Grube Wohlfahrt

Useful Information

Location:	Rescheid near Hellenthal. A1 exit Blankenheim, B51 to Dahlem, turn right to Rescheid.
Open:	All year daily 11, 14, 15:30. First Thu in month 19. [2006]
Fee:	Adults EUR 5, Children (5-18) EUR 2.50, Children (0-4) free, Family EUR 12. [2006]
Classification:	Lead Mine
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	T=8 °C. Tiefer Stollen: L=2.450 m.
Guided tours:	D=90 min.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:	Norbert Knauf, Karl Reger (): Dem Eifeler Blei auf der Spur, Heimatverein Rescheid, € 2,95. ()
Address:	Heimatverein Rescheid e.V., Giescheid 36, D-53940 Hellenthal, Tel: +49-2448-911140, Fax: +49-2448-637. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1543	first written mention.
1690	mines closed.
1790	reopened.
1839	concession by the industrial pioneer John Cockerill.
1847	concession by the honorary citizen of Aachen and foundr of the museum Barthold Suermondt.
1849	Suermondt founds the Commandit-Aktien-Gesellschaft von "Wohlfahrt und Glücksanfang".
1861	brewery owner and pensioner Bernhard August Wirtz buy the concession.
1877	leased to the english Continental Diamond Rock Boring Company Limited.
1885	mine Wohlfahrt empty and closed.
1893	mine Wohlfahrt and Schwalenbach connected, ore processing plant at Wohlfahrt reactivated.
1907	electricity.
1922	mine closed.
1936	reopened by Felten & Guillaume Carlswerk AG.
1941	finally closed.
03-OCT-1993	opened as a show mine.
OCT-1999	museum in the Grubenhaus inaugurated.

Geology

The lead mine near Rescheid has a 2,000 years old history. The local lead ore is very rich and so it was very early possible to process it. The ore is located in clefts, deposited by hydro-thermal convections. The most common minerals are galena and marcasite. The surrounding rocks are Devonian slates, which contain fossils.

Description

The visit of the mine starts at a building called Kaue, the old German miners term for changing room. The mine visitor get here their most important piece of equipment: a helmet. Now the Tiefer Stollen (deep adit) is entered. 800 m of the 2,450 m long tunnel is developed for the show mine.

A small side tunne is about 50 cm wide and 90 cm high. This is a historic tunnel from the 16th century. At this time such crawl tunnel were common, as they needed much less work.

The Astertgang is one of the ore bearing clefts. It is not very thick, so no huge space remain although it was mined almost completely.