Zollern II/IV Colliery [before 1955]
LWL-Museum Zeche Zollern
Dortmund
LWL-Museum Zeche Zollern
Making real money with coal - the magnificent Zollern II/IV colliery of Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks AG (GBAG), which at times also operated in the Sauer and Siegerland regions, provides the best proof of this. For visitors - past and present - the hard labor hides behind an overwhelming "Castle of Labor" anno 1903. The highlight is the imposing machine hall with numerous art nouveau elements ...
The construction of the model colliery has geological reasons: Zollern II/IV is intended to develop the "Westfeld", separated from the 30 years older Zollern I/III mine by a geological disruption of coal-bearing layers. GBAG takes the opportunity to underline its importance as Germany's then largest mining group with yet another representative facility. In just three years, from 1901 to 1904, the company's architect Paul Knobbe puts this project into practice with lavishly decorated Historicist-style façades. The steel-framed machine hall is designed by the Berlin based architect Bruno Möhring. With the ornate portal and coloured windows in the Art Nouveau style, he creates a facade that is unique in industrial architecture.
Customers of the coal mined at Zollern II/IV include the Huesten Union (Hüstener Gewerkschaft) in the Sauerland region, an industrial conglomerate of coking plants, rolling mills and steelworks, which GBAG acquires in 1916. Another buyer is Hüttenwerke Siegerland, which specialises in sheet metal products. They are part of United Steelworks AG, which merges GBAG with other coal and steel companies in 1926.
The fact that the Zollern colliery merely remains an average "family pit" notwithstanding its splendid construction and state-of-the-art technology is due to various design errors. The halls, for example, prove too small for the installation of a mine car circulation system. Thanks to the site's insignificance, the original architecture remains virtually unchanged, making the facility a pioneer of modern German industrial monument preservation. Its inaugural event is generally considered to be the 30th December 1969 – the day the machine hall is listed as a historic monument.
Among the customers for the coal mined at Zollern II/IV was the Hüstener Gewerkschaft in the Sauerland region, an industrial conglomerate of coking plants, rolling mills and steel mills, which GBAG acquired in 1916. It also supplies Hüttenwerke Siegerland, which specializes in sheet metal products. They are part of Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG, which GBAG merges with other steel companies in 1926.
The fact that the Zollern colliery remains only an average "family pile" despite its splendid construction and state-of-the-art technology is due to various planning errors. For example, the halls proved to be too small to install a wagon circulation system. Thanks to the insignificance of the location, the original architecture experiences hardly any changes, making the site a pioneer of modern German industrial monument preservation. December 30, 1969, is generally regarded as the date on which the machine hall was listed as a historic monument.
Steel Time Travel Destinations Nearby
The "Steel Time Travelers" Luise & Alfred: LWL-Museum Zeche Zollern
Lu:
Do you actually know the Hohenzollern - or only steel barons and cannon kings? ...
Al: Blue blood is not mine - in my veins flows red, pulsating, glowing steel!
Lu: A little more respect for the ruling class would do you good! I suggest to ennoble a mine with a princely name!
Al: ... and build a castle instead of a machine hall? With golden door handles and ornate turrets and staircases?
Lu: Yes! - Why not? Can't a place of work also be beautiful - aesthetic and modern?
Al: Bells and whistles - all just fashionable pretense! Form follows function - everything has to be practical, profitable and safe!
Lu: But after all, the eye eats with you. See and be seen! You should also go with the times and set monuments to your work!
Visitor information
Address:
Grubenweg 5
44388 Dortmund
Phone: 0231/6961211
zeche-zollern@lwl.org
www.zeche-zollern.lwl.org
Opening hours:
Tue-Sun/Holidays: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
