Werner Gellhorn also designed the adjacent machine building in the historicism style. Inside, visitors can take a closer look at a twin steam-driven winding machine from 1897. Half of the machine house served as a pithead bath as of 1951. At that time, the building’s historical facade was completely reshaped and adapted to the remaining open-cast mines from the 1930s and 1940s. Inside of the building’s southern section, things look different: the original architectonic design was maintained there. Alongside the hoisting machine, you can also gaze in wonder at the rest of the original wall paintings, which were unveiled and lovingly restored by a conservator.

In the years 1972/73, shafts 3 and 4 obtained a new extendable pit ventilation system for mine ventilation. The system still exists today.

Schlägel & Eisen mine’s history began in 1873 with the foundation of a company to construct a hard coal mine in Herten. The entrepreneurs didn’t waste any time and started a year later with sinking work for shaft 1 in today’s city district of Disteln. The mine produced the first coal in 1877. Expectations were able to be met and the mine continually developed itself further. From 1890, shaft 2 and from 1895 shaft 3 were therefore created in the southwest mining area in the city district of Langenbochum. Production there started in 1892 or 1897.

At the end of the 1960s, the newly founded Ruhrkohle AG took over the mine and drove it to new peak performances in the following years. In 1975, the mine therefore realized the maximum annual output of its history: 2.03 million tons. A low point was reached seven years later – in a positive sense: Those in charge began to drill down deeper at shaft 4 with an extended cross-section, and started up its operations in 1986 as the central hoisting shaft.

1990 heralded the decommissioning of Schlägel & Eisen mine, which should still be prolonged up into 2000: Consolidation with Ewald mine took place, which acquired the central production of coal. What remained at Schlägel & Eisen were lift cages to bring material and miners underground and back to the surface again. Another merger took place in 1997 – namely with the amalgamated mine Hugo/Consolidation with the Ewald/Hugo group. The last production of these combined mines was in April 2000, so that this date marked the final shutdown of Schlägel & Eisen.

Since May 2017, visitors can see the monument site during tours. In the process, they get exciting insights into the machine building’s interior and have the opportunity to explore the historical equipment. But that’s by far not everything: Temporarily, breathtaking events are held on the mine’s premises – including events during the Night of Industrial Culture, better known as ExtraSchicht. Following completion of refurbishment work, the Foundation plans on illuminating the headframes, and in cooperation with the Geschichtskreis Schlägel und Eisen Herten e. V. and the association Schlägel und Eisen e.V., on revitalizing the machine hall with a varied program of events.