The Deutsch Bergbau Museum in Bochum is a combination of an actual black coal mine, the towering structure used to pull all the coal out, and a modern building that surrounds the entrance to the shafts that is full of German geological and mining history. This is a photo of miner's garb, mostly footwear and lamps, suspened from the ceiling over the entrance to the museum



We had never been in a mine before, so, as is usual, we decided to have a look. This is the oldest part of the mine - the entrance to all the other shafts. Note the clock: Underground there is no other time reference



This is no longer a functioning mine, but, one starts to get an idea of what conditions were like when it was functioning All of this support structure, lighting, and the hoses running across the ceiling for air and water are fairly modern additions. When this was dug, it was dark, cold and inhospitable. Not to mention unpainted Modern technology had since been installed to prop the shafts up and move the coal out

This complicated series of machines existed soley to keep the shaft from collapsing as the drilling machines chewed into the coal on the side of the shaft Right next to it is the conveyor belt that replaced people and mules for extracting the mined ore to the surface

This machine controlled the entire ore extraction process. How fast the conveyor belts moved, where the next train car was for pick-up, and probably who was supposed to take lunch next. In this shot, I have just successfully asked it where the heck we were. Its response was not very encouraging... "300 feet underground and on your own."

Ulla and I did actually get seperated in the mine. That was a little scary. I tend to wander off after photos and she tends to wander off after what interests her when we do these tour things. We did manage to find each other after a bit while still underground, then proceeded back to the surface,



then above it...



This tower is actually a machine. In the days before closed engines were available, this used gravity to power the ore extraction from the mine in a very clever way. I don't know what this engine is called, but, I do know that the bigger and higher it was, the more power it had. We skipped the stairs and took the elevator to the platform below the top


These photos are pictures of models the largest machines on the planet ....They are used in a different kind of mining where all the topsoil is systematically removed down to where the coal is. These machines are truly gargantuan. We'll see the real machines next at Tagebau Garzweiler

Tagebau Garzweiler
One of the biggest byproducts from burning brown coal is CO2, carbondioxide. I took several pictures of the plumes from the electric plants as we got closer

As of 2002, with all the other things on its plate, like reunification and the transportation network that goes with that, Germany gets its energy where it can. And its most reliable source, like any country's, is on, or under, its own soil. But, when I added it all up, well, mining and burning lignite didn't make much sense to me. When I considered the factors; the outright destruction of the countryside, lignite's relatively low energy output, and the pollution that's created by these electric plants, I had to wonder why the German government condoned this.

We went to have a look at Tagebau Garzweiler, and at the largest land machines in the world
These are the real machines. The models from the museum in Bochum, above, don't quite do justice to their huge scale. It is difficult to describe how immense these machines are.
One of the buckets on the wheel in front can easily scoop a metric ton or two of earth, and there are several buckets on that wheel
I took these shots from the very edge of the farmland that had been recently excavated. The drop from there down to the level where the machine is sitting is anywhere from about 60 to 100 feet
These machines take about 5 years to build, and are built on site. They work there, then they are disassembled when the ore runs out. They move under their own power, fueled by diesel oil that is supplied constantly by the lines running under the conveyor in the background. Tagebau Garzweiler is a relatively young mine. This is still the beginning of Phase I. When Phase II commences in 2006, about 6 kilometers of autobahns A44 and A61, and a section of Deutsch Bahn railway track will have to be dredged and moved. Many towns will also be destroyed.

The fields bordering this mine were planted, growing, and awaiting harvest, yet, at the same time, the progress on the mine continues to consume them. I can only guess that the farmers in the area are trying to get what they can out of the land before the land winds up on a conveyor belt






This kind of mining has consumed many villages in the area. The excavation has also wreaked havock with the local water table. Water has to be pumped into the surrounding villages from other sources. The mine acts like a huge drain and itself has to be constantly drained

I looked further....

"Germany has relatively insignificant domestic energy sources and is heavily import-reliant to meet its energy needs. Coal accounted for 47% of domestic energy production in 1999, nuclear power 30%, natural gas 14%, renewable sources (including hydro) 6%, and oil 2%. However, oil accounted for 41% of consumption."

Source: Energy Information Administration, USA. That link is here. .

Suprisingly, even though coal is Germany's largest domestic energy resource, Germany is actually a net coal importer. Germany is Europe's largest energy consumer. It also ranks 4th in the world in installed nuclear power capability behind the U.S., France and Japan. Nuclear power comprises 21% of Germany's energy needs.

Source: Energy Information Administration, USA..

I find it a bit of a dichotomy that a country that cares so much about its landscape and natural resources would continue to pursue this sort of mining. This one mine has forced the destruction of several villages, and the relocation of their populations and histories. There are several other mines like this one in Germany, particularly in the coal-rich areas in Nordrhein-Westphalia in northwestern Germany. But Tagebau Garzweiler is the biggest

So, I don't get it.

It seems to me that Germany has the resources to deal with its energy needs. Oil and gas must be imported, for the most part, sure. But I think that Germany has the means to generate its own electricity needs without having to gouge and scar the landscape and uproute and destroy centuries of rich cultural history. Germany has fast moving rivers that could potentially be excellent sources of power. Submerged turbines under the Rhine, for example...just an idea.

Unfortunately, mines like Tagebau Garzweiler are largely political entities. From what I have learned, most of the 87 million people that live in Germany don't support an energy resource that destroys so much land in a country that is only the size of the state of Montana in the U.S.

The people who live near this mine may be thinking the same thing that I am...

"Wir können das besser machen. "

Copyright © 2002 by James Allen Girard