Schachthaus


A Schachthaus (shaft house) is a building erected above the shaft opening that was used for various purposes. Alternative names are Treibehaus, Schachthäuschen, Schachtgebäude and Schachtkaue. There is no English or international term for it because it was only common in German mining, shaft house is a literal translation.

It makes a lot of sense to build a roof over the shaft opening of a mine for several reasons. Firstly, the miners working there are protected from the weather, then this weather protection increases the durability of the technical equipment, and finally it prevents rainwater from falling into the shaft. In fact, the main problem of medieval mining was the water in the mine, as it had to be pumped out at great expense. So it made sense to prevent it from getting in at all. They were also used to temporarily store the mined ore. Rainwater was not good for the ore, because it oxidized, and when it was wet it was harder to transport and more difficult to smelt.

A shaft house or at least a hut has to be built over every shaft, whether it was large or small, to protect it from rain and snow.
- Veith 1871

The early hand reels above the shaft were already protected by a reel hut. The first shaft houses were made of wood, later they were built as half-timbered or stone buildings. The size and type of construction depended on the dimensions and purpose of the shaft. Of course, they are only one part of the buildings at the shaft, they were initially built in connection with a whim. The two buildings were either joined together or neighbouring and connected by a gabled roof. Later they were connected to a headframe and the machine hall. The logical further development was the MineMalakowturm.

Today, the preserved shaft houses are often part of a show mine. Some of them are used as museums. Some have been converted into restaurants or hotels.