Schieferwerk Lotharheil

Schieferwerk Lotharheil GmbH is a German slate (Schiefer) mining and slate-products company based at Lotharheil 2 in Geroldsgrün, in the Upper Franconian district of Hof, Bavaria. It operates what its own history describes as the only remaining slate mine in all of Bavaria, working a deposit that has been mined underground since 1857 and in open-cast form for roughly three centuries. The company markets its stone as a German quality slate (deutscher Qualitätsschiefer) and sells roofing slate, wall cladding, floor slabs for indoor and outdoor use, and stone for garden and landscaping work, as well as bespoke slate elements for bathrooms, saunas, kitchen work surfaces and staircases. The mine's name comes from Reichsrat Lothar Freiherr von Faber, who acquired the mining rights and named the operation "Lotharheil" after himself; he needed the stone for slate writing tablets produced at his newly founded factory in Geroldsgrün. Because the slate proved too hard for that purpose, the mine was sold in 1895. In 1904 it was bought by the slater couple Christian and Henriette Teichmann, and it has remained in the Teichmann family ever since. The current owner, Manfred Teichmann, represents the fourth generation of this mining family. Roofing-slate production was discontinued at the end of the 1960s because the hardness of the material made it uneconomic — the ratio of waste to saleable material was about 6:1. Today the business is a small, family-run specialist rather than an industrial-scale producer. Its on-site shop, the Schieferladen in Lotharheil, is closed; orders are taken by telephone or email, and shipping or collection is possible only by prior appointment. The company presents slate as a noble natural stone (edler Naturstein) and emphasises combinations of slate with wood and stainless steel in interior applications. Its product range spans traditional roofing and facade uses, where slate has proven itself for centuries, through to contemporary interior and landscape design. The firm is registered as Schieferwerk Lotharheil GmbH, with VAT identification number DE 457380694, and its website content is credited to Marion Teichmann, Manfred Teichmann and Uwe Oelschlegel.

The slate deposit at Lotharheil, near Geroldsgrün in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), has been worked for centuries. According to the company's own history, the open-cast pit is about 300 years old, and the spoil heap above the tunnel mouth dates from that period. Underground mining began in 1857, when the mine was first driven by mining methods. At that time Reichsrat Lothar Freiherr von Faber acquired the mining rights and named the mine "Lotharheil" after himself. Faber needed the extracted material for the production of slate writing tablets (Schiefertafeln) in his newly founded factory in Geroldsgrün. The slate, however, proved too hard for that purpose, and the mine was sold in 1895. In 1904 the mine was purchased by the slater couple Christian and Henriette Teichmann. From that point the operation passed down within the Teichmann family; the present owner, Manfred Teichmann, is the fourth generation of this mining family. Under family ownership the mine continued to supply slate, and the company's history notes that slate has proven itself for centuries for roofs and walls, as floor slabs indoors and outdoors, and in garden and landscape construction. At the end of the 1960s, roofing-slate production was discontinued. The hardness of the material made economic production impossible: the ratio of waste (Abraum) to saleable material was about 6:1. This same hardness that had defeated Faber's writing-tablet venture also ended large-scale roofing-slate output. The business nonetheless continued as a slate works and slate-products supplier, and it describes itself today as the only remaining slate mine in all of Bavaria. In the present era the company operates as Schieferwerk Lotharheil GmbH from Lotharheil 2 in Geroldsgrün. It markets German quality slate for roofing, walls, floors, gardens and landscaping, and for interior features such as bathroom and sauna surfaces, kitchen work surfaces and staircases, often in combination with wood and stainless steel. Its on-site shop, the Schieferladen in Lotharheil, has been closed; orders are accepted by telephone or email, and shipping or collection requires a prior appointment. The website credits Marion Teichmann, Manfred Teichmann and Uwe Oelschlegel with content, photos and advice, and lists VAT identification number DE 457380694.

• 1960

  At the end of the 1960s, roofing-slate production is discontinued because the waste-to-saleable-material ratio of about 6:1 makes it uneconomic.

• 1904

  The slater couple Christian and Henriette Teichmann buy the Lotharheil mine; it remains in the Teichmann family.

• 1895

  The mine is sold because the slate is too hard for Faber's slate writing-tablet production.

• 1857

  Underground mining begins at Lotharheil; Reichsrat Lothar Freiherr von Faber acquires the mining rights and names the mine after himself.

Small, family-run specialist in genuine German natural slate, positioned as the last surviving slate mine in Bavaria and as a supplier of durable, noble natural stone for roofing, facades, interiors and landscaping.

• Roofing slate (Dachschiefer)

  Slate for roofs, a use in which the material has proven itself for centuries.

• Wall cladding (Wandschiefer)

  Slate for walls and facades.

• Slate floor slabs

  Floor slabs for indoor and outdoor use.

• Garden and landscaping slate

  Slate for garden and landscape construction.

• Interior slate elements

  Slate for bathroom and sauna surfaces, kitchen work surfaces and staircases, often combined with wood and stainless steel.

1. 1Dachschiefer, Schieferdach, Wandschiefer, Schiefer, Dach, Wand, Deckmodelle, Fassade - Schieferbergwerkschieferbergwerk.de
2. 2Impressum - Schieferbergwerkschieferbergwerk.de
3. 3Geschichte: Schieferbergbau mit Tradition in Lotharheil - Schieferbergwerkschieferbergwerk.de
4. 4Schieferwerk Lotharheil - Wikidatawikidata.org