Photo: Cesar von Meissen
Prinz Friedrich colliery - area east of Baldeneysee
The Prinz Friedrich colliery on the eastern edge of the Baldeneysee in Essen-Kupferdreh was a mine at the height of mining in the Ruhr Valley. Unlike the neighboring Carl Funke and Pörtingsiepen collieries, Prinz Friedrich was only in operation for a very short time: operations began in 1923 and are dated to have ended in 1931. The colliery produced hard coal. Today, the colliery site on the Deilbach has almost been renaturalized and redeveloped. Only a few old company buildings, which have been repaired and converted, remain.
Beginnings and development
The later, southern part of the Prinz Friedrich colliery was acquired by the Altendorf trade union in 1908, which allowed a small amount of production from leasing companies. In 1920, a new shaft was opened east of the later Lake Baldeney in the southern part of the Altendorf Tiefbau colliery, the Prinz Friedrich shaft. However, this in turn only went into operation three years later in 1923. The original plan was to sink a second shaft, but this was not realized as it was not considered economical in the overall development of the mine.
Connection to Zeche Carl Funke
As early as 1928, the output was already in sharp decline and two years later, in 1930, it was shut down completely. The colliery was therefore only used as a syndicate shaft, i.e. it only ensured participation in the coal syndicate of the time. After the new Carl Funke II shaft was completed, the Prinz Friedrich colliery was connected to it. From then on, mining was shifted to Carl Funke via a connecting line and from 1931 onwards it was operated entirely as the Carl Funke III rope shaft. After Carl Funke was shut down, the shaft was backfilled and the winding system was demolished and completely removed in 1973.
Renaturation and restoration
As a result, the entire facility was shut down. The remaining buildings on the site were extensively renovated and repaired at the beginning of the 21st century. Nowadays, the brick buildings are used for commercial purposes and the area is known as the Prinz Friedrich industrial estate. The science park and Steinbeis University are housed in the former colliery dormitory. At the end of Prinz-Friedrich-Straße, the "Freie Akademie der bildenden Künste" is located in the former, restored and converted workshops of the colliery. The stately brick building, one of the last witnesses to the Prinz Friedrich colliery, is also home to the "Bistro KU28". At the old Kupferdreh railroad station there is also a trolley that tells the story of the Prinz Friedrich colliery.
