Stamp point 180 / Old coal shaft

The “Alter Kohlenschacht” stamping station is located above the Ballenstedt district of Opperode.

The min­ing of Opper­ode can be proven beyond doubt from 1557 onwards on the basis of a fief­dom issued in Bern­burg for the oper­a­tion of a coal mine in the Bal­len­st­edt district.

One of the first attempts to coke hard coal is asso­ci­at­ed with the ear­ly min­ing of Opper­ode. As ear­ly as 1584, the prince­ly Bern­burg mint mas­ter Daniel Stumpfeld was grant­ed the priv­i­lege of using a process to“removethe wild­ness, stink and oth­er nas­ti­ness“from hard coal. This was one of the very first patents on coal refining. 

From the hik­ing park­ing lot on the street “Am Kohlen­schacht” in Bal­len­st­edt, you can reach the stamp­ing point via the sign­post­ed hik­ing trail and con­tin­ue the hike via the “Falken­weg” to the “Selkesicht an der Acke­burg” HWN 204.