Shaft kiln battery​

 

It is the architectural showpiece of the museum park: the shaft kiln battery with its Rüdersdorf kilns. The building, constructed mainly from limestone and bricks, is a unique and architecturally impressive example of the transition from the craft of lime burning to industrial production in large plants.

This large and architecturally unique lime burning plant with Rüdersdorf kilns was built between 1871 and 1877, directly adjacent to the tracks of the newly constructed railway and close to the limestone quarries. The history of the shaft kiln battery is closely linked to the social, technical, and economic conditions of more than 130 years of contemporary history.

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The construction of the shaft kiln battery heralded a new era and took lime production to new heights. The shaft kiln battery replaced the Rumford kilns (at the front of the Museumspark) and marked the beginning of industrial production of quicklime on the outskirts of Berlin. At the same time, the shaft kiln battery also tells the story of a major political reform and European politics.

After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, Germany demanded very high reparations payments from France, which were used primarily to co-finance the booming construction projects of the founding years. Rüdersdorf joined in this construction boom. After all, the rapidly growing city of Berlin was the main customer for Rüdersdorf's products. The shaft kiln battery was therefore also indirectly financed by these funds.

Like the Rumford furnace, the shaft kiln battery operated continuously (constantly, without interruption) at high combustion power. To improve the workflow, several furnaces were assembled into a battery. The shaft furnace battery allowed an increase in the production of burnt lime by about one thousand percent. The newly constructed furnaces were generally designed as side-fired furnaces, which is clearly visible today inside the building.

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In 1877, construction of the shaft kiln battery with a total of eighteen kilns was completed. It was designed to have a direct rail connection. This made it possible to quickly deliver large quantities of raw materials and, after processing, to deliver the quicklime without time-consuming reloading.

 

Learn more about the shaft kiln battery inside the building and on the exhibition panels outside.