8. STATION: "Rechts vor dem Hochofen"

On this side of the blast furnace, you can see an excavation site that was revealed during renovations. The "moulding shop" can be seen here. Models of different objects were pressed into sand lying in shallow casting basins, thereby creating a mould. Molten iron was then poured into the moulds. This explains how ornate iron objects and small cast iron parts like cog wheels and the like, were created.

The excavations also unearthed an unknown chamber for housing a large iron water wheel. This drove a long rod leading to the hammer on the limestone crusher more than 10 metres above. 

Four vaults led into the interior of the blast furnace stump, which has been preserved in its original state. The pig iron was tapped into the ingot bed through the front vault. The other vaults were used for the wind pipes which blew wind into the blast furnace. Part of a wind pipe can be seen in the picture. The furnace shaft rested on six cast-iron pillars and a wide iron ring inside the blast furnace.


The texts on the white steel brackets indicate places in the casting hall where technical equipment once stood. Pig iron was remelted in the cupola furnaces and flame furnaces to liquidise it in order to cast machine parts and ornate iron. Bigger iron objects were cast in the so-called dam pit, a large casting pit directly in front of the blast furnace between the two flame furnaces.

You can see the old technical equipment and learn about it in more detail on the revolving monitor.