Did you ever wonder about the ghosts of industry? Right here before us lies a silent testament to Dortmund’s rich mining past the Kaiser Friedrich Schacht Henriette. This unassuming spot in Menglinghausen holds a vital piece of the city’s history. It marks the former location of the Henriette mine’s Malakow tower a striking structure that once dominated the landscape.
The Kaiser Friedrich Schacht Henriette wasn’t just any mine. It was part of a larger complex a network of shafts and tunnels that weaved beneath the earth. Initially the Henriette mine began operation before 1831 as a simple stollen mine. Later it became part of the larger Kaiser Friedrich operation. This mine. along with the Henriette Holthausen and Hummelbank mines were united under the Gewerkschaft Baroper Steinkohlenbergwerke. However this partnership was short lived due to insolvency dissolving in 1887. The Kaiser Friedrich mine itself was established in 1888.
Imagine the bustling activity that once surrounded the Kaiser Friedrich Schacht Henriette. Thousands of miners toiled here. extracting coal to fuel the Industrial Revolution. At its peak in 1913 the mine produced an astounding 334782 tons of coal employing around 1546 workers. It was a significant contributor to Dortmund’s economy. The Kaiser Friedrich Schacht Henriette even boasted a large coke oven with 200 ovens and a benzene factory from 1913. This shows how advanced the mine was for its time. It was truly a powerhouse of production.
Sadly the mine fell victim to the widespread closure of mines in the Dortmund south in 1925. The once-thriving complex fell silent. Only the coke oven continued operation until 1930 fuelled by coal from the Minister Stein mine in Eving.
Today little remains of the impressive Kaiser Friedrich Schacht Henriette. Yet the legacy endures. The remains of the mine’s slag heap and parts of the surrounding wall still exist near the Grotenbachstrasse and Am Sporkel intersection. There’s even a small remnant of the former mine’s railway line following the Harkortshof street. The name Zeche-Kaiser-Friedrich-Strasse itself reminds us of the location. We even see the foundations of the cable car system that once transported materials along a small path that branches off from the Am Ruggen street towards the old slag heap. These fragments whisper tales of a time when Dortmund’s identity was intrinsically linked to coal. The Kaiser Friedrich Schacht Henriette serves as a poignant reminder of the area’s industrial heritage. Remember the miners the industry and the echoes of their hard work.