Seilfahrt 69. Eine Auskunft über Mansfeld

Produced by the DEFA Studio for Short Films, the film Seilfahrt 69 [Man Hoist 69] examines the rationalization of East German industry with a focus on the closing of mining operations in the Mansfeld Hollow. Due to declining profitability, copper shale was only to be mined in two modern large-scale shafts near Sangerhausen. What will happen to the miners of Mansfeld after this massive restructuring? The interviews in the film with brigade leader Wenzel Hirschmüller, the blaster Walter Griese and the drift blaster Gustav Lüdicke, all three of whom were affected by the closing of the Otto Brosowski Shaft in Augsdorf in December 1969, provide glimpses into the worries and hopes associated with the learning of a new profession after working as miners for 20 years.