Coal Mine
| Location: | Between Stallikon and Aeugstertal. From Affoltern a.A. through Mühleberg to Aeugstertal. |
| Open: | All year first Sat of each month 10-16. [2004] |
| Fee: | |
| Classification: |
Coal Mine
|
| Light: | electric. |
| Dimension: | L=7,000m. |
| Guided tours: | |
| Bibliography: | |
| Address: |
Verein Bergwerk Riedhof, Postfach 102, 8914 Aeugst a.A., Tel: +41-1760-2640.
E-mail: |
| Last update: | $Date: 2008/07/01 20:17:51 $ |
| 1786 | a local farmer discovers the coal during road works. | |
| 1787 | start of mining under governmental controll. | |
| 1814 | mining ended, as there was no sufficient transport infrastructure. | |
| 1917 | mining reactivated because of World War I. | |
| 1919 | after some changes of the proprietor, a building company from Zürich took over the mining. | |
| 1921 | the mining ended leaving the building company with high indebtedness. | |
| 1942 | mining again reactivated because of World War II. | |
| 1946 | the production was higher than nearby Käpfnach. | |
| 15-MAY-2002 | the Verein Bergwerk Riedhof was founded. | |
| 04-DEC-2003 | museum opened to the public. |
The mining at this small coal mine was never really sufficient. The coal layers are very thin, and the necessary effort is rather high. During the 18th century, when labor was very cheap, the mining worked for some time. But the reactivation of the mining during World War I resulted in a great loss for the mining company after the war. During four years, with up to 30 miners, only 1,200 tons of coal were produced.
The Bergwerk Riedhof does not include an underground tour, but there is a strange fact about this museum. It is located inside a former Zivilschutzbunker (civil bunker), a bunker intended for the shelter of the locals during a future war. After the end of the cold war this bunker, like many others was abandoned and is now used by the mining museum. The entrance is a concrete stair right in the middle of a lawn. Some rooms were transformed into artificial mine rooms with authentic wooden supports.
The exhibits of the museum are very interesting, showing all aspects of the mining history. They include many pictures and documents of the World War II mining period.
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