Limestone has been mined and processed as a building material in Rüdersdorf for almost 800 years. Many landmarks in Berlin – such as the foundations of the Brandenburg Gate or the Olympic Stadium – were built with Rüdersdorf limestone. Bernd Pabel knows his stuff, he is a miner and ntv.de tells about him.
Bernd Pabel stands in his neat miners’ uniform in front of the entrance to the Heinitz Tunnel in Rüdersdorf. He was born here in March 1959 in this town of 15,000 residents south-east of Berlin. His parents came to Rüdersdorf as displaced Silesians after World War II. After being a prisoner of war, his father worked as a controller in the administration of VEB Zementwerk. And his mother also worked here for the biggest employer in town.
Limestone has been mined and processed as a building material in Rüdersdorf for almost 800 years. Many landmarks in Berlin – such as the foundations of the Brandenburg Gate or the Olympic Stadium – were built with Rüdersdorf limestone. Industrial cement production began in 1885. During the GDR era,Rüdersdorf was known as the dustiest place in East Germany. At that time, 3,500 people worked in the cement plant, “there are currently 230,” says Pabel. “We used to have three cement factories here, but today there is only one, but it produces the same amount as in the socialist planned economy.” This also involves the extraction of 3.5 million tonnes of limestone. “Today, of course, with much fewer workers and the most modern technology, as one of the biggest excavators in Europe and low loaders that can carry 100 tons.”
The “we” is left
Pabel was employed in the cement works for over four decades and was involved in the community church council in Rüdersdorf for over 20 years. He grew up with his sister and two brothers in one of the miners’ typical white and gray limestone buildings. All the children were baptized in the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Rüdersdorf and had their first communion and confirmation here. He was an altar boy there until he was 18.
Good luck - should apply everywhere.
(Photo: R. Thiede)
his wife Sabine at the rowing club carnival at Lake Kalksee, and they married three years later. His three children were born in Rüdersdorf. Pabel trained as a “maintenance technician” in the mid-1970s – which today corresponds to the job description of an industrial mechanic. After 18 months of compulsory military service in the NVA, he returned to the cement works. He completed further training as a welder and hydraulic fitter, worked after further training at night school and from the mid-80s as a car mechanic before becoming a workshop manager in 1987. he later obtained his masterS degree.
Although Pabel is now retired, he still refers to ”we” when he talks about his former employer. ”We will have limestone here until 2062 - according to the operational plan.Then the pumps will be slowly turned off and a large lake will be formed by 2082, where sailing boats will then sail.”
Currently there are “only ten real miners left who work underground,” explains Pabel, who has been on the board of the miners’ association for two years. He proudly displays the old engines and carts in the underground tunnel, which are now the club’s rooms. “Not everyone in our club was active in mining there either.” In addition to some older miners, the Rüdersdorf mining association includes glaziers, carpenters and car dealer owners. His brother, who was eight years older and died of cancer a few years ago, was a temporary manager at the open pit mine. Pabel came to the mining association three decades ago.
Saint Barbara, patron saint of miners
All members wear custom miners uniforms on special occasions, such as the mountain parades. “Mine cost just under 800 euros,” says Pabel. “The 28 golden buttons represent the years of the life of Saint Barbara, the patron saint of miners. the cords on the sleeves symbolize the fuses for the explosion.” Under the jacket, a white shirt is worn with a black tie with mallet and iron symbols, which are also on the shoulders. The uniform includes the black and white feathered hat. They are real swan feathers, which were always black and white in Prussia – in contrast to Thuringia with the colors yellow and green or in Saxony with yellow and blue. If you go there or travel to the Ruhr area, then of course with a mountain band and a club flag.Pabel explains: “Feathers are not just jewelry, they were originally used to clean drill holes. Some of us also carry a ceremonial saber or mallet.”
Pabel is the chairman of the miners’ club with heart and soul. he proudly wears certain badges on his jacket: one shows a small miner’s lamp, another comes from the Brandenburg regional association, and the next comes from the German Miners’ Day. The black jacket also features an insignia with Saint Barbara and Madonna of Lourdes.
The miners are proud of their parade uniform. “If you want, you will be laid out there after your death. We will also be there with our uniforms at every funeral if someone from the club dies. That’s right,” says Pabel. In Rüdersdorf itself you can see Pabel and his 66 club mates in full action every year on the first weekend in July at the mountain festival,the mining tattoo,the lift with lights,the ecumenical service on the Sunday and the fireworks in the evening. “A few years ago, the local Protestant and Catholic priests were even our members. That made a lot of things easier when it came to organizing celebrations,” says Pabel, regretting the status quo.
When it comes to the church, Pabel is not only full of praise. “You can be a good Christian, but you don’t have to accept everything that is going on here,” he says, who was a dedicated member of the church council for many years and helped as a sexton. “We don’t have to be surprised if the churches become more and more empty,” he says of the endless reports of child abuse scandals by clergy. He is also worried by the arrogance of some church leaders and the restoration of the Berlin cathedral, “which I do not like at all and which leaves me speechless.”
locomotives, pumps and historic photographs
In the last century, before the miners went underground, they gathered in the prayer house for a little prayer, “because working in the mines, for example through an explosion, was also risky and nobody knew if they would get home safe in the evening. The early 19th century bell from the old prayer house, which was demolished long ago, is now owned by his association. In addition to locomotives, pumps and drills,many things related to mining can be seen in display cases, for example: historical photos of Obersteiger, parades, frog lamps, hackles, Steiger sticks and historical mallets. But also uniforms from the imperial era and the Third Reich, as well as many stones and finds from opencast mining, from shells to cephalopods to small insects caught in the stones. school children regularly come here on their hiking days for excursions and geological trips to search for fossils under expert guidance and to have the mining history of Rüdersdorf explained to them. The Rüdersdorf Museum Park is an open-air museum, with an area of 17 hectares, which gives a great insight into the industrial and mining history of the place. Here, the offers of the municipal museum and those of the mining association complement each other ideally.
In the clubhouse.
The clubhouse itself is essentially an old canal dating back to Friedrich Anton von Heynitz (1725-1802), founder of the Freiberg Mining Academy in Saxony and later reformer of the mining and metallurgical industry in Prussia.”Heynitz introduced mining regulation here in Rüdersdorf,” reports Pabel, pointing to a bronze eagle that used to stand on a pedestal at the Rüdersdorf mining authority. When the Russians marched on Berlin in World war II in 1945, they cut the eagle in two and threw it into Lake Heynitz. His parts were found later. The members of the club repaired it and today it is part of the small permanent exhibition of the mountain club in Rüdersdorf, which has been there since 1990.
Pabel has a story about every exhibition and knows every craftsman who helped here. And so it could go on when Bernd Pabel tells his stories about the rock of the year, friends, dogs and rats underground, bad weather, “away from the window” or deputat schnapps for 80 Eastern pfennigs.
By the way: There are fixed days when you can visit Pabel and his club members in the Heinitz Tunnel in Rüdersdorf, for example in May on Museum Day, at the Mountain Festival in July or on “Monument Day Open” in September. Or you can ask directly here and get a private tour, maybe even for a big birthday or wedding, because you can also rent the club rooms. The truth is: Anyone who enters the Heinitz Tunnel is guaranteed to come out smarter.
What are teh key reasons for the declining influence of the church in modern society?
Ss changes in society and the church’s declining influence. Pabel suggests that the church needs to adapt to modern realities and engage more with the community. He believes that community events, like the annual mining festival, foster stronger ties among residents and keep traditions alive, despite the church’s waning presence.
pabel reflects on the pride of the mining heritage in Rüdersdorf, underscoring the communal effort that has characterized life in this town for generations. He emphasizes the bond formed between workers and their communities, and also the shared history that shapes their identities. Despite being retired, his commitment to the miners’ association and the traditions surrounding it showcases his dedication to preserving the legacy of mining in Rüdersdorf.
Looking to the future, Pabel is optimistic yet realistic about the changes that will come with the end of limestone extraction. He anticipates the change of the landscape and community, but hopes that the spirit of camaraderie and connection will remain, even as the physical presence of mining diminishes. In sharing his stories and maintaining the traditions of the miners’ club, he aims to keep the essence of Rüdersdorf’s mining heritage alive for future generations.