Area of the former Mathilde mines

 place with historical importance, mine, production

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Lengede became known to the world in 1963 because of a mining disaster and the subsequent rescue operation.

A group of twenty-one men had fled to an old part of the mine, known as the Old Man, which was not used anymore and had already partly collapsed. Falling rocks killed several men there.

The management of the mine was already about to end the rescue operation and call for funeral services, when some miners pointed out that they would have tried to escape to the Old Man, and maybe some men were still there. No exact plans for that part of the mine were available and an exploratory drill was started.

Fifty-six meters underground, a cavern was reached. Tapping signs were heard, and the rescuers let food, water and even a microphone down to the men below. Because of concerns about the poor condition of Old Man, water was considered too heavy for use in the drilling below 40 meters and pressured air was used instead. At 6 a.m. on November 7, the men were reached. Two miners went down with the Dahlbusch-Bombe to help their colleagues come up. Eleven men were rescued.

Twenty-nine men died in the disaster. One man was never found.