Glück Auf

The Memorial Chapel of the Miners in Landgraaf-Terwinselen, Park Gravenrode, was initially a morgue (mortuary) of deceased miners of the Wilhelmina mine in Schaesberg (now Landgraaf).

At the memorial outside walls and plaques within the chapel are the names of 1455 miners who lost their lives in the Limburg mines in the period 1852-1975.

On December 8, 2002 the Memorial Chapel of the Miners was officially inaugurated and consecrated by Bishop Frans Wiertz of Roermond.

In the four windows of the small chapel is a glass in lead processed four images of the mining industry.

Glückauf (alternative spelling Glück Auf; also, as an exclamation: Glück auf!) is the traditional German miners' greeting. It describes the hope of the miners: "es mögen sich Erzgänge auftun" ("may lodes [of ore] be opened") which is short for "Ich wünsche Dir Glück, zu einen neuen Gang auf" ("I wish you luck in opening a new lode"), because, when mining for ore, without prospecting, no-one could predict with certainty whether the miners' work would lead to a reward.

The greeting also expressed the desire that miners would return safely from the mine after their shift.