Charcoal pile

A charcoal pile is a carefully arranged pile of wood, covered by turf or other layer, inside which a fire is lit in order to produce charcoal. The pile is tended by a charcoal burner. It is similar to a charcoal kiln, but the latter is usually a permanent structure made of e.g. stone.

Heart (Kern or Quandel) of the charcoal pile on an old Meilerplatz

Layer of beech wood around the heart

Pile with various layers (wood, spruce brushwood (Fichtenreisig), grass sods)

Lighting of a charcoal pile by honorary guests at a Meilerfest (2014)

Covered with loam, ready for firing

Finished pile with windbreak, charcoal burner’s hut and fireplace

Charcoal pile in the Westphalian Open Air Museum, Hagen

Charcoal pile in Walpersdorf, one of the last in the Siegerland

Opening of the charcoal pile

Charcoal product

Charcoal burners at work (turn of the 19th/20th centuries)

Section of a charcoal pile

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Wikipedia