Erzgrube Diepenlinchen

The History of the Diepenlinchen Mine

The name Diepenlinchen is derived from the local dialect "Diepe Linche," which translates to "Deep Shafts" in high German. In fact, the main complex of the mine has a depth of 382 m, making it more than twice as deep as the shafts of the surrounding mines. The mine was opened in 1809, still under French annexation. Previously, surface-level galena had already been extracted by the Romans and in the 17th and 18th centuries through open-pit mining, later via shallow workings and stoping.

Due to the immensely high influx of water and inadequate water management, mining operations had to be halted before reaching the 80 m level. It wasn't until the 1840s that operations resumed after significant technical and financial efforts by the new owners, namely the "Metallurgical Society of Stolberg" (76.6% share) and the "Eschweiler Mining Association" (23.4%). In addition to many other operational points, the mine was operated through the following shafts: Main hoisting shaft at 356 m depth, haulage shaft at 350 m depth, Wittmann shaft (water management) at 382 m depth, Blum shaft (water management) at 382 m depth, and Frosch shaft (ventilation shaft). Below the "Old Man," an area completely disturbed by pre-industrial mining starting from a depth of 67 m, mining progressively went deeper over the years.
In 1919, the mine was closed, officially due to a strike by the miners, but in reality due to the costs of water management. However, the processing of the old spoil heaps continued above ground until 1942. To recover the ores still remaining in the spoil heaps, the rock was finely crushed using the flotation process and mixed with water to create a slurry.

By blowing in air, the physical differences of the ores compared to the waste rock were utilized. Since the ores have different surface wettability than the gangue, the ore particles adhere to the air bubbles and can be skimmed off as ore-rich foam at the surface. However, the particles of the surrounding rock sink to the bottom. What remains is a fine sand/clay mixture, which is discarded as spoil. Above the glider airfield, one can still distinctly see this spoil heap. However, most of it has been covered and planted to prevent wind erosion.

(Text: Jens Mieckley)