Friedrich-August-Schacht

Deep beneath the bustling streets of Potschappel, a hidden world awaits. The Friedrich-August-Schacht whispers tales of ambition, industry, and ultimately, surrender. This mineshaft, sunk into the earth in 1795 by Ernst Heinrich Freiherr von Hagen, owner of the Potschappel manor, wasn’t initially intended for coal. Its primary purpose was to fuel a vitriol production plant. The Friedrich-August-Schacht plunged 78.70 meters into the earth, intersecting the first coal seam at approximately 73 meters. A thicker seam, measuring 1.40 meters, lay just four meters deeper. The mine was drained by the Potschappler Stolln, a drainage tunnel intersecting the shaft at a depth of 76.30 meters. A day drift extended from the shaft’s bottom, following the coal seam. The Friedrich-August-Schacht changed hands multiple times. In 1836, Johann Gustav Klette, the then-owner of the Potschappel manor, sold the mine and its shaft to the Potschappler Aktienverein. Despite the initial investment and the extraction of 13,984 tons of coal, the Friedrich-August-Schacht was abandoned just a year later, in 1837. Today, the Friedrich-August-Schacht stands silent. It’s a forgotten monument to a bygone era of industry. It’s a reminder of the dreams and ambitions that once thrived beneath the surface of Potschappel.