Mining is one of the foundations of human civilization. Diamonds, metals and the former essence of industry, coal, are dug up from the depths of the earth and made usable. Right in the middle of it all, in the pulsating heart of the Ruhr region, the German Mining Museum Bochum stands as a monumental testimony to this ancient connection.
When you cross the threshold into the Ruhr region, the countless winding towers almost jump out at you. Like the ancient pyramids in Egypt, the imposing structures adorn the landscape. Countless buildings are decorated with symbols of the mining industry, and occasionally a "Glück auf" can be heard from the alleyways. If you get off the train at Gelsenkirchen main station, for example, numerous information boards full of pictures and texts will enlighten you about the sooty glory of days gone by. The Ruhr region is mining and coal - there is no doubt about that for a second. Those who want to delve deeper into the tunnels of history can travel almost twenty kilometers by car or streetcar to Bochum.
Between the Ruhr and the Emscher
In the middle of the Ruhr region, right in the center of Bochum, the building of the German Mining Museum towers towards the sky. It was founded in 1930 and is now the largest mining museum in the world. The red clinker bricks typical of Westphalia give the building an imposing appearance with its high columns in the entrance area and the inviting staircase.
Around 170 people are employed here, as it is not only a museum but also a research institute for mining archaeology and archaeometry. Mining archaeology refers to the scientific study of mining history and its archaeological remains, while archaeometry involves the application of physical and chemical analysis techniques to archaeological materials such as metals, ceramics and rocks.
If you enter at 9:30 a.m., you will be welcomed by friendly staff. A visit costs just 10 euros for adults. For this, you will be presented with over 3,000 exhibits on an area of 12,000 square meters. If you have any questions - about the coating of tools, for example - they will be happy to help you.
A huge block of coal captivates visitors even before they reach the cash desk area. From then on, you have the choice of entering various departments or descending directly into the exhibition mine.
The Ruhr region at the equator
If you follow the recommendation at the ticket desk, you first enter the section on the history of coal. This begins 300 million years ago, when the hard coal of Europe was formed. You learn that during this time, today's Europe was close to the equator. This led to huge primeval forests, which are documented by the exhibits and emphasized by a large painting. Swamps and bogs developed in valleys and coastal areas, where the material for today's coal deposits was formed. The trees of that time could reach a height of up to thirty meters and were up to two meters thick. Over millions of years, first lignite and later hard coal were formed. The individual layers of hard coal are called seams.
In addition to the impressive fossils, there is a wealth of information, such as a geological overview map of the Rhenish-Westphalian hard coal region. There is even a 3D model on a scale of 1:10,000.
Middle Ages and proto-industrialization
Former Consolidation colliery, shaft 9 in Gelsenkirchen
The first coal mines near Dortmund were documented as early as 1296. Coal was initially used as fuel by blacksmiths. From the 15th century onwards, mining became an important branch of industry. Larger mines were operated by the Brandenburg nobility, monasteries, large farmers and merchant families. Even at this time, the sales markets extended beyond the Ruhr area.
During the tour, you will learn a lot about important people in the history of mining, such as Friedrich Anton von Heynitz. At a young age, he began an extensive course of study that familiarized him with the scientific and technical aspects of mining. As Saxony's General Mining Commissioner, von Heynitz carried out important reforms in the mining industry. His collaboration with Friedrich Wilhelm von Oppel led to the founding of the Freiberg Mining Academy, a decisive step for education and innovation in mining. Von Heynitz is regarded as one of the most important Prussian mining officials.
The development of mining is vividly depicted in numerous lovingly designed 3D models. The adverse conditions and dangers are not concealed. Not only the actual mining, but also the transportation from the tunnel to further processing is covered here. You learn that the coal was first pulled through the narrow mines by people and later horses were used until they were replaced by trains. In the demonstration mine, you can meet "Tobias the pit horse" in life size. The horse worked in the General Blumenthal mine in Recklinghausen until 1966.
Industrialization and electroplating technology
The history of mining is also a history of mechanical engineering, technology and surface technology. Unfortunately, the museum does not deal explicitly with the latter. However, those in the know will notice that the tools have had corresponding coatings since the beginning of the 20th century - predominantly nickel and chrome. Previously, brass, bronze and untreated steel were the preferred materials, depending on the application. On the lower floor and in the demonstration mine there are several machines, some of them heavy, dating mainly from more modern mining times. In the support frame - a load-bearing structure used in mining to stabilize the overburden during extraction - you can even admire numerous hard chrome-plated cylinders. Around 80 % of the machines on display in the exhibition mine are still fully functional today, but for safety reasons they are no longer demonstrated. The curious visitor also has to do without blasting. The use of the steam engine increased the demand for coal. As a result, companies and trades (shareholders in the mining industry) were prepared to invest more. Steam power was increasingly used for dewatering and extraction. New techniques in shaft sinking made it possible to access fatty coals suitable for coking at great depths. Greasy coal is a type of coal with a high volatile matter content and low ash content, which makes it ideal for coking, the process of converting coal into coke. Coke is a solid, porous material that is produced by heating coal in a special oven called a coke oven. During this process, volatile components such as tar and gas are separated out, resulting in a solid residue called coke. Coke is an important fuel and reducing agent in steel production. It is characterized by its high heat resistance and low smoke emission, which makes it particularly suitable for high-temperature applications. The use of charcoal in coke blast furnaces accelerated the transition from the use of charcoal to coke as a fuel in the iron and steel industry.
This also led to a sharp increase in the population, as can be seen from the population growth in Bochum. In 1871 the population was around 21,000, in 1913 it was 155,000. After the First World War, the population rose rapidly once again, peaking at over 321,000 in 1929. Today, as of December 2022, 365,742 people live in Bochum.
Entrance to the museum
Of exploitation and workers' struggles
Not only the earth, but also the workers were exploited underground. The "new mining law" of 1860 gave entrepreneurs extensive freedoms. The situation worsened for the workers. The "miners" were dependent on the arbitrariness of their superiors, the "risers". These in turn were under pressure from the mine management. Mining performance was far more important than safety. Despite technological progress, miners had to contend with health problems caused by vibrations, noise and dust pollution.
The symbolic coffin for the closure is somewhat reminiscent of a pharaoh's sarcophagus
Hammer drill anniversary make "20000"; Flottmann-Aktiengesellschaft; Herne, 1911. The hammer drill was subsequently very poorly chrome-plated. The coating is now peeling off over a large area
While some of the managers made the leap to the upper middle classes and political office, the standard of living of the workers hardly improved. And this despite the fact that the efforts and dangers in underground mines were becoming ever greater. Strikes were the result. In the desperate struggle for their rights, they appealed to the emperor as the supreme "lord of the mines" and formed trade unions. This struggle of the workers takes up a considerable amount of space in the museum. The miners' strikes in the Ruhr area in 1889, 1905 and 1912 remained unique in the German Empire due to the large number of strikers and the intensity of the confrontations. The uprising of 1889 is seen as a turning point in the labor movement. The miners organized themselves into trade unions, both for mutual support and to demonstrate unity and strength.
Further conflicts arose after the First World War. Workers demanded the six-hour working day in mining. Important developments in the trade union movement and social policy thus began in the mining districts. When the National Socialists came to power, the trade unions were smashed and the workforce was brought into line.
Remains of the trunk of a scale tree from the Carboniferous period. Approx. 306 million years old
"Through work to victory!" - The dark years
In both world wars, mining and the downstream industry were used for propaganda. "Through work to victory! Through victory to peace!" shows a poster from 1918. Another poster presents a Krupp gun that destroyed the positions in Liège on August 5, 1914. The gun later became known as "Fat Bertha". The poster is emblazoned with the words "The secret of Liège" and "Our bombing success" in large letters.
During the Second World War, mining in the Ruhr region played a decisive role in the war effort. Coal hydrogenation in particular was an important technology that was used extensively at the time.
Coal hydrogenation was a process for the production of synthetic fuel based on the conversion of coal into liquid fuels. In view of the depleted oil reserves and the blockade by the Allies, alternative fuel sources became of crucial importance for the German Reich. The coal-rich Ruhr region was an ideal location for coal hydrogenation plants.
These plants produced synthetic fuels, in particular aviation gasoline and diesel fuel. However, coal hydrogenation had its challenges. The technology was resource and energy intensive and required large quantities of coal as well as hydrogen. Despite these obstacles, this technology was instrumental in maintaining the German Reich's fuel supply.
Coal was an essential energy source for German industry and was used for steel production and to supply heating and power stations. In addition, numerous forced laborers and prisoners of war were deployed in the mines of the Ruhr area to maintain production.
Model of a submersible pump for mine water
Above ground - underground
What tourists see of mining in the Ruhr region are the winding towers and colliery buildings. But these only play a minor role for the miners. Underneath them lies the huge network of roadways and winding paths underground.
Over the course of time, the sinking of deep mine shafts has presented particular challenges due to the ingress of water. Sinking is the process of deepening or excavating a shaft or pit into the ground in order to extract mineral resources such as coal, ore or salt. Deep shafts are shafts that are sunk to great depths in order to access the mineral resources there.
Shaft sinking refers to the actual process of lowering a drilling rig or other equipment into the ground to construct the shaft. From 1910 onwards, the ground was cooled before this process to freeze the water contained in the surrounding soil, which made sinking easier and prevented water from entering the shaft.
Shovel loader in the demonstration mine
The mining of the coal seams in the Ruhr area led to a far-reaching lowering of the ground level, which had a particular impact on the course of the Emscher. Today, Essen's main railway station is even 15 meters below the level of the Rhine. During mining, cracks appeared in building walls, particularly in the areas of the saddles and hollows, which are known as mining damage. In addition, near-surface cavities such as unfilled shafts and trenches still pose a danger today. It was not until the Prussian Mining Act of 1865 that mine operators were obliged to map their mining areas and report them to the Higher Mining Authority. In the post-war period, illegal mining was carried out in some places, leaving behind undocumented cavities.
Even today, mine water is still pumped out on a large scale, which leads to a further lowering of the groundwater level. This mine water is toxic and must be pumped below the groundwater level to prevent contamination of drinking water. Almost a fifth of the Ruhr area lies below the actual groundwater level due to mining and requires continuous dewatering measures. Overcoming these challenges is a long-term task that is being coordinated by the RAG-Stiftung.
The former colliery sites are often contaminated with various pollutants, such as hydraulic oils in the machine halls or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and benzene on the coking plant sites.
Hands-on technology: More modern equipment can also be explored here
The decline
After the Second World War, the Ruhr mining industry played a decisive role in the economic and political development of the Federal Republic of Germany, although it initially had to contend with challenges. While the mines had only suffered minor war damage, housing in the Ruhr area was largely destroyed and the supply situation was catastrophic. Recruiting workers proved difficult, as there was a shortage of miners after the liberation of the forced laborers and the food situation impaired production output.
The unresolved ownership situation delayed urgently needed investments. The Allies initially transferred the organization of mining in the Ruhr to German institutions. However, the French government feared a loss of control over the Ruhr and pushed for a European solution. The creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was ultimately the political response. The ECSC - also known as the Coal and Steel Community - was founded in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris and was one of the first supranational organizations in Europe. Its aim was to coordinate and control coal and steel production in the member states in order to help secure peace and economic development in Europe. The ECSC initially comprised six member states: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Today, the organization is regarded as the cornerstone for the further development of the European Union (EU) and its institutions, which today play a central role in European politics and the economy.
In the years that followed, the Ruhr mining industry experienced a period of upswing, reaching a peak of almost 125 million tons of hard coal in 1956. Despite the high physical strain, miners' wages were attractive and the profession was considered desirable. The immigration of displaced persons and later guest workers shaped the population structure.
The increasing demand for energy could not be met by domestic coal production, which is why coal had to be imported from the USA and other countries. At the same time, crude oil entered the market as a new energy source. The introduction of modern extraction methods and the modernization of plants were intended to increase efficiency, but increasing competition and falling demand led to sales problems.
As early as 1958, stockpiles had to be created and the closure of mines began. The German government rejected protectionist measures in favor of the Ruhr mining industry. Despite rationalization measures, sales could not be stabilized and the crisis worsened.
Mechanized mining was supposed to increase efficiency, but the coal crisis led to the closure of numerous mines. One example is explained using iron ore extraction in the demonstration mine. The ore contains only around 30 % iron, whereas elsewhere it is 60 % or higher. In addition, it has to be mined underground at great expense in Germany, whereas in other countries it can be extracted much more cheaply in open-cast mines. In 2018, hard coal subsidies were ended by the Federal Republic of Germany. The last German hard coal was handed over to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a closing ceremony on December 21 of the same year.
A small part of the impressive art exhibition
Art and depth
An impressive amount of space in the museum is taken up by art relating to mining. Here you will find sculptures, beautiful paintings with mining motifs, porcelain and much more. The art exhibition impressively illustrates the extent to which artists were inspired by the mining industry and underlines its impact on the region. The tradition has now turned into folklore and can be seen not only in everyday life, but especially in sports that are deeply rooted in mining - such as at Schalke.
All in all, the German Mining Museum ensures that visitors are drawn deep into history. Audio guide tours explain the terms, and you can hear the sounds of work and miners' songs in the background. In the well-ventilated demonstration mine, the smells, the rippling water and a certain oppressive confinement are added to the experience. In the historical context, you sometimes get the feeling that you are in a deeply hidden burial chamber of a pharaoh. A chamber in which the former "King of Mining" lies buried. A monarch who made the Ruhr region what it is today. He fed the people, gave them prospects and hope.
After the visit - for which you should plan at least half a day - you will understand the soul of this region. The respect for honest, hard work, colloquially known as "Maloche", the fight for workers' rights and the deep longing for better times with secure jobs. One understands the changing feelings of pride and melancholy as well as the direct but cordial nature of the people, for which the Ruhr region is also known. In view of the history, it even fills the visitor with deep respect when you read "born on coal" on the walls of houses.
Note: You can find out much more about mining and metal extraction in GTFY No. 25, which is enclosed with this issue of Galvanotechnik.
