The deepest mine in Europe
Shaft 371, part of the shaft complex 371, on whose site you are here, was the most important winding shaft of the former Aue mining operation, formerly Object 90, of SDAG Wismut.
The shaft 371
The sinking work for the shaft began in April 1956. On May 1, 1959, the shaft was put into production as “Jugendschacht 1. Mai”. The shaft tube was approx. 1100 meters deep and had a diameter of 7 meters. With its two winding systems, it was capable of extracting up to 410 tons of rock and ore per hour. In March 2011, the shaft tube was sealed with a concrete seal.
Mining in the world's largest vein-shaped uranium ore deposit Schlema-Alberoda reached a mining depth of more than 1800 meters below the level of the trough. The mine extended over 2,000 meters from the highest to the deepest point. This made pit 371, which at times employed over 3,000 people, one of the deepest mines in Europe. The mining operation supplied more than 80,000 tons of uranium until its closure in 1991.
The Shaft 371 site is one of the few uranium ore mining facilities of the former SDAG Wismut that has been preserved in large parts. The above-ground facilities include the shaft building with the 50-metre-high steel headframe, the machine house with winding machine and the administration building.
The tailings complex 371
The 371 waste rock pile on the eastern slope of the Zwickauer Mulde valley between Schlema and Hartenstein is connected to the shaft complex. It is the largest stockpile complex at the Wismut site Aue-Bad Schlema and was created in 1956, to store the tailings (waste rock) from the extraction process.
During remediation, excess rock from waste rock pile 366, material from underground remediation and radioactively contaminated excavated soil, building rubble and scrap from operating facilities were deposited. Since 1998, the residues from the Schlema-Alberoda water treatment plant have also been transported to the waste rock pile.
The 371 site today
The site of the 371 shaft is home to the headquarters of the Aue remediation division of Wismut GmbH. The existing building complex with the headframe will be preserved as a contemporary witness at the site. The ensemble has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019 Montanregion Erzgebirge/Krušnohorí.
Shaft complex 371 profile
- Start of sinking: 1956
- Operating time: 1959 to 1991
- Mining last hunt: March 1, 1991
- Shaft depth: 1,090.6 m
- Shaft diameter: 7 m
- Headframe: height 50 m
- Employees: 3,000
- Stockpile volume 371: 13.8 million m³
- Storage of shaft 371: 2008 to 2011