The foundation walls of the Ramsbeck lead smelter give an impression of the size of this important facility at the foot of the Bastenberg, the center of lead and zinc mining until 1912. While the lead was smelted on site in Ramsbeck, the zinc was sent to Dortmund.
The smelter was built in 1853/54 as an extension to the facility already constructed by Josef Cosack and supplemented by additional buildings. The smelting process took place in several stages:
Roasting furnaces: separation of the sulphur from the ore (approx. 100 quintals of ore per day and furnace).
Blast furnaces: extraction of the "lead lead" from lead and silver (approx. 100 quintals of lead per day and furnace).
Crystallization kettles: Separation of the lead into "soft lead" with a low silver content and "rich lead" with a high silver content.
Floating hearths: Extraction of pure silver from the rich lead.
Condensation channels: Cooling and condensation of the previously volatilized metallic substances, aided by the chimney at Bastenberg.
A smelter already existed in Ramsbeck on behalf of the Electors of Cologne. It was modernized and expanded in the 19th century before operations finally ceased in 1907.