According to records, the first application to extract coal from a coal seam in the ‘Hettberger Holtz’ was submitted in 1714. Initially, several farmers from the region were shareholders in this field. In 1743, the landowner Baron Friedrich Christian Theodor von Elverfeldt bought all the shares from them for 140 Reichstaler. The male descendants of the noble family von Elverfeldt then spent more than a century as entrepreneurs in the coal business themselves.

Numerous other collieries around Hettberg mined coal alongside and above each other. Initially, the predominant mining technique was tunnel construction. Horizontal tunnels were driven into a mountain and the coal was extracted by hand.

To reach deeper seams, ‘underground structures’ were built. From there, coal and water were transported to the surface in buckets and boxes through sloping shafts. Access to these tunnel mines was via so-called ‘mouth holes’. Some of these can still be seen today in Muttental.

The mining operations of this early phase differed greatly from modern mining in terms of their organisational structure. In the 1750s and 60s, for example, a maximum of eight miners worked in the Nachtigall mine, who – as was customary at the time – were only employed on a daily or weekly basis, depending on the order situation. Around 1800, ten miners worked in various roles at the Nachtigall tunnel mine: coal cutters and rock cutters for tunnel construction and coal extraction, as well as cart drivers who transported the coal from the mining site to the tunnel mouth using pushcarts. In 1806, the old carts were replaced by rail-based wagon transport.

Prussia attempted to bring privately operated mining in the Ruhr under state control, boost coal sales and secure the royal tithe – the prescribed taxes – with new laws and administrative structures, including the establishment of the Märkisches Bergamt (Märkisch Mining Authority) in Bochum in 1738.

After conducting inspections, the mining supervisors and experts appointed by the authorities agreed in their negative assessments of mining in the Mark Brandenburg. They attested to disorder in the ‘mining economy’ and overexploitation. After an inspection tour of 28 Ruhr mines in 1782 on behalf of the Prussian King Frederick II, Chief Mining Councillor Friedrich Wilhelm Graf von Reden criticised the poor state of mining in the County of Mark. He lamented the lack of control by the mining authorities and inadequate accounting, summarising: ‘Everyone does what they want!’

With the introduction of the Revised Mining Regulations of 1766, state administration of the coal mines in the Ruhr region was established. However, the so-called principle of direction could only be implemented gradually.

In 1851, Ludwig von Elverfeldt sold his Steinhausen estate and his shares in the coal mines to a group of wealthy Dutch investors who saw mining in the Ruhr region as a promising investment opportunity abroad. They took over a coal mine that was equipped with state-of-the-art technology and had excellent coal reserves.

The investors drove forward further expansion by investing in technical equipment, transport links to the colliery and the new consolidation of the Vereinigte Nachtigall, Vereinigte Nachtigall & Aufgottgewagt, Wiederlage and Theresia collieries into the Vereinigte Nachtigall Tiefbau colliery. In the 1850s and 1860s, this mine employed between 300 and 500 miners. At that time, it was one of the largest mines in the region in terms of number of employees and coal production.

The mine now had three shafts: the Neptun shaft, the Catharina shaft of the former Theresia colliery and the Hercules shaft. The latter became the main extraction shaft of the colliery as a result of further sinking.

In the following years, the colliery expanded its surface facilities and built, among other things, a boiler house, the machine house (which still stands today) and the workshop buildings. The colliery always used the most modern methods available: in 1855, it introduced underground haulage using horses.

In 1857, the most powerful steam engine in the Ruhr mining industry at the time (500 hp) went into operation at Nachtigall. In 1876, modern rope transport was introduced: from then on, miners descended into the shaft in cages suspended from ropes. In 1876, the Hercules shaft reached its maximum depth of 450 metres. Coal production peaked at 100,000 tonnes in 1878. The Nachtigall Tiefbau colliery had reached a state of expansion that did not grow significantly until it was closed in 1892.

The mine struggled with heavy water inflows until it closed. The 1871 annual report of the Nachtigall Tiefbau colliery addressed the vexing issue of water on numerous occasions, which repeatedly caused the colliery to suffer production losses. Operational disruptions became more frequent. By 1882, only 295 miners were still working at the Nachtigall mine. Coal production declined.

The merger with the Helene Tiefbau colliery on the other side of the Ruhr in Heven seemed like a lifeline. Plans were made to mine new seams under the Ruhr Valley, and it was hoped that this would make it easier to finance the necessary investments. However, the colliery overextended itself with the new investments and was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1887. Finally, in 1890, the Dortmund Mining Company purchased the mine. They were interested in the rich mining fields of Helene. Nachtigall, on the other hand, was to be abandoned due to a lack of profitability. The Dortmund Mining Company decided to dissolve the Helene-Nachtigall union.

On 23 February 1892, the so-called ‘robbing’ began at Nachtigall: the sale of machinery and other mining equipment. On 14 October 1891, the Wittener Zeitung newspaper wrote about the approaching end of the Nachtigall colliery:

"Unfortunately, it won't be long before our old Nachtigall colliery, which provides bread and livelihoods for so many residents of our town (...), will work its last shift and be shut down. The main reason for the shutdown is the water calamity (...). In 3-4 months, all the machinery will probably be dismantled, leaving the colliery under water and at a standstill. We are pleased to announce that all workers and officials who were laid off on 1 October have found other work and positions."

Within a short period of time, the three neighbouring underground mines in the Hardenstein district – Louisenglück, Nachtigall and, most recently in 1906, Ver. Bommerbänker Tiefbau – ceased operations. They were unable to compete with the new, larger mines in the Emscher and Hellweg zones. These had better storage conditions, coking coal suitable for iron smelting and larger coal deposits.