Gipsbergbau Engel GmbH

Gypsum mining is a tradition that dates back over a century in the Sauer Valley. Formerly, inhabitants of the Sauer Valley extracted raw gypsum from small quarries, firing it on site in traditional ovens. The dehydrated gypsum was then used either in the construction of houses and threshing barns in the surrounding regions, or as a fertilizer, which was shipped out as far as Antwerp and Rotterdam in barges.

The company Sartor & Engel was founded in 1946 as a business partnership and specialized in building material production and supply. To meet the strong demand for construction materials, the company procured some of its raw materials and products from the first underground mine on the slopes of Rechberg Hill, near Olk. The mine was approved by the Koblenz Mining Authority in the same year the business partnership was set up. As well as selling gypsum as a raw material, the company produced its own moulding, building and stucco plasters at its factory in Trier until 1960. The Rechberg site provided gypsum stone from two mines until 1968. In 1966, the company opened the Horst-Stollen mine nearby, on the slopes of Holt Hill above Ralingen, to further develop its mining activities.

With the drive for specialization in the sector, the company decided to end its gypsum transformation activities in the 1970s and dissociated its building material supply and gypsum mining activities. With Peter Engel at the helm, Gipsbergbau Engel GmbH continued to extract natural gypsum from the Horst-Stollen mine until 1982. It then began working the Horst-Peter-Stollen drift mine at the same site.

Today, the mine comprises five concessions. Under the leadership of Lydia Engel, this family-owned company has increased its production output by 40% over the last 15 years. Every year, it produces 70,000 tonnes of high-quality gypsum for the cement industry and for use as a mineral fertilizer. This would not be possible without our dedicated team of experts specialized in handling complex mining tasks with the help of modern, reliable equipment, and in line with strict safety and environmental protection quality standards. The development of three additional mining sites at Ralingen will secure the extraction of this natural raw material for decades to come.