Zeche Zollverein Schachtanlage XII, the iconic UNESCO World Heritage hard coal mine closed 1986, now a major cultural and museum site in Essen.
Schachtanlage XII of the Zeche Zollverein in Essen is the central and most celebrated component of the UNESCO World Heritage industrial complex inscribed in 2001. The mine was founded in 1847 by the industrialist Franz Haniel and named after the Deutscher Zollverein of 1834. Hard coal extraction began in 1851 from the founding shafts.
Schacht XII was constructed between 1928 and 1932 by the architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer for the Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-AG, representing the pinnacle of Bauhaus-influenced industrial architecture. At its peak it was the most productive hard coal mine in the world, with a daily output of up to 12,000 tonnes. The shaft was closed on 23 December 1986.
Schacht XII was placed under monument protection one week before closure and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 14 December 2001. Today the Kohlenwäsche houses the Ruhr Museum, the former Kesselhaus the Red Dot Design Museum, and the Stiftung Zollverein manages the entire complex.
The origins of the Zeche Zollverein lie in the exploratory drilling conducted by the Duisburg industrialist Franz Haniel from around 1834 in the northern Essen area. In 1834 Haniel succeeded in penetrating the Mergelschicht at Essen-Schönebeck for the first time, identifying the coal-bearing strata. Prospecting in the Katernberg area identified a particularly rich seam, which was named after the Deutscher Zollverein founded in 1834. In January 1847 the fourteen concession fields were consolidated. On 20 June 1840 Haniel had formed a drilling company with associates; by 1847 he held 76 of the 128 Kuxe of the bergrechtliche Gewerkschaft Zeche Zollverein himself, distributing the remainder among his children. The site for the first shaft was determined by the proximity of the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn, opened in 1847, which ran immediately north of the mine grounds. The land was provided by the co-owner Schwartmann, known as Bullmann, whose name gave the Bullmannaue its designation.
Sinking of Schacht 1 began on 18 February 1847 under the mine manager Joseph Oertgen. Coal was expected at 130 metres depth, but water ingress delayed production. In 1850 Schacht 2 was sunk alongside Schacht 1 to manage water flows, coming into operation in 1852. Hard coal production began in 1851; the first Zollverein coals went to market on 1 March 1851. By 1858 the fourteen concession fields had been formally consolidated.
In 1880 sinking of a second separate shaft facility in Schonnebeck began, opening as Schacht 3 in 1882–1883. This shaft, designed by the engineer Dreyer in a clear and functional style, quickly exceeded the output of the founding shafts; by 1890 the total output of the Zeche Zollverein exceeded one million tonnes for the first time, making it the most productive mine in Germany. Between 1891 and 1896 the double shaft facility Zollverein 4/5 was built in the northern part of Katernberg at the border with Heßler, including a ventilation-only shaft and a new coking plant. Shaft 6 was sunk in 1895–1896, operational from 1897 with a double-strut headframe for parallel winding and manriding. Further ventilation shafts were added to address persistent firedamp problems. By 1890 Zollverein ranked among the largest mines in Germany.
Following the First World War, from around 1920, the Gewerkschaft Zollverein, which had remained in the hands of the Haniel family, cooperated increasingly with the Phönix AG für Bergbau und Hüttenbetrieb. When Phönix merged into the Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG in 1926, Zollverein was assigned to the Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-AG (GBAG) and henceforth led within the Gelsenkirchen group. The many existing shaft facilities had by then become uneconomic to operate separately. In 1928 the GBAG voted for the construction of a completely new shaft facility designed as a central mining installation with largely automated workflows oriented on the principles of Fordism and Taylorism.
The architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer were commissioned to design Schachtanlage XII. Construction ran from 1928 to 1932. The Doppelbockfördergerüst (double-bock headframe) in solid-web construction was erected in 1930. With a daily output capacity of up to 12,000 tonnes of coal, Schacht XII absorbed the combined production of the four other existing shaft facilities with their eleven shafts. The architectural ensemble, developed in the graphic language of the Bauhaus and the Neue Sachlichkeit, used primarily cubical buildings in reinforced concrete and steel, and was immediately recognised as an architectural and technical masterpiece. Schacht XII was renamed Schacht Albert in 1937, after the then director general of the GBAG Albert Vögler, and Schacht Albert Vögler in 1941. In 1937 output reached 3.6 million tonnes with 6,900 workers. The mine survived the Second World War with relatively minor damage.
By 1953 Zollverein again led all German mines with an output of 2.4 million tonnes. In 1958 Schacht 1 was replaced by a completely new building. The Kokerei Zollverein was built in the Neue Sachlichkeit style between 1957 and 1961 to the west of Schacht XII, also to plans by Fritz Schupp, and opened on 12 September 1961. After its expansion in the 1970s — when the number of ovens was extended from 192 to 304 — the Kokerei became the largest central coking plant in Europe, with up to 1,000 workers. In 1967 eleven shafts were closed, leaving Schacht XII as the only active winding shaft. In 1974 the neighbouring Zechen Bonifacius and Holland were affiliated to Zollverein. From 1983 to 1986 a union with Zeche Nordstern in Gelsenkirchen-Horst was maintained, with coal transported over a 4.8-kilometre underground connection at 1,000 metres depth to Schacht XII.
Zeche Zollverein Schacht XII was closed on 23 December 1986, the last of approximately 290 hard coal mines once operating in Essen, the former largest mining city in Europe. One week before closure, Schacht XII was placed under monument protection. The Kokerei Zollverein, as the last active production installation at Zollverein, was closed on 30 June 1993. After closure, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia took over the Kokerei from the Ruhrkohle AG. A proposed sale of the Kokerei to China did not proceed. The Internationale Bauausstellung Emscher Park advocated for the preservation of the Kokerei and the state placed it under monument protection.
Reuse and cultural activation began rapidly. The sculptor Ulrich Rückriem used Halle 5 on Schacht XII as a studio from 1992 to 1997. In 1992 the documenta IX featured Zollverein as an external venue. In 1996 the Casino Zollverein restaurant opened in the former compressor hall. In 1997 the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen and Red Dot Design Museum moved into the former Kesselhaus, which had been redesigned by the architect Norman Foster. The Bauhütte Zeche Zollverein Schacht XII GmbH completed its conservation work on Zollverein in 1999. In 1997 the former Waschkaue of Schachtanlage 1/2/8 became the PACT Zollverein dance and choreography centre.
On 14 December 2001 the Schachtanlagen XII and 1/2/8 together with the Kokerei Zollverein were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The inscription cited the complex as an outstanding industrial monument whose buildings are exceptional examples of the application of the design concepts of the Modern Movement in an entirely industrial context. The Entwicklungs-Gesellschaft Zollverein mbH was founded in 2001. The architect Rem Koolhaas of OMA and the landscape architect Henri Bava of Agence Ter developed a masterplan for the site between 2001 and 2002. The Kohlenwäsche was converted into exhibition space for the Ruhr Museum and visitor centre, completed in 2010. The Stiftung Zollverein has managed the entire site as monument and event venue since 2010. Since 2011 the site has received approximately 1.5 million tourists annually. The Folkwang Universität der Künste is also located on the site. Zollverein is a designated anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage.