Conveyor and Shaft of the Albertsgrube

At this point is the so-called machine shaft of the Albertsgrube. In the background, remnants of the foundation of the mine house can still be seen, where the steam engine was located, which operated the extraction and water management. The actual shaft is about 5 m to the left of this. From here, the 60 m, 90 m, 110 m, 120 m, 130 m, and 138 m levels of the mine were developed. The majority of the drainage seems to have occurred via the 60 m level, which still drains into the source stream via the "Deep Tunnel." The Albertsgrube was applied for in 1838 as a concession for lead, zinc, and iron by Albert Ostländer (Werth) and the widow J.W. Heinen (Hastenrath), and it was approved in 1840. Ostländer operated under his first name as the namesake of the mine. The Albertsgrube was developed via the "Deep Tunnel" on April 14, 1840. In 1859, the mine was expanded to 7 levels, and the machine shaft became the central shaft of the mine. By 1910, these ore deposits must have been exhausted, as after that, only the Kuckucksgang area was mined until the mine's closure in 1917. All above-ground buildings were demolished by 1919. There are no records regarding the filling condition of the shafts, including the machine shaft. Oral traditions attest to the use of the partly still open shafts as garbage dumps until after World War II. Only a few indications of fines from 1923 for unfilled shafts have been found so far. The "Deep Tunnel" was filled with concrete in 2019 upon the decision of the mining authority.

Water Management: The ore-bearing veins in the limestone were also always water-bearing. To drain the mine, a water management tunnel was created, allowing the mine waters to flow off as deep in the valley as possible.

The steam engine for water management had to raise the waters from the lower levels only to the height of the water management tunnel, in this case, to the 60 m level. Given the cessation of operations, it can be considered certain that today the tunnels and veins below this level are submerged.
(Text: Jens Mieckley)