Grube Düppenweiler

The Historic Copper Mine Düppenweiler is a visitor mine in the pelvic Inger district Düppenweiler.

History

The copper deposits at Weltersberg 1723 were discovered by a farmer named Junkmann when plowing. Remacle de Hauzeur, a Walloon taught little later the mine and employed up to 300 miners. These immigrants mainly from Bohemia and Saxony. His success was so great that we finally nachsagte him that he had found not only copper, but also a vein of gold. However, he had to contend with problems: After the tunnels had been driven further, penetrated so much water that a so-called Ross art - a horse- gin - had to be set up for water drainage. After a forced closure of the mine because of disputes between the Elector of Trier and the Lords of Hagen Hauzeur left probably no later than 1735 Düppenweiler.

About twenty years later, in 1757, took over after the decision of the dispute, the Lords of Hagen the mine as a fief. They leased it soon afterwards to Jean de Dauphine, who had it shut down. 1769 took Franz Georg von Zandt and his partner de Gersonne the system back in operation and met with more rich copper ore. But they were thwarted by the problem of the penetrating water. Also, the future operator of the mine could not master this difficulty. 1767, the then operator de Gerin the idea to raise by means of an atmospheric steam engine the water. His company became bankrupt but before the already delivered and semi- structured machine was ready.

Also, under the direction of Dillinger Hütte, the 1824-1828 relatively successfully operated the mine, no one came up to the rewarding bottom soles. 1916, the mine was permanently shut down, although the Dillinger Hütte still had a concession for copper mining until 1991.

Visitor Mine

In the late 20th century it was decided to make the former copper mine a visitor mine. In 1992, with sponsorship took over the sponsorship, were initially the hut bay, later made the Sello and the Hauzeurschacht accessible and built up over days a mine chapel, mouth hole and shaft enclosures and shaft house of the Hauzeurschachtes. The visitor operation began in late 1995. 1999 the second expansion section was completed, in which also the new Barbara Schacht had been made ​​available. It was followed by the reconstruction of the steam machine foundation and the establishment of an information center. About days also are seen conveyors and a rail Loren. The facilities are underground can only be visited on a guided tour through the Holy Cross shaft. Here you can learn about the wood and square expansion, mining blasting, blind shafts and the various operations of the miners.