De opgang en teleurgang van de Limburgse Steenkoolindustrie (een historisch overzicht)

Abstract

Since the early middle ages the northern part of the Netherlands have followed its own independent energy policy. As naturally it was paramount that the supply of raw materials for the generation of energy had to be as cheap as possible, thereby benefiting local trade and industry, this policy sometimes was of disadvantage to the national coal industry. Napoleon's Mine Law of 1st May, 1810 promoted the activity in the mining industry. Towards the end of the period of French domination and during the early years of the kingdom of the Netherlands, there was only one coal mine in southern Limburg: the Domanial Mine. After the Belgian revolution of 1830 and the resulting separation of Belgium and the Netherlands the two countries went their own individual routes of industrial developments. In the area of Liege we saw the beginning of a continental industrial revolution while the northern Netherlands placed more emphasis on trade and shipping. The Domanial Mine was followed in 1852 by another one, which, however, was stopped even before the Domanial Mine closed down in 1970. The first 2 concessions after the French domination, signifying the first real emphasis on mining in Limburg, date from the years 1860-1861. It was not until 1902 that the first coal was produced from the unified Willem Sophie Mine, which exploited these two concessions. Between 1870 and 1880 another 13 mining concessions were awarded and a great number of holes were drilled. No new mines were started, however, and between 1891 and 1892 most of these concessions were cancelled. The initiative of Sarolea who obtained a concession in 1889 as a reward for the construction of the railroad from Sittard to Herzogenrath and of the Aachen (Germany) coal producers Carl and Friedrich Honigmann (who were awarded in 1893 most of the concessions that were cancelled in 1891 and 1892) meant the beginning of the modern mining industry of Limburg. The first of the 4 Oranje Nassau mines started to produce in 1899 and in 1908 all the properties of the Honigmann family went over to the De Wendel family of Lotharingen. Affiliated in this manner with large steel mills and with owners of large experience in mining, the Oranje Nassau mines started to prosper. In the meantime Mine Laura had started in 1907 and after World War I its sister Mine Julia went into operation. Concerned about the foreign influences in the Limburg mining industry a government commission was created in the year 1899. This resulted in 1901 in a law reserving all unallocated concessions for exploitation by the nation. In 1903 the first concession was assigned to a state mine, in 1915 the fourth to state mine Maurits. Finally a concession under Vlodrop was awarded for exploitation by the nation, the shafts were dug but the mine was never produced. Worth mentioning in the history of the Dutch State Mines (DSM) is that its personnel are not considered as "staff in the normal sense of the word. In 1913 the Dutch State Mines management was instructed to run the company "as much as possible as it is customary in the large private enterprise". The entire Netherlands mining industry had to find its own anyhow between the years 1900-1914 and secure national recognition. As late as in 1913 64% of its production still had to be exported. In 1919 the first steps were taken in the creation of a chemical industry by DSM, which now forms a most important element in the industrialization of southern Limburg. After World War I a couple of prosperous years followed, the years 1923 (occupation of the Ruhr district) and 1926 (major strikes in Great Britain) were very good years for the mines. Before things turned for the worse again in the thirties, production amounted to 12.2 million tons of coal in 1930. It is, however, not until 1939 that one could speak of normal conditions, but then of course the German invasion followed and the mines were put under the control of the German forces. After World War II the mines had to step in again to alleviate the energy shortage and they were therefore highly appreciated. But soon thereafter a complete change occurred in the energy market. The penetration of cheap oil, the introduction of atomic energy and the discovery of large amounts of natural gas in the Netherlands resulted in a crisis in the coal mining industry, which reached its peak in 1958. New developments like the coal and steel community, later the EEG could not save the mines and so we witnessed the end of an industry which had been of major importance to the Netherlands for many decades.