Große Burg Mine, Altenseelbach, Neunkirchen, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Arnsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germanyi

Regional Level Types
Große Burg Mine	Mine (Built Over)
Altenseelbach	Village
Neunkirchen	Town
Siegen-Wittgenstein	District
Arnsberg	Administrative District
North Rhine-Westphalia	State
Germany	Country

Siderite veins with Pb-Cu-Zn mineralization, hosted by Devonian schists. Located near Altenseelbach, about 11 km SSW of Siegen.

Translation of the German Wikipedia page (see link below):

The Große Burg mine was located in the Altenseelbach district, a district of the municipality of Neunkirchen in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district. It was one of the most important in the Freien Grund region and the largest in the Altenseelbach district.

Veins

Before the consolidation in 1917, the mine's veins consisted solely of the veins of the Alte Burg, Neue Burg, and Burg mines.

The three veins of the Lohmannsfeld mine contained mainly spar iron ore intergrown with quartz, galena, and sphalerite, with minor occurrences of chalcopyrite and pyrite. These veins were

the Mannseifer vein, 25 to 50 m long,
the Lohmann vein, 25–50 m long, and
the Wilhelmstrost vein, 20–45 m long.

In addition to the veins, the Junger Lohmann, Kreutzgang, and Kupfertrumm veins occurred as vein debris and were quite insignificant. 100 kg of mined lead ore contained an average of 30–108 g, rarely up to 150 g, of silver.

The Gute Hoffnung mine had two veins, each up to 60 m long, and divided into an eastern and a western vein. The veins were between one and two meters thick and filled with spar iron ore containing lead and zinc ores. As they went deeper, the thickness decreased to 0.7 to 1 m. The Silberart mine had a 16 m long, 0.8 to 1 m thick vein made of sphalerite and a second vein with a length of 12 m and a thickness of 0.3 to 0.5 m.

History

The Große Burg mine was formed on August 29, 1838, from the Alte Burg, Neue Burg, and Burg mines. An experimental tunnel was constructed. Between 1880 and 1885, 424 tons of sphalerite and 149 tons of lead ore were mined.

In 1910, a tunnel collapsed several meters deep, killing four miners. In 1911, the mine decided to purchase parts of the cable car at Pfannenberger Einigkeit, which was no longer needed. In 1917, the mine consolidated with Lohmannsfeld, Gute Hoffnung, and Silberart. However, no more ore was mined until 1923.

Deep mining at Lohmannsfeld

The Mannseifen Shaft was sunk in the Lohmannsfeld mine from 1860 onwards and had a depth of 419 m. At the same time, a blind shaft was sunk in the middle of Wilhelmstrost to a depth of 137 m. The total depth of the mine was 895 m and was accessible via a blind shaft (the first level was the 350 m level). The shaft was equipped with a 14 hp steam engine and three water-removal machines, two of which were 40 hp above ground and one 32 hp underground. Production took place via the mine's deep gallery. The following levels of the mine are known: 130 m, 160 m, 200 m, 230 m, 270 m, 310 m, 350 m, 390 m, 430 m, 480 m, 530 m, 580 m, 630 m, 680 m, 730 m, 780 m, and 840 m.

There were plans to sink the shaft to a depth of 1,500 meters and thus continue mining ore for another 15 years, but these plans were never realized. The ore was then to be transported via the Silberart tunnel to the Gold mine and then to the San Fernando mine in Herdorf.

Golden Age and End

Year Production
1875 68 t
1881 310 t
1884 310 t
1891 116 t
1923 15,500 t
1925 22,500 t
1927 43,500 t
1930 35,500 t
1931 51,000 t
1934 700 t
1936 2,800 t
1938 4,000 t
1940 41,500 t
1943 70,258 t
1944 35,500 t
1945 -

In 1932, an attempt was made to build a 1.5 km long crosscut to the Knappschaftsglück mine in Neunkirchen, but the project was abandoned in 1935. One year later, the Siegen Flotation Company took over operation of the mine. It reached its peak in the 1940s, producing 70,258 tons of iron ore in 1943. A tunnel was used to develop the upper part of the mine. Ore mining ceased in 1945, and it was finally shut down in 1959. 576,483 tons of iron ore were mined from the mine, including 799,969 tons from Lohmannsfeld. In 1953, the mine was incorporated into Erzbergbau Siegerland AG, which later conducted investigations in the mine area. However, mining never resumed. The ore processing plant was demolished in 1962.

Flotation Plant

A flotation plant was built in 1925 and was in operation until 1955. Between 1935 and 1952, 12,309 tons of zinc, 3,902 tons of lead, and 4,643 tons of copper were mined here, as well as 2.5 tons of silver per year and several tens of kilograms of gold per year. In 1951 and 1952, the tailings from the surrounding Ludwigseck, Gleiskaute, Junger Löwe, and Silberart mines were processed. From 1952 onward, tailings from mines such as Anxbach near Neuwied were processed.

Consolidation Mines

Alte Burg, re-granted in 1880; Production in 1867: 1.6 t of sphalerite

Gute Hoffnung, awarded before 1885. In 1885, 26 t of zinc ore and 16 t of lead ore were mined through a 1,008 m long deep tunnel and a small machine shaft. A wet mechanical processing plant was located on the tunnel dump. This consisted of an ore wash with separation drums and hand-separating screens. There were also two upper tunnels. The mine was created from a consolidation with the Carl, Friedensfürst, Silberquelle, and Gute Hoffnung III mines. The veins consisted of two up to 60 m long and 1–2.5 m thick channels filled with spar iron ore containing lead and zinc.

Lohmannsfeld, awarded around 1700

Silberart am Hohenseelbachskopf, awarded around 1855; closed in 1880. The deep tunnel in the Seelbach valley was built in the 1850s and had a length of 380 m.

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grube_Gro%C3%9Fe_Burg
Wikidata ID:	Q1377963

Localities in this Region

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References