Overall, a very beautiful and largely quiet hiking area.
About the story on Wikipedia:
Development of mining in Meggen
Since the early 1850s, pyrite has been mined in the Meggen area, which is necessary primarily for the production of sulfuric acid. It was one of the earliest and most important deposits of this type in Germany. The company experienced an upswing with the construction of the Lennetalbahn in the 1860s. Not only the chemical industry in Germany was dependent on this raw material, at times almost two thirds of production was exported. Some English mining companies even acquired pits in the Meggen area. The development of cheaper Portuguese pyrite deposits ended the export boom and led mining in Meggen and Halberbracht into an initial crisis. The English pits passed into a newly formed company, which was founded in 1879 under the name Union Siegena, named after Siegen, the place of residence of the main shareholders. In addition, the "Sicilia Union" was formed as a merger of smaller trade unions in the 1850s. Both companies were in constant competition with each other before they began to work together on various points in 1880.