Historic lump of coal reaches its final destination

On 9 July, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier handed over this significant symbol of German industrial and social history to the Haus der Geschichte in Bonn, Germany.
There, it is to serve as a central exhibit commemorating the defining era of German hard coal mining. The ceremony in the former federal capital was also attended by senior representatives of the RAG-Stiftung and RAG Aktiengesellschaft, Essen/Germany. Also present were former miners, mine rescue workers and the Ruhrkohle Choir.

Steinmeier had received the lump of hard coal, weighing around seven kilograms and extracted from the Prosper-Haniel mine in Bottrop, at the farewell ceremony marking the end of German hard coal mining on 21 December 2018. It subsequently adorned the Federal President’s study at Bellevue Palace. In future, the piece of coal will be on display as the centrepiece of the permanent exhibition ‘You Are Part of History. Germany since 1945’ at the Haus der Geschichte – as a reminder of the country’s industrial and cultural history and as a symbol of the transformation that continues to have an impact to this day.

For RAG, the lump of coal is not only a symbol of the past, but also of our present and the future. For with the end of active mining, our new task began: post-mining management. Today, we not only take responsibility for the long-term obligations that must be fulfilled sustainably and safely as a consequence of mining, but we also play an active role in shaping the transformation of former mining regions. This mission shapes our day-to-day work and carries decades of mining expertise into the future. (RAG/MRG)