Timeline of the Staßfurt salt mining

This article gives an overview of the mining history of the Staßfurt region .

chronology

Site plan of the Staßfurt mining area around 1900.

The history of mining extraction of salts at Stassfurt Egelner-Rogenstein- saddle begins in 1856 with the placement of the first working level at 334 m depth in the "von der Heydt" bay. This was preceded by the efforts of the Staßfurt saltworks operators to increase the natural salt concentration of the naturally obtained brine to be boiled by adding solid rock salt, which they suspected to be found in the subsoil of the saltworks. This assumption was confirmed after the successful drilling of a deep borehole; started in 1839.

More information on this well and the subsequent mining for potash and rock salts can be found in

→ Main article : Salt production on the Staßfurter Sattel

The following is a summarized chronological presentation of the events (e.g. taken from a publication by the Staßfurter Bergmannsverein and supplemented from other archive and literature sources.

1839: Beginning of drilling a borehole on the Salinehof for the purpose of extracting more concentrated brine.

1851: This drilling work is stopped at a depth of 581 m in solid rock salt.

1851: On December 4th: naming of the "vd Heydt" - artificial shaft [= driving shaft ] on the Salinehof; Start of the shaft sinking on December 15th.

1852: On January 31: naming of the “v. Manteuffel “- production shaft and sinking start in the middle of the borehole on February 9th.

1856: During the sinking work in the “vd Heydt” shaft, carnallite (then still overburden salt) of the “Staßfurt” potash seam is approached at a depth of approx. 256 m . Application of the first excavation level at 334 m depth.

1857: Start of the extraction of Staßfurt rock salt from 334 m depth from the shafts "vd Heydt" and "v. Manteuffel ”of the“ Royal Prussian Salt Mine Staßfurt ”.

1858: In July, the sinking of shafts I and II for the construction of the "Herzoglich Anhaltischen Salzbergwerk's Leopoldshall" is started.

1859: Beginning of sinking the "Bodelschwingh-Schacht" (on Calbesche'n Strasse) to expand the excavation field for the "vd Heydt" and "v. Manteuffel ”. Due to technical difficulties, the work soon had to be stopped at a depth of approx. 10–12 m.

1860: In March of the year mining exploration of the “Staßfurt” potash seam and the first beginnings of carnallite extraction and extraction on the “vd Heydt” and “v. Manteuffel ”.

1861: Carnallite production starts at the “Royal Prussian Salt Mine Staßfurt”.

1861/1862: Production of kainite , carnallite and Staßfurt rock salt begins in the "Herzoglich Anhaltischen Salzbergwerk Leopoldshall".

1862: Construction and commissioning of numerous private chemical factories in Staßfurt and Leopoldshall for processing the extracted potash salts.

1866: Beginning of sinking the “Emmerson Shaft” (in Häuerstrasse) to expand the mining area for the “vd Heydt” and “v. Manteuffel ”. The project had to be abandoned in 1867 due to strong tributaries at a depth of 16 m .

1872: Beginning of sinking the "Köppen-Schacht" (in a circular shape; located on the Löderburger Bahn) to expand the excavation field for the "vd Heydt" and "v. Manteuffel ”. Strong water inflows forced the sinking to stop at a depth of 46 m .

1873: January 2nd, sinking of the "Agathe shaft" of the "Neustaßfurt salt mine" near Löderburg.

1873: Start of sinking shaft I of the "Ludwig II salt mine" near Staßfurt. 4 years later this work is stopped at a depth of 300 m.

1874: Beginning of sinking the “Achenbach shaft” for the expansion of the “Royal Prussian Salt Mine Staßfurt”.

1876/1877: Start of mining of Leine rock salt, kainite and carnallite in the "Agathe shaft" of the "Neustaßfurt salt mine" near Löderburg.

1877: The "Achenbach-Schacht" begins to extract Leine rock salt. This is followed by the start of kainite production in 1878 and carnallite production in 1879.

1879: First large-scale mining piers and suspension collapses as a result of water ingress in the "Herzoglich Anhaltischen Salzbergwerk Leopoldshall".

1880: Surface subsidence due to mining over the mine field of the "Royal Prussian Salt Mine Staßfurt" in the center of the city of Staßfurt.

1880: The sinking work resumed in Shaft I of the "Ludwig II trade union" near Staßfurt. The final depth is 540 m.

1881: March 28th, sinking of the "Hammacher" shaft "of the Neustaßfurt salt mine" near Löderburg.

1883: First daybreak over the mine field of the "Ducal Anhalt Salt Mine Ludwig II" near Staßfurt.

1883: Start of production of the "Hammacher shaft" of the "Neustaßfurt salt mine" near Löderburg. Leine rock salt and kainite are funded.

1884: Start of the extraction of Leine rock salt and carnallite in shaft I of the "Ludwig II salt mine" near Staßfurt.

1886: Beginning of sinking shaft 2 of the "Ludwig II salt mine" near Staßfurt. It was sunk at the same time from the soil level and the 350 m level of shaft 1.

1887: Start of sinking shaft III near Rathmannsdorf as a reserve facility for the "Herzoglich Anhaltische Salzbergwerk Leopoldshall".

1887: Beginning of sinking the shafts “v. Berlepsch ”and“ v. Maybach ”for the establishment of a reserve mine due to the threat of drowning for the old“ Royal Prussian Salt Mine Staßfurt ”.

1888: November 1st, sinking of shaft III of the "Neustaßfurt Salt Mine" near Löderburg, which was completed in 1890 as a weather shaft.

1890: The sinking of the "Leopoldshall IV / V" shafts begins to build a reserve shaft for the "Herzoglich Anhaltische Salzbergwerk Leopoldshall", which is in the process of drinking.

1891: Start of production on shaft 2 of the "Ludwig II salt mine" near Staßfurt.

1893: July 4th, sinking of Shaft IV of the “Neustaßfurt Salt Mine” started as a reserve shaft for the “Agathe-Hammacher” mine, which is threatened by drowning.

1893: Carnallite and Leine rock salt production starts at the “Berlepsch-Maybach” mine of the “Royal Prussian Salt Mine” in Staßfurt.

1893: End of funding in the “v. Manteuffel shaft ”. The "vd Heydt-Schacht" is used as a weather and water holding shaft.

1894: Start of the extraction of Leine rock salt, kainite and carnallite on the "Leopoldshall IV / V" mine of the "Herzoglich Anhaltischen Salzbergwerk's Leopoldshall".

1895: The "Leopoldshall IV / V" shafts are renamed "Friedrichshall IV / V".

1895: Beginning of sinking the Brefeld mine near Tarthun to cover the cainite requirement of the Royal Prussian Salt Mine in Staßfurt (“vd Heydt / v. Manteuffel / Achenbach” supplies exhausted; “Berlepsch-Maybach-Schacht” so far without kainite find).

1895: Production of carnallite and Leine rock salt commences on shaft III of the "Herzoglich-Anhaltisches Salzbergwerk's Leopoldshall".

1897: Great increase in the inflows in the mine field of the "Herzoglich Anhaltischen Salzbergwerk's Leopoldshall".

1899: Daybreak in Leopoldshall, today known as Strandsolbad Staßfurt ; By 1906, many houses in the Großer and Kleiner Markt areas around the Johanniskirche were demolished. (Cause: damage caused by subsidence).

1902: abandonment of the "Achenbach shaft" as a result of the pit field being drowned.

1902: Cessation of funding to "Friedrichshall I / II".

1910: Start of production on "Schacht IV Neustaßfurt".

1912: The Neustaßfurt shafts "Agathe" and "Hammacher" as well as "Shaft III" are abandoned.

1912: April 1st, sinking of the "Neustaßfurt V and VI" shafts begins.

1913: Sinking and completion of shaft 3 of the "Ludwig II" facility.

1913: Carnallite production on the "Leopoldshall III" shaft ceased and rock salt production continued.

1913: March 4th, sinking of the "Neustaßfurt VII" shaft begins.

1913: Spring, start of sinking of the "Neustaßfurt VIII" shaft (but stopped again in 1914).

1913: Resumption of carnallite production on the "Friedrichshall I and II" mine and commissioning of the company's own potassium chloride factory, which was built in 1912.

1916: “Leopoldshall III” closed.

1918: Foundation of the "State Salt Works Staßfurt".

1921: The Neustaßfurt trade union merges with “Friedrichshall AG Sehnde” to form “Kaliwerke Neustaßfurt-Friedrichshall AG”.

1922: Drunk "Leopoldshall Schacht III".

1924: Cessation of production on the "Ludwig I and II" pits.

1924: Takeover of the "Staßfurt State Salt Works" by the "Preußische Bergwerks- und Hütten AG". The "Berginspektion Staßfurt" is renamed "Kaliwerk Staßfurt".

1928: The “Kaliwerke Neustaßfurt-Friedrichshall AG” merges with the “Rehnania-Kunheim-Vereinigung chemischer Fabriken AG” to form “Kali-Chemie-AG”.

1929: Takeover of the "Anhaltische Salzwerke GmbH" by the "Preußische Bergwerks- und Hütten AG". These included the “Friedrichshall I / II” mine, which promotes carnallite, its chlorine potassium factory and the “Concordia” chemical factory.

1929: Carnallite production on the "Friedrichshall I / II" mine is discontinued and the potassium chloride factory is closed. Rock salt mining is stopped in 1936.

1935: The "Ludwig II" pits were used for the war economy to store army equipment, "Friedrichshall" as a large tank farm for fuels and "Brefeld I / II" for storing ammunition.

1945: The facilities "Berlepsch-Meybach", "Achenbachfabrik", "Braunkohlengrube Löderburg", "Chemical Factory Concordia" and the disused "Brefeld mine" near Tarthun as the production site of the former "Prussian Mining and Hütten AG Berlin" are managed by SMAD -Command sequestered .

1946: The above-mentioned companies are taken over by the Soviet AG for Fertilizers.

1947: Connection of the “Neustaßfurt salt mine” to the Saxony-Anhalt industrial works.

1948: The "Staßfurt Potash Plant" belongs to the "Association of People's Own Enterprises (VVB) Potash and Salts" Halle.

1949: The Neustaßfurt salt mine is incorporated into the "Association of People's Own Enterprises (VVB) Potash and Salts" Halle.

1949: The dewatering on the "Friedrichshall I / II" mine is stopped due to the hopelessness of being able to save the mine from drowning. The first lye inflows had already occurred above the 1st level at the end of 1934.

1949: The dewatering in Shaft I of the "Ludwig II Shaft", which was carried out via a pipeline above ground, is discontinued due to technical difficulties. From now on, the pit water that arises will be brought over the surface in conveyor vehicles via shaft 2.

1950: Incorporation of the Neustaßfurt salt mine into the Staßfurt potash plant.

1954: Carnallite production starts on the "Neustaßfurt VI / VII mine". The raw salt was transported by cable car to the Achenbach chlorpotassium factory.

1954: Carnallite production on the "Berlepsch-Maybach mine" ceased. The underground line to the Achenbachfabrik, which was built between 1900 and 1902, is temporarily closed.

1956: The "Klein-Schierstedt potash plant" is connected to the "Staßfurt potash plant".

1958: The "Klein-Schierstedt potash plant" is shut down.

1963: Start of guided borehole brining on the "Berlepsch-Maybach mine".

1968: Beginning of the surface brine.

1969: The "Concordia factory" is shut down.

1972: On June 30th, underground solar operations cease at the "Berlepsch-Maybach mine".

1972: Cessation of potash extraction on the "Neustaßfurt VI / VII mine".

1972: The "Achenbachfabrik" ceases operations.

1973–1979: Flooding of the "Neustaßfurt VI / VII", "Berlepsch-Maybach" and "Ludwig II" shafts with half brine, which was brought in from the Bernburg brine field via a pipeline.

1990: The "VEB Potash and Rock Salt Company 'Saale' Werk Staßfurt" is converted into the corporation "Staßfurter Salz- und Stahlbau GmbH" as a trust company.

1995: Construction of the "Staßfurt gas cavern storage facility" near Neustaßfurt and installation of the "Neustaßfurt deep cavern storage facility".

2001–2002: New construction of a potash factory on the former site of the Achenbach factory and start of production.

literature

• E. Beichardt: The salt mine in Staßfurt near Magdeburg. In: Nova Acta of the Kaiserlich Leopoldinisch-Carolischen German Academy of Natural Scientists, Halle. 27, 1860, p. 609.
• Mining Association "Staßfurt, cradle of potash mining" e. V. (Hrsg.): History of the Staßfurt salt mining and the Staßfurt potash industry from 1952 to 2002. 2 brochures in a slipcase. Staßfurt 2002, OCLC 1057833928 .
• F. Bischof: The rock salt works near Staßfurt. 2nd Edition. CGM Pfeffer publishing house, Halle 1875.
• Otto Braitsch: Origin and stock of the salt deposits. In: Mineralogy and petrography in individual representations. Springer-Verlag, Berlin / Göttingen / Heidelberg 1962.
• Ernst Fulda: Overview of the salt deposits in Germany. In: “Kali” magazine. No. 2, published by Wilhelm Knapp in Halle, January 15, 1925.
• A. Fürer: Salt mining and salt research. Vieweg & Sohn publishing house, Braunschweig 1900.
• Dietrich Hoffmann: Eleven decades of German potash mining. Essen 1972.
• Ernst Loock: Disused shafts - a problem for the potash industry. (= Freiberg research booklet. A. 136). Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1960.
• Leo Loewe: The mining of potash salts. In: Germany's potash mining. Festschrift for the X. General German Miners' Days in Eisenach. 1907.
• W. Rohde: The salt storage in Staßfurt with special consideration of the manufacture of the fertilizer salts containing potash, their use and effects. Wiegandt and Hempel Publishing House, Berlin 1873.
• Friedrich Schöndorf: Anniversary publication for the 50th anniversary of the Neu-Staßfurt salt mine, 1871–1921. Verlag Wilhelm Riemschneider, Hanover 1921.
• Albert Stange: 50 years of Germany's potash industry. Berlin 1911.
• Johannes Westphal: History of the royal salt works to Staßfurt taking into account the general development of the potash industry. Memorandum on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Staßfurt salt mining industry. In: Journal for the mining, metallurgy and saltworks in the Prussian state. 50, (1902), B. Treatises.

Web links

• Lars Baumgarten: Germany's potash and rock salt pits .
• Günter Pinzke: Photos of disused shafts in Saxony-Anhalt .
• Archive portal Thuringia: VEB Kombinat Kali Sondershausen. Inventory number: 6-94-3467, term: 1901–1990
• Revier Staßfurt - leeches (potash & salt) .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Miners' Association "Staßfurt, cradle of potash mining" e. V. (Ed.): History of the Staßfurt salt mining and the Staßfurt potash industry in the period from 1952 to 2002. Brochure 2, Staßfurt 2002, pp. 137–144.
2. ↑ including from: Johannes Westphal: History of the Royal Salt Works in Staßfurt, taking into account the general development of the potash industry. Memorandum on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Staßfurt salt mining industry. In: Journal for the mining, metallurgy and saltworks in the Prussian state. 50, (1902), B. Treatises.).
3. ↑ Cavern storage facility in Staßfurt merged with RWE Gasspeicher GmbH. ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ Staßfurt. ( Memento from April 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive )