A chilling premonition, a shared glance, a whispered “Glück Auf”. That’s how it might have begun for the 25 miners who descended into the Zeche Fürst Hardenberg on December 21, 1882. Little did they know they would never see the light of day again. Here, before the Ehren- und Grabmal für die Opfer des Grubenunglücks am 21. Dezember 1882 auf Zeche Fürst Hardenberg Obelisk, we remember them. This unassuming stone obelisk, erected in November 1883 by the Gewerkschaft der Zeche ver. Stein & Hardenberg, speaks volumes. The inscription, a stark reminder of the tragedy, reads “Glück Auf!/ Den braven Bergleuten/ die am 21. Decbr. 1882/ auf Fürst Hardenberg/ durch Sturz in den Schacht/ infolge Seilbruchs/ verunglückten/ gewidmet”. Imagine the scene: the miners, having just wished each other good luck, crammed into the Förderkorb, the mining cage that would transport them to the coalface. The weight of the men, perhaps too many that day, strained the hoisting cable. Suddenly, a snap, the cable gives way, and the cage plunges into the darkness. The Ehren- und Grabmal für die Opfer des Grubenunglücks am 21. Dezember 1882 auf Zeche Fürst Hardenberg Obelisk stands as a testament to their sacrifice, a symbol of the ever-present dangers that miners faced daily in the pursuit of the black gold that fueled the Ruhr’s industrial heart. The Zeche Fürst Hardenberg, later merged with Zeche Minister Stein, was a key player in Dortmund’s mining history. Its story, however, is marred by this tragedy. The obelisk’s simple design, its height of merely three meters, reflects the miners’ humble lives. It also speaks of the immense grief that engulfed their families and the community. The Ehren- und Grabmal für die Opfer des Grubenunglücks am 21. Dezember 1882 auf Zeche Fürst Hardenberg Obelisk serves not just as a gravestone, but as a memorial, a cautionary tale, a place of quiet reflection on the human cost of industrial progress. We remember them.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to