Dreislar Mine, Dreislar, Medebach, Hochsauerlandkreis, Arnsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germanyi

Regional Level Types
Dreislar Mine	Mine (Tourist Attraction)
Dreislar	Municipal District
Medebach	Town
Hochsauerlandkreis	District
Arnsberg	Administrative District
North Rhine-Westphalia	State
Germany	Country

A baryte mine, owned by the Sachtleben Bergbau GmbH. The mine worked two main veins, accompanied by numerous veinlets and hosted by silicified greywackes and clay schists of the Kulm facies.

The deposit was first worked in 1870, in search for lead, zinc and copper ores, but abandoned soon after.

After the first world war, efforts were undertaken to develop it on a larger scale, but they came to a halt during the economic crisis of the 1920s.

The mine finally started work in the mid-1950s, when the prices for baryte were rising.

Prior to the closing of the mine in 2007, the deposit was explored to a depth of around 400 m.

Located west of Dreislar and about 20 km SE of Winterberg.

The first documented mention of mining activities in Dreislar dates back to 1777. Johann Adam Florenz Pape from Meschede began searching for iron ore. The rights later passed to the Grafschaft monastery. In 1847, Rudolf Graf von Spee, the owner of the former Glindfeld monastery estate, acquired the rights. His attempts to revive copper and iron ore mining were unsuccessful. In 1870, the rights passed to the Count of Stolberg, without there being any revival in mining. In 1909, the mining rights were acquired by Deutsche Baryt-Industrie Dr. Rudolf Alberti. This company was no longer looking for iron ore but wanted to mine baryte for the chemical industry. The First World War interrupted mining, which did not resume until 1920. Construction began on a narrow-gauge railway to Liesen to transport the extracted material and waste. The route and a small tunnel were already finished, but when work was stopped in 1923, the railway remained uncompleted. Dreislar was also electrified by the Alberti company. Due to the effects of inflation, operations came to a halt again in 1923.

Alberti sold the mining rights and the operating facilities to IG Farben AG and the Sachtleben company in 1925. Mining operations were not initially resumed.

It was only the increased demand for baryte after the Second World War that made mining profitable again. Sachtleben began mining the mineral on a larger scale in 1957. In the decades that followed, the mine became the most modern of its kind in Europe. At the end of the day, 27,000 tons of saleable baryte products were mined each year. The deposit consisted of two main veins and several side veins. The vein thickness was 2–10 m. Mining was stopped in 2007 after the deposit was exhausted.

The entrance to the mine was filled in to prevent vandalism.

Since 2001, there have been discussions about setting up a baryte museum in the town's former school. The concept was supported by EU funding, among others. The museum was officially opened in August 2008. In addition to the work underground, it displays a mineral collection.

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwerspatbergwerk_Dreislar
Wikidata ID:	Q2257206

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References