Förderverein Bergbauhistorischer Stätten Ruhrrevier e.V.

About the association

The Förderverein Bergbauhistorischer Stätten Ruhrrevier e.V. (Association for the Preservation of Historic Mining Sites in the Ruhr Mining Region) is a registered association that works on a voluntary basis to preserve and communicate the mining history of the Ruhr region. The association maintains historic mining sites and excavates and secures old adits, including the adit systems of the Schleifmühle and Graf Wittekind collieries in Dortmund-Syburg, which since 1997 have formed a visitor mine officially recognized by the NRW Mining Authority. There, underground mine tours are offered in which visitors can experience how hard coal was mined around 300 years ago. In addition, the association builds and maintains mining hiking trails with information panels in several cities of the Ruhr area, operates an archive with more than 250,000 digitized records, publishes a book series, and organizes lectures and events such as the St. Barbara celebration, the mining forum and the Muttental festival. The association's address is located at the Zechenhaus Herberholz in the Muttental in Witten. Working groups in Dortmund, Sprockhövel, Herne and other cities carry out the work locally; the association also supports students with their final theses.

Site

Zechenhaus Herberholz, Witten

Processes

Maintenance of historic mining sites, Mining hiking trails with information panels, Underground mine tours in the Graf Wittekind visitor mine, Restoration and rehabilitation of historic adits, Publications and book series, Archive (digitization, >250,000 records), Lectures and events (e.g. St. Barbara celebration, mining forum, Muttental festival), Support for students with final theses

Materials

Maintenance of historic mining sites, Mine tours, Mining hiking trails, Archive and digitization, Book series and publications

Certificates

Visitor mine recognition (NRW Mining Authority)

Industries

Mining history / Heritage protection, Education / Culture

1. 01

   Excavation and restoration of historic adits

2. 02

   Installation of information panels and mining hiking trails

3. 03

   Maintenance of historic mining sites

4. 04

   Underground mine tours

5. 05

   Documentation in the archive

6. 06

   Publications and events

Areas of activity

Locations

Witten – Zechenhaus Herberholz

DE

Association address and association center in the Muttental

Dortmund-Syburg – Graf Wittekind Visitor Mine

DE

Visitor mine with underground mine tours

Offerings

Inside the production

Cooperations and funding

The adit systems of the Schleifmühle and Graf Wittekind collieries have been a visitor mine recognized by the NRW Mining Authority since 1997. Funding such as the NRW reconstruction aid and grants from the state of NRW confirm the institutional recognition of the association's work.

History

1. 1986

   The Dortmund working group began excavating and restoring old adits; construction of the Syburg mining hiking trail on a self-help basis

2. 1992

   Official inauguration of the Syburg mining hiking trail by Lord Mayor Günter Samtlebe

3. 1997

   Recognition of the adit systems of the Schleifmühle and Graf Wittekind collieries as a visitor mine by the NRW Mining Authority

4. 2022

   Restoration of the horse gin in Westfalenpark (participation of the Dortmund working group) completed

5. 2023

   EUR 207,000 in funding from the NRW reconstruction aid approved for the Zechenhaus Herberholz

6. 2024

   Foundation of the Herne working group; relocation of the association's address to the Zechenhaus Herberholz

7. 2025

   Award of the Gelsenkirchen Volunteer Prize to Karlheinz Rabas; 1st Herne Mining Forum