Mining the material slate
Almost all of Schmallenberg's houses have slate cladding on their walls and roofs; indeed, the town itself is built on slate rock: Today, slate is still mined in the town area by Magog GmbH, one of three Sauerland slate mines still in existence. Slate is a high-quality material: it is weather-resistant, very durable, requires little maintenance and is ecologically valuable due to its environmentally friendly extraction and good recyclability.slate has been mined in the area around Schmallenberg since the 16th century. Slate mining developed into a regionally important industry from 1850, boosted by the new Prussian Mining Act (slate became a proprietary mineral), railroad construction (improved transport) and the economic upswing in the course of industrialization (brisk construction activity and easier access to capital). A slate deposit worthy of construction was discovered by chance near Fredeburg in 1851 during the construction of a cooling cellar for a brewery; the "Bierkeller" slate mine was opened here in 1853, the neighboring "Magog" mine in 1859, the "Gomer" mine in 1880 and other mines in the surrounding area. Most of the pits in this area were deep mines. The slate boom cooled off significantly around 1900: between 1872 and 1912, production fell by more than half due to high customs duties that prevented exports and rising production costs (higher Lohne, freight tariffs). Slate mining was briefly revived during the reconstruction phase after the Second World War. Afterwards, however, competition from cheaper foreign slate grew steadily. From 1970 to 1982, the "Bierkeller", "Magog" and "Gomer" pits were merged, creating a mine workings with a strike length of 1000 meters. The "Bierkeller" mine was shut down in 1996. Through rationalization and mechanization, Magog GmbH in Bad Fredeburg was able to absorb some of the high production costs and remain in the black. The replacement of drilling and blasting technology with sawing technology also improved the working conditions of the workforce and reduced overburden waste. New sales areas (bathroom and kitchen tiles) and the development of new products (including slate veneer) opened up additional markets.
Use of slate in Schmallenberg
In Schmallenberg, around ten roofing and carpentry businesses still work with slate on a regular basis. Around 30 percent of all roof coverings are slate coverings. Laying a slate roof is a demanding craft: Knowledge is taught in roofing schools such as the one in Eslohe; however, traditional knowledge is also very important, which has also developed in family businesses such as the over 100-year-old Schmallenberg company Pein due to its proximity to the traditional quarrying areas in the Schmallenberg and Fredeburg region. Many of the Schmallenberg companies are therefore also active nationwide. The company Fischer & Fischer tapped into a market niche: since 1980, it has been producing loudspeaker boxes from slate. By chance, the entrepreneurs replaced the traditionally used building material wood with slate and had excellent experiences with it. Slate is characterized by its low resonance, its mass and its aesthetics: Its layers, folded on top of each other like puff pastry, provide a high level of insulation; in addition, slate can be processed more thinly and therefore more aesthetically than wood.