Iron ore for the Maxhütte:

a new overhead cableway supplied the expanding steelworks.

2,500 tonnes of ore per day

The reliable aerial cableway was chosen as the means of transport for this daily quantity of ore. Since the construction of the first cable railway in 1881 from the Etzmannsberg shaft to the Maxhütte, the company had had good experience with this means of transport.

Between the Annaschacht and the Maxhütte, the overhead transport system was able to negotiate a hill, the main road ‘Rosenbachstraße’, the river Rosenbach, the railway line from Sulzbach-Rosenberg to Amberg and the Erzhausstraße without any problems.

The centralised motor at the terminals ensured almost silent operation. This meant that the aerial transport system could run round the clock, so that no additional large ore bunker was required in the Maxhütte to cover peak demand.

Today, the street name ‘Seilbahnweg’ in the Rosenberg district is still a reminder of the aerial transport system. Two above-ground concrete foundations of the St. Anna shaft overhead transport are also still preserved in Rosenberg. A short cul-de-sac to the north-west of the ‘Hangweg’ runs directly under the former route.

The ore bunker at Annaschacht

The ore bunker stood 20 metres away from your position. 15 metres from here, at a height of approx. 10 metres, the conveyor system from the Klenze shaft ran through it. The route of the new system ran below it.

The ore bunker consisted of a multi-level, elongated structure with a single-storey extension on the pithead side.

The ore container in the rear was filled from above via an elevated, enclosed conveyor belt in the high part of the building.

The ore container could hold 5,000 tonnes of ore. This corresponded to twice the Maxhütte's daily requirements.

As the operation of the blast furnaces in the Maxhütte, for technical reasons, had to continue without interruption, the ore supply to the smelter was never allowed to come to a standstill. If the ore supply at the St. Anna shaft had to be stopped due to technical defects or accidents, the steelworks had a reserve of two days' supply.

Fully automatic filling and emptying

In the single-storey extension to the ore bunker, the cable ran around a circular wheel. The aerial wagons were filled from above and made their way to the Maxhütte.