtverband Steinkohle eV (Ed.): Steinkohle 2013. together concept Werbeagentur GmbH, Herne and Essen 2013, ISSN  0343-7981 , p. 39
  9. ↑ Rheinische Post / Grenzland-Kurier (23 August 2014, page C5): Zeche: Everything starts again
  10. ↑ Rheinische Post / Grenzland-Kurier February 24, 2015, page C6: Minister decides: The colliery is a memorial (this means state building minister Michael Groschek ). Abstract of the article here

Web links

Commons : Bergwerk Niederberg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files