The 10th SEC Technology Tour took us to the area around Braunschweig on 30 September 2019. The programme included a visit to the flat steel plant in Salzgitter and an evening tour of the historic Magni district in Braunschweig with the night watchman "Hugo".
In the visitor centre of the Salzgitter AG flat steel plant, a film introduced us to the plant and flat steel production. We then travelled by bus through the extensive factory premises to the blast furnace, where we were lucky enough to witness the spectacular tapping of the blast furnace. After separation from the slag, we followed the molten pig iron into the steelworks, where iron is turned into steel in huge converters. The molten steel is then cast into semi-finished products such as slabs in the continuous casting plant. The slabs are then transported to the kilometre-long rolling mill, where the steel ingots are rolled out into a sheet metal strip by powerful rollers, which is guided onto rollers at the end of the line at speeds of up to 70 km/h and wound into coils. After this exciting factory tour, we returned to Braunschweig.
In the early evening, Uwe von Grabowski led us past the old town hall, Braunschweig Castle and the Rizzi House to the meeting point with Hugo, the night watchman armed with a halberd, in the historic Magni district. We wandered through the Magni district with "Hugo" and enjoyed listening to his knowledgeable and witty, amusing explanations in Brunswick dialect. Hugo had stories to tell about almost every house and, of course, the church. The ninety-minute tour was vivid, informative and amusing at the same time. It ended with a hearty Mumme menu in the rustic pub "Das Anders" and a great atmosphere. Mumme is a beer speciality from Braunschweig
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