Staatsmijn Maurits
Encyclopedia
In 1911 the Dutch Government bought the concessions "Maasvelden". In 1912 and 1913 drillings were carried out by the Internationale Bohrgesellschaft Erkelenz in the areas west of the Staatsmijn Emma
and Staatsmijn Hendrik
concessions. Drillings were made at the towns of Geleen
-Lutterade
, Krawinkel and Schinnen
. Additional shallow drillings were made near Urmond
.
In 1915 it was decided to position the mine at Lutterade, Geleen. Railways were constructed for connection with the railway Sittard
-Maastricht
. In 1916 it was decided to name this 4th State Mine "Maurits", after a famous 17th century member of the Dutch Royal Family.
In 1916, construction of the shafts was begun and the mine was taken in production in 1926. In 1947 the mine was connected to the Emma Mine by a 13 km straight tunnel. In the second half of the 1940's and in the 1950's the mine was expanded, and mining reached a depth of 810 m. A third shaft was completed in 1958. At the time of completion of the third shaft, the Maurits mine was the largest two-shafts mine in the world. It was the largest coal mine in the Netherlands. When in the beginning of the 1960's the economic tide for coal mining turned, it was already anticipated to close the Maurits as one of the first mines. The mine was finally closed down in 1967. The surface facilities were afterwards demolished.
Directly adjacent to the mine site, DSM
had already decades before started with cokes production and gasproduction. The "Stikstof Bindingsbedrijf" (SBB - or "nitrogen bonding plant") became the locus for the next step in the history of DSM: it became (and still is) a large chemicals company.
Staatsmijn Emma
The Staatsmijn Emma was a Dutch coal mine located in Treebeek and Hoensbroek . The mine was in operation from 1911 till 1973....
and Staatsmijn Hendrik
Staatsmijn Hendrik
The Staatsmijn Hendrik was a Dutch coal mine located in Brunssum. The mine was in operation from 1915 until 1963 when it was integrated with the Staatsmijn Emma.-External links:...
concessions. Drillings were made at the towns of Geleen
Geleen
Geleen is a city in the southern part of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. With 33,960 inhabitants, it is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. Geleen is situated along the river Geleenbeek, a right tributary to the river Meuse. The town centre is situated at about 60 m above sea...
-Lutterade
Lutterade
Lutterade is a district of Geleen and later Sittard-Geleen .-External links:*...
, Krawinkel and Schinnen
Schinnen
Schinnen is a municipality and a town in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands. It is home to US Army Garrison Schinnen, a support base for US personnel assigned to nearby Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum...
. Additional shallow drillings were made near Urmond
Urmond
Urmond is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Stein.Urmond was a separate municipality until 1982, when it was merged with Stein.-External links: Map of the former municipality, around 1868....
.
In 1915 it was decided to position the mine at Lutterade, Geleen. Railways were constructed for connection with the railway Sittard
Sittard
Sittard is a city in the Dutch province of Limburg, which is the southernmost province of the Netherlands.On the east Sittard borders on Germany . It has some 48,400 inhabitants . Sittard is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen...
-Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
. In 1916 it was decided to name this 4th State Mine "Maurits", after a famous 17th century member of the Dutch Royal Family.
In 1916, construction of the shafts was begun and the mine was taken in production in 1926. In 1947 the mine was connected to the Emma Mine by a 13 km straight tunnel. In the second half of the 1940's and in the 1950's the mine was expanded, and mining reached a depth of 810 m. A third shaft was completed in 1958. At the time of completion of the third shaft, the Maurits mine was the largest two-shafts mine in the world. It was the largest coal mine in the Netherlands. When in the beginning of the 1960's the economic tide for coal mining turned, it was already anticipated to close the Maurits as one of the first mines. The mine was finally closed down in 1967. The surface facilities were afterwards demolished.
Directly adjacent to the mine site, DSM
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
had already decades before started with cokes production and gasproduction. The "Stikstof Bindingsbedrijf" (SBB - or "nitrogen bonding plant") became the locus for the next step in the history of DSM: it became (and still is) a large chemicals company.
External links
- http://citg.tudelft.nl/?id=18387 Coal Mining in the Netherlands (Delft University of TechnologyDelft University of TechnologyDelft University of Technology , also known as TU Delft, is the largest and oldest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands...
)