Photo: Cesar von Meissen
Prinz Friedrich Colliery – Area east of Baldeneysee
The Prince Friedrich Colliery on the eastern edge of the Baldeneysee In Essen-Kupferdreh, during the heyday of mining in the Ruhr Valley, there was a coal mine. Unlike the neighboring collieries. Carl Funke and Pörtingsiepen The Prinz Friedrich coal mine had a very short operating period: it began operations in 1923 and closed in 1931. The mine produced hard coal. The mine site on the Deilbach stream has now been almost entirely renaturalized and redeveloped. Only a few old industrial buildings, which have been repaired and repurposed, remain.
Beginnings and development
The later, southern part of the Prinz Friedrich colliery was acquired by the Altendorf mining company in 1908, which permitted a small production volume to be carried out by leaseholders. In 1920, a new shaft, the Prinz Friedrich shaft, was opened east of the later Baldeneysee shaft in the southern part of the Altendorf Tiefbau colliery. However, this shaft did not go into operation until three years later, in 1923. Originally, the sinking of a second shaft was planned, but this was not implemented, as it was deemed uneconomical in the overall development of the colliery.
Connection to Zeche Carl Funke
As early as 1928, production had declined sharply, and two years later, in 1930, it was shut down completely. The mine then served only as a syndicate shaft, securing its participation in the coal syndicate. After the completion of the new Carl Funke II shaft, the Prinz Friedrich mine was connected to it. From then on, coal was transported via a connecting tunnel to Carl Funke and, from 1931, operated entirely as the Carl Funke III man-riding shaft. After the closure of Carl Funke, the shaft was filled in, and the winding engine was dismantled and completely removed in 1973.
Renaturation and restoration
Subsequently, the entire facility was shut down. The remaining buildings on the site underwent extensive renovation and restoration at the beginning of the 21st century. Today, the brick buildings are used for commercial purposes, and the area is known as the Prinz Friedrich Business Park. The former miners' dormitory now houses a science park and the Steinbeis University. At the end of Prinz-Friedrich-Straße, the former, restored, and converted workshops of the mine contain the Free Academy of Fine Arts. The stately brick building, one of the last remaining vestiges of the Prinz Friedrich mine, also houses the Bistro KU28. A mine cart, remnant of the Prinz Friedrich mine, also stands at the old Kupferdreh train station.
