Charcoal burning was demonstrably practiced in the Sauerland since around 800 AD and served as a source of fuel for iron smelting. The rich iron ore deposits and the densely forested Sauerland and Siegerland offered ideal location factors for this.
In 1880, Theodor Leiße founded a charcoal burning company based on piles in Hirschberg. The main customer was the Warstein ironworks. Due to better transport connections, he moved to Meschede in 1882 and built a manufacturing plant there for the further processing of charcoal into semolina, dust and charcoal briquettes. Of the up to 180 charcoal burners employed, 80 came from the charcoal burning town of Hirschberg. Charcoal production was therefore one of the main sources of income for many Hirschberg residents. Increasing competition from hard coal and chemical charcoal production led to the end of forest charcoal production.
In 1974, shortly before the municipal reorganization, on the initiative of the then mayor of the town of Hirschberg and SGV chairman Paul H. Wellmanns, a foam kiln was erected on the site, an old charcoal kiln, as a technical cultural monument of Hirschberg charcoal burning and at the same time as a visual aid for everyone. Former charcoal burners helped the Hirschberg town officials with the construction
Today, the charcoal kiln is a meeting place for various activities, especially for the charcoal burning weeks.
