The abbot of Kloosterrade appointed technically gifted people so that coal production increased in the second half of the eighteenth century. The mine flooded almost daily during this time, but the use of pumps kept the mine dry.
In 1794, the area was occupied by Napoleon's troops, which put an end to the abbey's power. The French nationalized the mines of the abbey, because of this they were called 'Mines Domaniales'.
In 1814 the French troops withdrew and the mines became the property of the Dutch Kingdom. In 1845 King Willem II proposed to lease the mines to the Aachen-Maastrichtsche Spoorweg Maatschappij (AMSM). Until about 1880, the coal from the Domanial mine was destined for local use and the railway company itself.
In 1881 the mine was given room for development and new investments through a change in the lease agreement with the State. This caused an explosive increase in production that continued well into the 1930s.
The 1st World War did not pass unnoticed. German workers were called up to serve in the army and all roads leading to Rue Neuve, the border with Germany, were closed. As a result, the main entrance to the mine was inaccessible for a long time.
Production was nevertheless maintained, sometimes even increased, by attracting foreign workers.
In 1925 the name Akens-Maastrichtsche Spoorwegmaatschappij was changed to Domaniale Mijn Maatschappij NV and this remained until the sixties.
Around 1930 approximately 3400 workers worked at the Domanial mine and the annual production was over 1,000,000 tons. The mine had six shafts, namely: Willem I, Willem II, the Buizenschacht, Beerenbosch I and II and the Nulland shaft.
During WWII the mine was taken over by the Germans. Both on Saturday and Sunday the miners had to work and the coal was destined for the German troops and the German war industry. Many miners called in sick, as resistance.
This naturally led to heavy countermeasures by the Germans. Production was resumed on October 30, 1944, but due to the lack of significant resources, production remained low. From June 1945 the mine came under the management of the Dutch State.
In the early 1950s, Limburg was a prosperous region and the mining industry prospered. Due to labor shortages, foreign workers were recruited to work in the mine. In the early 1960s, things got worse for the Domanial Mine.
Partly due to unfavorable geological conditions and a failing technical policy, productivity was very low and was operating at a loss. In 1966 the Dutch government bought a majority of the shares. Friday 29 August 1969 the last car with Domanial anthracite left the mine.
For safety reasons, the mine shafts were closed with a concrete plug. Only shaft Nulland was spared and was given the status of a national monument in 1974.
This text has been automatically translated using an online translation service.
