For the Last Time: The Miners' Hymn at Christmas at Moers Shaft IV
The Knappenchor Rheinland, a miners' choir from Moers, has closed after 93 years. Its final performance took place at a Christmas concert, marking the end of a long tradition that once included 100 singers but now had just 14 members in their mid-80s.
The choir’s last concert was held at Moers’ historic Shaft IV, a former mine site. Before the show, the members voted unanimously to disband. Their programme featured Christmas carols, with the audience joining in for the miners’ unofficial anthem, the Steigerlied.
Wolfgang Wehner led the choir as its final conductor. Under his direction, they sang the *Steigerlied* one last time, a song deeply tied to their mining heritage. The group, which once had 100 voices nearly 40 years ago, now averaged an age in the mid-80s. Despite the choir’s end, the remaining members plan to keep meeting weekly in private gatherings.
The disbandment leaves behind a legacy of nearly a century of music and mining tradition. The final concert at Shaft IV was their last public appearance, but the former singers will continue to meet informally. Their decision reflects the natural decline of a group that once played a central role in the community.
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