Projects
Project 2013 - "Deckersch" - Village Fountain
For many generations, the village fountain and the nearby "Bachmauer" (stream wall) were the meeting place for the village youth. Centrally located at the entrance to the village and in front of "Decker's" inn, it likely gave its name to the "Brunnenschänke" (fountain tavern), as "Decker's" inn is officially called. Severely damaged by a drunk driver in the spring of 2012, the fountain's misfortune drew the attention of the local history society. Overall, the fountain, which was meant to adorn our village center as a cultural monument, presented a rather sorry sight. The broken crown and the missing decorative frame of the cap represented serious defects that needed to be repaired. The somewhat insensitive treatment of the artistic details of this cultural asset also made action unavoidable. In the meantime, the destroyed fountain basin has been rebuilt. Our society is now working to restore the fountain to its former glory. The support of a local metal foundry and the assistance of the community give us confidence that we can put this project into practice. So far, we have been able to reproduce some elements, but unfortunately, we have not yet succeeded with the cane base.
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Project 2012 - Iron ore mine "Tobias"
The old tunnel was still familiar to the residents of the northwestern edge of the village near Hirtenborn. According to local lore, it was an air-raid shelter from World War II. However, initial research revealed that it was the old "Tobias" ore mine dating back to the mid-19th century (1862).
In the 1970s, a minor incident occurred when the tunnel collapsed due to the strain of mowing operations. Around the same time, the fill of the mine entrance also subsided, so the damaged areas were refilled with waste for safety reasons. The area is now in a somewhat neglected state. The Herborn-Seelbach Local History Society, as part of its focus on "Old Mining in the Herborn-Seelbach District," aims to create an authentic memorial to the mining history of our area by clearing and redesigning the collapsed mine entrance.
Due to the small size of the mine, the term "reopening" here refers only to securing and shaping the surface exit area (the so-called "adit"). From today's perspective, the expected size and structure of the tunnel suggest that no safety-related problems are anticipated during the reopening. Given the tunnel's location directly on the edge of the village, this heavily frequented pedestrian area is ideally suited for this project. In addition to the primary project goal of creating an industrial monument, the project also includes other beneficial aspects:
- Green space maintenance measure (hedge trimming)
- Contaminated site disposal (disposal of backfill material)
- At the same time, a robust extension should ensure the long-term stability of the tunnel at the transition from the weathering zone to solid rock.
- Since the tunnel entrance is to be fitted with appropriately permeable gates, the tunnel can also serve as a potential winter quarters for bat conservation.
Following an initial feasibility study, the project needs to be coordinated with the current landowner and the former operator. However, since no agreement has been reached with the relevant authorities regarding liability for mining damage as of today (2014), the planned opening unfortunately cannot be realized.
Project 2011: Restoration of a mine cart into a mining monument
As early as the La Tène period (around 500-100 BC), the Siegerland region was a center of Celtic iron production and processing. Documentary evidence of iron ore mining here in the Schelderwald forest dates back to the 12th century. However, it must have been more extensive than the records indicate, because it is no coincidence that trade routes were built in this remote, agriculturally uninteresting area and later fortified with castles. We are standing directly on the old "High Road," whose origins reach back to prehistoric times. This ancient road runs from the Westerwald region through Herborn, across the Alsbach stream through Herborn-Seelbach, past here and up into the Schelderwald forest, past Tringenstein and Bottenhorn, continuing northeast to the upper Lahn River. Many of our ancestors also used this old route, securing their survival through mining in the Schelderwald alongside agriculture. The small shortcut over the Barskopf, known as the "Gruwwepädsche," also dates from this period. Mining increased from the 15th century onward, and the number of mines rose rapidly. However, mining in the Dill region came to a standstill again during the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War. Besides the dominant iron ore, considerable quantities of copper and barite were also mined in the local area, by the standards of the time. As early as the 18th century, the church and school in Herborn-Seelbach received so-called "Kuxen" (mining dues), among other things, from the "Neue Constanze" copper mine located behind the Wasenberg. The past two centuries have seen numerous fluctuations in the demand for raw materials and, consequently, in the operation of the local mines. Ultimately, however, the attempts to extract the raw materials of the Schelderwald economically failed, and mining ceased in the small, and later also in the large, mines. In 1959, the Auguststollen mine closed, followed by the Königszug mine in 1968. And in 1973, the traditional miners' greeting "GLÜCK AUF!" was heard for the last time at Falkenstein. This marked the end of centuries of mining in the Schelderwald forest. Due to economic developments, we now source ore from South America, China, India, and other parts of the world.
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