Photo: Cesar von Meissen
The mine tower is a reminder of coal mining in the Ruhr region.
Where the Baldeneysee is located today, there were several coal mines, including the Zeche Carl Funke. The historic colliery tower on the north side of the Baldeneysee mine in the Heisingen district of Essen is a reminder of this formative and historically significant period of mining in the Ruhr region. The Zeche Carl Funke was a coal mine that provided employment for many local men as well as migrant workers. The Zeche Carl Funke has an interesting history that is representative of the approximately 700-year history of mining in the Ruhr region, encompassing around 1,300 collieries.
History and Building
Zeche Carl Funke traces its origins back to the Hundsnocken adit mine, which was founded in 1773. It was named in 1856 after a prominent industrialist, the mine's director. Pörtingsiepen Colliery, ...and was finally closed in 1973 after 117 years of operation. Besides the headframe, a number of colliery buildings existed on what is now the north bank of the ITP67T. Almost all of these buildings were demolished in 1984, after having been used as a film set for an episode of the crime series "Tatort".
hard coal as an economic factor
The mine, like all mines of that era, was one of the most important employers in the region. Like the other mines, Zeche Carl Funke, with its two shafts, shaped the industrial development of the Ruhr area into a major industrial center with approximately 5.5 million inhabitants. During its heyday, the mine, situated between the Ruhr River and the hillside, employed hundreds of miners and, despite its confined location, extracted large quantities of hard coal, an essential component for steel production and, above all, for energy generation. Thanks to extensive modernization at the beginning of the 20th century and the construction of a briquette factory, the mine remained profitable, while many other mines had already ceased operations.
Photo: Cesar von Meissen
Renaturation and cycle path
The colliery tower of shaft I of the Zeche Carl Funke, which still stands today, testifies to the history of this place and recalls the industrial past in the Heisingen district of Essen. Baldeneysee. Even the miners' houses have been preserved to this day. The former route of the connecting railway to Kupferdreh station with the former Railway bridge The Baldeneysee now serves as a pedestrian and cycle path. It saves detours via the Kampmann Bridge and enjoys great popularity. Part of the now renaturalized colliery site is used by an allotment garden association, as is the old gatehouse of the Zeche Carl Funke, which, besides the winding tower, is the only remaining building.
From development area to leisure destination
Although the area had developed into a leisure paradise, partly due to the construction of the Baldeneysee mine, the region's industrial past is still noticeable, also through the Zeche Carl Funke mine tower.
