- Halsbrücker Esse
Halsbrücker Esse is a smokestack to the north of
Halsbrücke near Freiberg. It is also known as "Hohe Esse" or "Halsbrück(e)ner Esse", "Esse" being anEast Central German word for a smokestack.With a height of 140m it was the highest smokestack in the world at its completion and it remains the tallest brick building in Europe (the
Anaconda Smelter Stack inMontana is higher) and is a technical and industrial historical monument.History
It was built on the eastern slope of the
Freiberger Mulde between 22 September 1888 to 28 October 1889 by the smokestack building firm H.R. Heinicke fromChemnitz to provide a chimney for the exhaust fumes of the smelting works. It began service in April 1890 and has been in operation since.Construction
The surface area of the building covers 144 m2, the lower diameter being 8.25m and the upper diameter 3m. The chimney consists of 4,140 tons of fireproof clay bricks from the Grube Ilse near
Senftenberg . The mortar consists of 170 tons of Bohemian lime, 1,030 tons of sand from the riverElbe and 60 tons of cement. The total mass has been estimated to be 5,400 tons. The chimney can climbed using step irons on the inside and outside. To stablise the chimney iron rings were attached which are spaced 5,5m at the bottom of the chimney down to 2m near the top. It is connected to the smeltering works at the bottom of the valley by a 500m long flue gas duct.Environmental issues
The chimney was built in full knowledge of the environmental and health hazards posed by the noxious gases. The prevailing winds coming from the east to south-east, its construction achieved the goal of improving the air quality downwind in the vicinity. However, the problem was only shifted sideways by about 15-20km into the
Tharandter Wald where the environmental damage was soon noticed and studied.ee also
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List of towers External links
* http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=55932
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