Shaft 371 is part of the 371 shaft complex in the Schlema-Alberoda mining district. This is located in south-west Saxony, on the northern edge of the town of
Aue-Bad Schlema. A total of around 80,500 tons of uranium were extracted from the world's largest uranium ore deposit between 1946 and 1990. The huge mine
has an extension of approx. 4.6 kilometers in a north-south direction and 4 kilometers in an east-west direction. The amount of mining work involved is illustrated by
approx. 4,200 kilometers of horizontal mine workings and approx. 42 million cubic meters of cavities created by mining.

As a result of the mining work, 42 dumps with a total volume of 45 million cubic meters, which covered an area of approx. 313 hectares. 313 hectares. Of these, 21 waste rock piles remained under the remediation responsibility of Wismut GmbH . In addition to the partial lack of stability, the exposed areas caused increased radiological contamination, primarily due to dust drift and radon leakage . With the exception of part of waste rock pile 371, the waste rock piles have been completely remediated.

The rigorous exploitation of the uranium ore deposits by SAG and SDAG Wismut was paid for by the people in the regions with destroyed landscapes, vanished villages, contamination of air, soil and water, damage to health and lasting risks. In 1991, with the founding of the federal company Wismut GmbH, the
federal government assumed sole responsibility for these legacies. Important milestones have been achieved since then: hazards have been eliminated, risks minimized. Newly created landscapes, populated by rare animal and plant species, bear witness to the enormous transformation process. Today, we can look at rehabilitated landscapes that enable safe subsequent use.