Former Hamm hard coal shaft installation whose 'Golfschläger' headframe — transferred from Zeche Haus Aden in 2001 and listed in 2015 — was demolished in late 2020 despite its late-twentieth-century industrial heritage significance; the former site is bei
Schacht Lerche was the northernmost shaft installation of the Bergwerk Ost in Hamm-Pelkum, located in the Lerche district. Its history begins as Schacht 7 of the Zeche Königsborn in Bönen, the last shaft sunk in that colliery's name. Sinking began in 1971; the Carboniferous was reached in 1972 at 452 m depth; and the shaft entered service in 1973 as a ventilation shaft discharging spent air from the Monopol-III-Feld, primarily to secure the continued operation of Zeche Königsborn.
On 1 January 1978 Schacht Lerche passed to Zeche Heinrich-Robert and from 1998 formed part of the Verbundbergwerk Ost with Haus Aden/Monopol. Between 1999 and 2002 a project costing approximately 285 million euros transformed Schacht Lerche into the new central fresh-air, Seilfahrt, and materials shaft of the Verbundbergwerk, and equipped it with what was then the largest central underground refrigeration installation in Europe, cooling mine air from approximately 60°C to 29°C. The 136-tonne 'Golfschläger' headframe was transferred 35 km from the decommissioned Schacht Romberg of Zeche Haus Aden and re-erected here, entering service on 29 September 2002. The LWL confirmed the Denkmalwert in 2015 but did not proceed with formal listing.
The last Seilfahrt was made on 14 July 2011 and Schacht Lerche was backfilled in spring 2013. The headframe was demolished in late 2020.
Schacht Lerche originated as Schacht 7 of the Zeche Königsborn in Bönen, the last shaft to be sunk in the name and on the account of that Schachtanlage. Sinking began in 1971 at the Lerche locality in what is today Hamm-Pelkum; in 1972 the shaft reached the Carboniferous at 452 m depth. In 1973 the shaft entered service and initially fulfilled a single function: discharging the spent ventilation air (Abwetter) from the Monopol-III-Feld, thereby directly supporting the continued operation of the Zeche Königsborn, whose ventilation balance the new shaft was designed to stabilise.
When the Zeche Königsborn was closed and the mine transferred to the Ruhrkohle AG group, Schacht 7/Lerche was not abandoned but was incorporated into the operations of the neighbouring and expanding Zeche Heinrich-Robert. On 1 January 1978 the Zeche Heinrich-Robert took over the shaft — henceforth called Schacht Lerche — together with the Monopol-III-Feld. From this date Heinrich-Robert and Zeche Königsborn had a common Werksdirektion, an administrative union reflecting the growing integration of their underground operations.
The shaft continued in its ventilation function, serving now the Heinrich-Robert as well as the former Monopol-III workings. In 1988 the shaft won first prize in the Kommunalverband Ruhr competition 'Vorbildliche Gestaltung von Bergwerks-Außenanlagen', with the jury noting that the design of the installation was exemplary and should serve as a model for further new shaft installations at the northern margin of the Ruhrgebiet. When in November 1997 the planning for the Verbundbergwerk Ost was presented — merging Heinrich-Robert with the Bergwerke Haus Aden and Monopol in Bergkamen — Schacht Lerche was designated as one of only seven shafts out of seventeen to be retained; the others were to be backfilled and demolished.
Schacht Lerche was assigned the role of principal Frischluft- (fresh air), Seilfahrt- (personnel transport), and materials shaft of the new Verbund. An investment programme of approximately 285 million euros was approved and begun around 1999. The existing headframe at Schacht Lerche was removed.
In its place the 136-tonne steel headframe from the recently decommissioned Schacht Romberg of the Zeche Haus Aden in Werne-Langern — newly sunk in 1985 to open the Nordfeld of that colliery — was transported on 28 March 2001 over 35 km to Hamm, where it was re-erected over Schacht Lerche. The headframe, known popularly as the 'Golfschläger' (golf club) or 'Rohrzange' (pipe wrench) for the distinctive curved form at its apex, was designed by the firm Thyssen Schachtbau. The underground works also included the construction at Schacht Lerche of the largest central underground refrigeration installation in Europe at the time, designed to cool the Wetter in the mine from approximately 60°C to a workable 29°C. The complete installation was handed over by the NRW Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück on 29 September 2002 with a ceremony involving Seilfahrten and tours.
The total investment was described by the RAG as one of its largest Zukunftsprojekte and was intended to unlock a reserve of more than 30 million tonnes of high-grade coking coal in the Bergwerk Ost, sufficient to sustain production for a further 15 years. On 9 June 2008, however, the Ruhrkohle AG decided to close the Bergwerk Ost nine months later than originally planned, on 30 September 2010. Despite the original planning horizon of continued production for 15 years, the combination of EU coal subsidy regulations and the reduction in the number of German coal mines led to the early closure decision.
The Bergwerk Ost was formally closed on 30 September 2010, ending 109 years of coal mining in Hamm. The last official Seilfahrt at Schacht Lerche was made by the night shift on 14 July 2011. After the winding installation was dismantled, the winding ropes removed, and the shaft prepared for backfilling, Schacht Lerche was backfilled in spring 2013.
The headframe remained standing after closure. The LWL-Denkmalpflege assessed the Denkmalwert of the installation in 2015 and confirmed that the headframe, as the Schachtanlage Lerche, possessed heritage value worthy of listing, noting both its history and its distinctive form. However, since parts of the Zeche Heinrich-Robert had already been listed as Baudenkmale, the LWL decided not to proceed with a separate entry for Schacht Lerche in the Denkmalliste der Stadt Hamm.
The RAG Mining Solutions GmbH attempted without success to sell the headframe, the winding machine, and three refrigeration machines. By 2020 RAG had obtained demolition approval and the headframe was demolished in late 2020 despite the advocacy of local and regional heritage commentators, who cited its status as the only headframe of its distinctive form in the Ruhr and its recognised Denkmalwert. The colliery site at Lerche is intended for ecological use by around 2022, with the former Bergwerk Ost land overall being developed as the CreativRevier Heinrich Robert.