Site overview

Schacht Dilsburg is the sole surviving above-ground monument of the Grube Dilsburg, a small hard coal mine worked in the Köllertal at Heusweiler from 1845 until its definitive closure in 1931. Coal was extracted from Stollen from 1845 and from 1917 by Tiefbau under Heusweiler. In total, from 1845 to 1931, approximately 3.74 million tonnes of Steinkohle were extracted from the Grube Dilsburg.

Following closure in 1931, the Grubenfelder were worked from neighbouring mines, principally Ensdorf and Göttelborn. The Schacht Dilsburg was reactivated from 1965 by the Grube Ensdorf as a Wetterschacht, when the Ensdorf Westfeld workings reached beneath Heusweiler. Later, Grube Ensdorf constructed its own Anlage nearby at Niedersalbach — the Südschacht.

The Göttelborn mine also used the Schacht Dilsburg site when its workings extended north-west as far as Heusweiler. The 1977/78 concrete Förderturm, erected to replace the previous headframe structures when the shaft was serving as a Wetterschacht, is the only surviving Förderturm of tower construction in the Saarland. It was placed under Denkmalschutz in 2002.

The remaining Stollenmundlöcher on the site also survive.

The headframe stands in a wooded and settled valley landscape at Heusweiler, where it reads as a prominent isolated survival of the former mine.

Map & photo

Grube Dilsburg — Schacht Dilsburg mine headframe or winding tower site
Photograph taken: 20 February 2026
Map markers and directions links are provided for location reference only and do not indicate public access or permission to enter a site.

History

The Grube Dilsburg lies in the Köllertal in the Gemeinde Heusweiler, south of Saarbrücken. The mine is documented from 1845 when Stollenbetrieb began; Tiefbau under Heusweiler commenced in 1917. Between 1845 and the closure of the mine in 1931 a total of approximately 3.74 million tonnes of hard coal (Steinkohle) were extracted.

Following the Stilllegung of the Grube Dilsburg in 1931, the underground Grubenfelder were subsequently worked from neighbouring collieries. The Grubenfeld Dilsburg was taken over in part by the Bergwerke Ensdorf and Göttelborn and mined from those surface complexes. From 1965 the Schacht Dilsburg was reaktiviert by the Grube Ensdorf to serve as a Wetterschacht, as the Ensdorf Westfeld workings advanced westward and reached beneath Heusweiler. In 1994 the shaft was used again for Seilfahrt to allow the extraction of coal from the Göttelborn connection. With the closure of the Grube Göttelborn on 1 September 2000, the Schacht Dilsburg was definitively closed and placed out of service.

The present headframe over Schacht Dilsburg was erected in 1977/78. It is a Förderturm in Betonbauweise — a concrete tower-type headframe — and is the only surviving Förderturm of this construction type in the entire Saarland coal district. The Saarland Landesdenkmalamt survey describes the Dilsburg headframe as serving as an Identifikationspunkt in the Gewerbegebiet that developed around the former mine site. The headframe was listed under Denkmalschutz in 2002. The surviving Stollenmundlöcher on the former Grube Dilsburg site document the earlier Stollenbetrieb tradition at the location and are visible in the Gewerbegebiet.

Timeline

1845
Exploration

Stollenbetrieb begins at the Grube Dilsburg site

Hard coal extraction began at the Grube Dilsburg in 1845 by Stollenbetrieb. Tiefbau under Heusweiler did not commence until 1917.
1917
Construction

Tiefbau begins at Grube Dilsburg

Tiefbau under Heusweiler commenced in 1917, expanding the mine beyond its earlier Stollenbetrieb operation.
1931
Closure

Grube Dilsburg closed after 3.74 million tonnes total output

The Grube Dilsburg was placed in Stilllegung in 1931. Total output from 1845 to 1931 was approximately 3.74 million tonnes of Steinkohle. The Grubenfelder were subsequently mined from the neighbouring Bergwerke Ensdorf and Göttelborn.
1965
Redevelopment

Schacht Dilsburg reactivated by Grube Ensdorf as Wetterschacht

From 1965 the Schacht Dilsburg was reaktiviert by the Grube Ensdorf as a Wetterschacht, serving the Ensdorf Westfeld whose underground workings had advanced westward to reach beneath Heusweiler.
1977–1978
Heritage

Present concrete Förderturm erected — only tower-type headframe surviving in the Saarland

The Förderturm in Betonbauweise over Schacht Dilsburg was erected in 1977/78, replacing earlier headframe structures. It is the only surviving Förderturm of tower construction in the Saarland coal district.
1994
Operation

Schacht Dilsburg serves Seilfahrt for Göttelborn coal extraction

In 1994 miners again descended through the Schacht Dilsburg for coal extraction operations in the westward extension of the Göttelborn Grubenfeld.
2000
Closure

Schacht Dilsburg finally closed following closure of Grube Göttelborn

On 1 September 2000 the Grube Göttelborn was closed. The Schacht Dilsburg was thereupon definitively closed and placed out of service.
2002
Heritage

Förderturm listed under Denkmalschutz

The 1977/78 concrete Förderturm over Schacht Dilsburg was placed under Denkmalschutz in 2002.

Sources and records

German Wikipedia article: Grube Göttelborn
Der Landgraph: Zechen im Saarland (Grube Dilsburg section)
Literaturland-Saar.de: Heusweiler Bergwerke
Saarland Landesdenkmalamt: Denkmäler des Steinkohlenbergbaus im Saarland (DocPlayer, 2011)
Infotafel am Schacht Dilsburg (cited by Der Landgraph)
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