Have you ever imagined a place where coal dust once danced in the air? Welcome to Menglinghausen. This Dortmund suburb hides a rich history. Menglinghausen’s story begins long ago in 1350. Records mention Henrikes van Mengerinchusen in the Dortmund archives. The name itself is a fascinating clue. It might mean ‘houses of Meingër’s people’. Over the centuries Menglinghausen grew. It was part of the Kirchspiel Eichlinghofen. It belonged to the Amt Hörde in the County of Mark. In 1486 tax records show five landowners. They paid between two and six gold guilders. This reveals the modest scale of early Menglinghausen.
The Industrial Revolution transformed Menglinghausen. It became a significant mining area. Numerous small mines operated here. These were eventually consolidated by the Gewerkschaft Louise Tiefbau. Today only a slag heap remains. It’s a silent witness to a bustling past. The Menglinghauser Zeche Holthausen was an early mine. Founded in 1834 it combined the Schönfelder Erbstollen and Frischgewagter Erbstollen. This mine and others formed the Kaiser Friedrich deep mine. This major enterprise was established in 1871. It employed nearly 1500 workers by 1913. It even boasted a coke oven with 200 ovens. A benzol factory was added in 1913. A connection to the Louise mine existed since 1913.
The Kaiser Friedrich mine sadly closed in 1925. This was part of a larger decline in Dortmund’s coal industry. Around 3600 people lost their jobs. The mine flooded. Only the coke oven remained for a while. Even that was closed by 1930. Today the former wash house of the coke oven stands. It’s on the grounds of a pony farm. A lake formed in the 1950s from mining subsidence. This is a stark reminder of Menglinghausen’s mining legacy.
Menglinghausen’s transformation from mining area to residential suburb is complete. It’s a quiet place now. A mix of houses from various eras stand on its streets. Modern homes sit alongside older ones. Many families have made Menglinghausen their home. It’s quiet today but the echoes of its mining past are tangible. Look around. You are surrounded by history. A history that is far from over.