Göttelborn Coal Mine

when the Göttelborn coal mine was founded in 1887, 13 miners, supervised by an overman and a mine inspector, went to work. With the addition of a mine railway station, a steam boiler plant, a pithead building, a horse stable, a workshop, an inspection building, and officials´ dwellings, the image of the mine would change rapidly over the next seven years. By September 1900, the workforce had already increased to 1500 men. In the mid 1970s, the Göttelborn coal mine appeared in a whole different, modern light with a remodelled pithead building, a new bath in black & white, a new coffee-kitchen, a renovated mines rescue centre, and a new fire station. In 1987, only five day shafts with nine seams were still working. That year, a commemorative publication marked the 100-year existence of the Göttelborn coal mine. Under the heading Future Prospects you could read: Altogether, the future of coal does not look so bright anymore (...) good prospects are, however, being predicted for Göttelborn. It is considered to be the second most profitable coal mine in Europe with still enough mining reserves.

And so, visible from afar, the modern pithead (mine shaft IV, erected in 1997), Europe´s mightiest towers above the surrounding region like a memorial of hope. But coal mining history took a different turn. Not even collaborative efforts with the Reden coal mine could save Göttelborn from closing its gates. What will happen to the terrain, or rather, how can it be reanimated with new life? The IKS - Industriekultur Saar GmbH, a local association dedicated to preserving industrial culture, has been contemplating this same question since 2001. Within a 10-year period, the IKS wants to offer groundbreaking perspectives to modern and innovative enterprises at this future location. With work and residence in each other´s immediate proximity, Göttelborn will set new standards for an improved quality of life