After 200 years, Germany’s closes last coal mine. The mining industry has shaped like no other branch of industry, the Ruhr area – the cities, the language, the culture and the people. Bettina standing kämper about her Childhood in the area.
Everyone believes to know how it is in the mining area. Russgeschwängerte air, a landscape like a factory. Coking plants, coal Mines, steel works and blast furnaces. In between the car lanes and in the middle of people, do not wear if you have a minimum of dust in the lung, the at least one unhealthy face color suitable to the drab clothing. Either it hits you with a bottle of beer at the “Bude” (Kiosk) or you are with a scarf to a area game of the local football club.
After all, has given us a bit of respect. When I said abroad, I come from Gelsenkirchen, the city knew no one. So I make it a habit to answer the question of my origin with Schalke 04. Of this football club, most of them had already heard.
Yes, of course, the area of the industry is influenced, and in some places have been blighted. But it is not the perception and truth of those who live there or come there. Because it comes to us as the people of the former GDR. The dominant image of the East, and the reality of his own life do not fit together often. Once and for all, and in the evening we go with a pit lamp to bed!
The mine Prosper Haniel is the last active coal mine in the Ruhr area
We recognize all of us at the knees
I grew up in a mining settlement in Gelsenkirchen-Buer. Almost everyone has worked there at the mine, such as my father or my grandfathers. Each house had a large garden and we used to play there, where the respective father on the shift. Four-hour shifts there were in the mining industry until recently and the family life had to depend on. As a child, I found it to know very reassuring to my father, always under me.When he told us that he had to go today to town, we knew 1000 meters below us, he runs straight in that direction. Eighty kilometres a miner in the week marches, to come to his workplace.
If the coal supplies came, was a giant. Then, lay before each house of the mountains and all in the street, from children to the Elderly, the coal is dragged into the basement. The Rest on the sidewalk swept and the garden paths scattered. Those who want to go to the roller skating or the race fell, had a black stone in the knee. By this we know us miners ‘ children until today.
It was a Childhood in safety. The miners with their strong trade Union deserved well. As children, we knew that if we break our bones, then we come next door to the hospital Bergmannsheil. Originally built to supply the severe work-related accidents in the mining industry, have developed the hospitals, the Mines around to specialists for accidents of all kinds. As a child, was aware of the reassuring.
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Layer in the slot – the last German coal mine closes
The area was also a special biotope
The miners were able to stay, the women who lost their husbands due to black lung, were allowed to expect a good “dust lung pension” and the mountain man’s attire was always of high quality. Safety was on top of everything. In all the apartments, Saint Barbara, the patron Saint of miners, is also with us. Praise for employers today, the put a plate of fruit, you would have laughed probably. If a colliery, castle, and found to either work on another or was put into hibernation. Wage cuts, short-time working were taken into account, the main thing to “mountain-free“ – that is, in the unemployment, no one fell.
The also gave us young people the safety. In the mid-seventies, the coal mine die had already started some time ago, was convinced my father that we could have three children in the Ruhr coal AG. We had but to his chagrin, other plans.
It was a biotope. In the “Helene-Weber-house”, named after the Catholic, a feminist, we were able to visit children’s music, pottery and cooking classes. The cashier of the SPD gathered all the party posts personally, and knew therefore where the Shoe is pressed. And when the miner went into a pension, then he is not isolated, but was with his buddy in the Tight (traditional club) or pigeon breeders Association. So beautiful and anxiety-free, you could be in the pot also.
“It never occurs to the bottom”
But even more, the DNA of us, “Ruhr pöttlern” the handling was marked. Now at the end of the coal-mining industry, the speech from the is a lot of money. That you had to leave days of each other. The was one of. Not where you came from. Yes, that’s true. My father had colleagues from Hungary, Poland, Turkey. Their origin was never an issue. Not noticed it only when we knew itself burned brought, the. And if somewhere in the world a mine disaster was, and then was collected on the bill for the bereaved. A miner was a miner.
In the hallway of my grandparents by the Federal President signed merit certificate. As children, we always believed, the former German Federal President, Theodor Heuss, would have thanked my grandfather, personally. The Opa, it would have been no matter. In the great colliery disaster at the Zeche Dahlbusch in 1950 with 42 dead miners, he was there at the time of the Rescue. For days he was to rescue the Dead, tried to Spilt, put his life on the game. For us he was a Hero. For him it was a matter of course.
The first toy that my mother received the age of four, had made a Russian forced labourer. A wire braided basket. In the mine of my grandfather, many Russian forced laborers were used. They had to perform the hardest work in the mines, were hardly to eat, many died. It was, of course, that my grandmother Packed in the sandwich box for my grandfather, so he could share the bread with them. Others did the same.
A Mantra of my Childhood was: “You always only up, never down”. The other:” tell me, if the hair is bleeding”. It meant nothing, get over yourself, so important, and there are worse things than minor injuries. As children, we looked to the scraped his knee, but only in fear, and then relieved of our hair.
For working-class children have no place here
From the realm of “equality and fraternity” I was ripped out when I came to a of Catholic sisters-run secondary school on the outskirts of the Ruhr area. In the first hour, all were asked what their fathers do for a living (the mothers). One girl after the other, the answer is a doctor, veterinarian, savings Bank Manager. When I was at the range, I said only “the miner”. There was a silence that I did not understand at the time. My father was a mechanical engineer, but never in his life, he would have presented himself as an engineer.
So why should I do it?
After the first bad Latin stars, the Director, my parents come to inform you that for working-class children had no place here. To be a miner, had been for me something honorable. Now, it should be something shameful?
In the mining industry could form any more, professionally. I am not become so great that there is an educational ceiling for us. Outside of my biotope, you wanted to move this working for us children. This school, and I have never been warm to each other. By the way, is the least of the daughters of the Doctors and savings Bank managers have later studied.
In contrast to the camera man, the author knew how to create the miner’s lamp
Now at the end of the coal production in Germany, I was able to participate professionally, rides one of the last Pit. Already during Tightening of the pit and clothes, I got a pleasant feeling. The blue-and-white striped pit shirt, blue fine Rib underwear, I knew how it feels. And as we drove in the 1200 meters deep with the Diesel trolley (a small train) in the face (coal mining area), I remembered that I was as a child. Probably on the weekend, and somebody’s eye must have been pushed when my father took the family in the cage. It smelled familiar, of home and Childhood. As we stood in front of the shimmering black coal wall, I’d have me a chair desired, and simply just enjoyed.
I should have my mining childhood to be positively described, then you may forgive me. But in the face of increasing social cleavage, here, in Europe, in the world, are the values of my Childhood, not less. Values such as Cohesion, trust, ability to Compromise, and not so important.