Former hard coal colliery at Bochum-Linden, closed in 1961 as one of the first Bochumer mines in the Kohlenkrise, with Schacht 2 still open for mine-water pumping and the 1905 Maschinenhalle preserved in the Gewerbegebiet Im Deimketal, where it serves as
The Zeche Friedlicher Nachbar was a coal mine at Bochum-Linden with origins reaching into the seventeenth century. An early stollen named Zeche Dicke Bäckerbank is attested at Linden in 1677. The bergrechtliche Gewerkschaft Friedlicher Nachbar was founded in 1854 and operated a Stollenzeche that had existed since 1831.
In 1855 transition to Tiefbau was begun using the existing Schacht Roeder (72 metres) of the adjacent Zeche Hasenwinkel-Himmelscroner Erbstolln; coal was raised from 1856. In 1868 the Gewerkschaft was converted to a tausendteilige Gewerkschaft neuen Rechts to raise capital. The first own Tiefbauschacht — Friedlicher Nachbar 1 — was sunk from 1870.
In 1898 a Rheinische Bank consortium including Hugo Stinnes and August Thyssen took over. In 1899 the neighbouring Zeche Baaker Mulde was acquired. Schacht Friedlicher Nachbar 2 was sunk from 1899, reaching 469 metres by 1901; in 1950 a new headframe to designs by Fritz Schupp was erected over Schacht 2, but this structure was later relocated to the Zeche Zollverein 1/2 in Essen-Katernberg.
In 1904 the operation was merged into the Deutsch-Luxemburgische Bergwerks- und Hütten-AG (Hugo Stinnes, Bernhard Dernburg). In 1926 it passed to the Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG. The mine was closed on 27 March 1932, reopened 1 September 1933, and closed definitively in 1961 as one of the first victims of the Kohlenkrise.
Schacht 2 remains open for the Zentrale Wasserhaltung, pumping iron-rich mine water from approximately 200 metres depth and treating it through settlement ponds before release into the Ruhr. The 1905 Maschinenhalle, in the Gewerbegebiet Im Deimketal, is in private ownership and hosts design events; the Ventilatorgebäude of the Wetterschacht Ostholz at Am Papenloh (Sundern) also survives. The workers' settlement Kolonie Friedlicher Nachbar in Straße Am Röderschacht was renovated and is now a listed residential ensemble.
The Linden coal district is among the oldest in the Ruhrgebiet: the stollen named Zeche Dicke Bäckerbank is attested in 1677. The bergrechtliche Gewerkschaft Friedlicher Nachbar was founded in 1854 with the intent to work a Stollenzeche that had existed since 1831. In 1855 the Gewerkschaft began the transition to Tiefbau by using the existing Schacht Roeder — a 72-metre shaft belonging to the Zeche Hasenwinkel-Himmelscroner Erbstolln, located only 50 metres from the Friedlicher Nachbar Markscheide. Coal was raised from Schacht Roeder from 1856 with 17 workers. In 1868 the Gewerkschaft converted to a tausendteilige Gewerkschaft neuen Rechts to acquire new capital. In 1870 the first own Tiefbauschacht — Friedlicher Nachbar 1 — was sunk; it entered production progressively. The mine exploited the western part of the Bochumer Mulde (trough).
In 1873 the Erbstollen of the Zeche Glückssonne was acquired and lined by the Gewerkschaft for use as a Förderweg with Pferdebahn (horse-drawn railway). In 1878, the permanent railway connection under the Hattinger Straße to the line Weitmar–Dahlhausen was completed. In 1891 a Seilförderung (cable haulage) entered service at the railway connection. From 1875 and 1878, water inrushes threatened operations; in 1896 the sixth Sohle was installed at 495 metres (−377 m NN) in Schacht 1.
In 1898 a consortium of the Rheinische Bank — with the industrialists Hugo Stinnes and August Thyssen as participants — took over the Gewerkschaft Friedlicher Nachbar. In 1899 the neighbouring Zeche Baaker Mulde was acquired. A new central shaft installation was erected adjacent to the old Baaker Mulde Schacht to handle all coal output; simultaneously the Wetterschacht Ostholz (1902) was required for ventilation and a new underground central water management installation was created. Schacht Friedlicher Nachbar 2 was sunk from 1899 and had reached 157 metres by the following year, reaching a total depth of 469 metres by 1901. In 1904, on the initiative of Hugo Stinnes and Bernhard Dernburg, the Gewerkschaft Friedlicher Nachbar was merged into the Deutsch-Luxemburgische Bergwerks- und Hütten-AG to create a vertically integrated mining and steel group. The new entity had the Schächte Friedlicher Nachbar 1 and Baaker Mulde rebuilt. In 1904 the Zeche Hasenwinkel was also taken over, making the total Berechtsame 8.3 square kilometres.
In 1922 a Seilbahn to the Henrichshütte in Hattingen was established to bring slag for underground stowing. From 1919, Hasenwinkel's coal was transported underground to Friedlicher Nachbar and hoisted there; Hasenwinkel was definitively abandoned in 1926. In 1926 the enterprise passed to the Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG. On 27 March 1932 the mine was placed in Stillegung; it was reopened on 1 September 1933. In 1937 the mine was deepened at Schacht 2. From 1937 an underground connection was developed; Schacht 2 was the primary shaft for the surviving operation.
In 1950 a new Schacht 2 headframe, designed by Fritz Schupp, was erected. This headframe was later relocated to the Zeche Zollverein 1/2 in Essen-Katernberg, where it still stands and is not to be confused with the original Zollverein headframes. The mine was closed definitively on the announcement of the Kohlenkrise in 1961, one of the first Bochumer collieries to close. Schacht 2 remained open and remains so today, managing mine water from approximately 200 metres depth. The water is strongly iron-bearing and must be passed through Absetzbecken (settlement ponds) before it can be discharged into the Ruhr, to prevent iron precipitation in fish gills. The 1905 Maschinenhalle in the Gewerbegebiet Im Deimketal is in private ownership (most recently of the designer Matthias Reckert, who combines workshop, studio and residence there), hosting design exhibitions and events open to the public multiple times per year. The Ventilatorgebäude of the Wetterschacht Ostholz at Am Papenloh (Sundern) also survives. The Kolonie Friedlicher Nachbar at Straße Am Röderschacht — built by the mine c. 1890 to provide cheap accommodation for workers — was restored in accordance with Denkmalschutz requirements; the Denkmalschutz for the Siedlung Roederschacht was granted on 30 October 1989.